|
【collation】
Rome now piled victory upon victory all across Italy as one by one her neighbours fell to the legions. Rome's rise was gathering momentum, and by now seemed unstoppable. But she suffered one setback which haunted the empire forever.
The year was 386 B.C., from beyond the Alps horsemen appeared and thundered toward Rome. Romans called them barbarians. They were Celts from Gaul, present-day France. The Gauls were warlike people. But this time, they weren't looking for battle. Wars with their neighbours had pushed them out of their own territory. Now, they needed a new home. Rome dominated central Italy, so the Gauls asked them for territory. Roman envoys refused point-blank. Who did these barbarians think they were to presume upon Rome in this way? They'd insulted the Gauls, which was a mistake.
The Gauls descended on Rome in a fury. What they weren't given, they would take. Romans were fierce warriors, but had no idea how to fight these people, who charged them to battle in a suicidal frenzy. Their savagery, even by Roman standards was terrifying. Taken by surprise, the Romans barricaded themselves inside their city and hoped these terrifying wild men would go away. They didn't. The Gauls smashed their way into the city and ransacked it. The Romans only escaped being slaughtered by paying the Gauls everything they had to move on and leave them in peace. Rome's humiliation was complete. The words of the Gallic chieftain as he exacted his crushing payment would ring in Roman ears for centuries to come, woe to the vanquished. Rome rose from this devastation, stronger, better organized, and more determined than ever. It forged...
|