Battle of Mount Gaurus
Battle of Mount Gaurus | |||||||
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Part of The First Samnite War | |||||||
Map showing the location of Mount Gaurus, labelled Gauro on the map | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Roman Republic | Samnium | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Marcus Valerius Corvus | unknown | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
unknown | unknown | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
unknown | unknown | ||||||
The Battle of Mount Gaurus, 343 BC,
Background
According to Livy the First Samnite War started because the Samnites attacked the Sidicini, a tribe living north of Campania. The Campani, led by the city-state of Capua, sent an army to help the Sidicini, but were beaten in battle by the Samnites. The Samnites then invaded Campania and won a second battle on the plain near Capua. Facing defeat, the Campani appealed to Rome for aid. The Romans, despite having a treaty with the Samnites, agreed to help and declared war against the Samnites.[1]
The two Roman consuls for 343,
The battle
Valerius camped his army at Mount Gaurus. The Samnites had moved into Campania in force, believing this would be the main theatre of war, and were eager to fight. After testing his enemy's strength for a few days with
Aftermath
Livy records two more Roman victories against the Samnites in 343, a victory by the other consul, Cornelius Cossus, at the
Modern views
Modern historians believe little, if any, of the detail provided by Livy for this battle derive from authentic records. Livy's battle-scenes for this time period are mostly free reconstructions by him and his sources, and as the historic first battle between Romans and Samnites the Battle of Mount Gaurus would be particularly susceptible to such inventions.[9] Samnite losses have clearly been exaggerated.[10] The role of Valerius Corvus in the events of the First Samnite War might have been exaggerated as well, especially, if as Salmon(1967) held, Valerius Antias was Livy's chief source for this part of his work, but other historians than Antias were capable of exaggerating the Valerii as well.[11] Salmon(1967) suspected Valerius' victories in 343 could be doublets of Roman operations against Hannibal in the same area in 215, he also doubted the location of the battle at Mount Gaurus, close to Cumae, but far from Capua.[12] Since the testimony of the Fasti Triumphales require some degree of Roman success in 343 and arguing that in this time period the Romans were more likely to defeat the Samnites on level than mountainous ground, Salmon(1967) therefore proposed that there was only one battle in 343 which was fought on the outskirts of Capua near the shrine of Juno Gaura, which Livy or his source has then confused with Mount Gaurus. This would explain Livy's description of the Capuans coming out to congratulate the Romans. The battle might not have been such a total rout of the Samnites as Livy describes. Fighting interrupted by nightfall was often used by Roman historians to hide Roman failures.[13] This reconstruction is rejected by Oakley(1998) who does not believe there are any doublets in Livy's account for 343. The Samnites would have gained significant ground in Campania by the time the Romans arrived and Valerius' two victories could be the outcome of twin Samnite attacks on Capua and Cumae.[14]
See also
- List of Roman battles
Note on date
- ^ Varronian chronology, which Livy did not use, this becomes 343 BC. However modern historians have shown that the Varronian chronology dates the First Samnite War four years too early due to inclusion of unhistorical "dictator years". Despite this known inaccuracy, the Varronian chronology remains in use by convention also in academic literature. Forsythe(2005), pp. 369–370
References
- ^ Livy, vii.29.3–32.1–2. On the historicity of these events see Salmon(1967), pp. 197–201; Oakley(1998), pp. 286–289; Forsythe(2005). pp. 285–288
- ^ Livy, vii.32.2
- ^ Livy, vii.32.2–17
- ^ Livy, vii.33.4–15
- ISBN 978-0-14-044388-2.
- ^ Livy, vii.33.17–18
- ^ Livy, vii.34–38
- ^ "Fasti Triumphales". Retrieved 2012-04-12.
- ^ Oakley(1998), p. 310
- ^ Salmon(1967), p. 198
- ^ Salmon(1967), p. 197; Oakley(1998), pp. 309–310
- ^ Salmon(1967), p. 198
- ^ Salmon(1967), p. 201
- ^ Oakley(1998), pp. 310–311
External links
- Livy, History of Rome, English Translation by. Rev. Canon Roberts, New York, E. P. Dutton and Co, 1912, Book VII, Chapter 32
- The Story of Rome from the Earliest Times to the End of the Republic, Chapter X
Bibliography
- Forsythe, Gary (2005). A Critical History of Early Rome. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-24991-7.
- Oakley, S. P. (1998). A Commentary on Livy Books VI–X, Volume II: Books VII–VII. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-815226-2.
- Salmon, E. T. (1967). Samnium and the Samnites. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-13572-6.