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<blockquote data-quote="GameDaddy" data-source="post: 8075576" data-attributes="member: 80711"><p><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">Unimproved Roads and trails in Ancient Gaul</span></strong></p><p></p><p>I'm going to weigh in here with some historical references campaigns along ancient roads and speak about travel times in Roman Europe. Now there were ancient roads and trails that existed in Neolithic times and were in place from about 18,000 BC or so right after the Ice sheet melted, right up until now, the modern day. Today. These ancient roads are still in use. The first ones I'm going to mention are the roads and trails that <em>Caesar </em>used when he invaded Gaul in 58 B.C. He traveled out of Italy up the <em>Po river Valley</em> and to the <em>Rhone </em>river valley in what is now the Burgundian Highlands. Then he traveled North along the <em>Rhone</em> in 58 B.C. and ended his campaign that year about 80 Km North-Northeast of <em>Lake Geneva</em> on the West bank of the Southern Rhine in <em>Germania Superior</em> where his Legions camped for the winter.</p><p></p><p>In the Spring of 57 BC he traveled west cutting France in two and attacked the <em>Veneti </em>Tribe north of present day <em>Nantes</em> along the<em> Brittany Coast</em> and in the modern province of<em> Pas de la Loire</em> on the north bank of the Loire in Western France. This was about 400 Km the Roman Army traveled on foot from their winter quarters in Cisalpine Gaul.</p><p></p><p>Caesar’s activities in the <em>Loire Valley</em> alarmed the <em>Belgae </em>to the north. Again, internal dissension among tribes led one, the Remi, to invite Caesar in against another, the <em>Suessiones</em>. Caesar faced 160,000 combatants with 8 legions and Gallic allies. He was outnumbered about 4:3. He defeated these as well and incorporated this new territory under his command. Next he besieged the <em>Aduatuci,</em> alleged descendants of the Cimbri and Teutons, 53,000 prisoners taken via siege. Then the <em>Veneti</em> submitted to Rome. Caesar placed Seven Legions in winter quarters along the line of the <em>Loire River</em>.</p><p></p><p>In the winter of 57 B.C. he split his army.<em> The Twelfth Legion</em> with some Cavalry went to <em>Cisalpine Switzerland</em> and settled into Winter quarters to protect the passes into Italy, but was attacked by the Gauls. Alba was in charge of the 12th Legion, and defeated the Gauls, but rejoined Caesars main camp shortly after that fearing a followup Gallic attack. Caesar wintered in along the Loire river in Western France again.</p><p></p><p>During winter in 56 BC, there were renegade activities of the <em>Veneti</em> by sea. After the conference at Luca, Caesar returned to humble the Veneti. He dispatched officers in varying directions, <em>Labienus</em> to watch the Belgae, <em>P. Crassus </em>to Aquitania. Caesar attacked the Veneti by land and sea. Again, his army was quartered for winter along the Loire, and also along the Seine in central France near present day Paris. At this point he has eight Legions, (about 90,000 soldiers, including Cavalry, plus loyal Gaul auxiliaries) who volunteered to be in the Roman Army, approximately 120,000 troops total.</p><p></p><p>The threat of more Germanic migration caused Caesar to build his famous bridge over the Rhine. Caesar conquered all of <em>Transalpine Gaul</em> by 55 B.C. Caesar claimed that, in the course of his conquest of Gaul, the Britons had supported the campaigns of the mainland Gauls against him, with fugitives from among the Gallic Belgae fleeing to Belgic settlements in Britain, and the Veneti of Armorica, who controlled seaborne trade to the island, calling in aid from their British allies to fight for them against Caesar in 56 BC. Strabo says that the Venetic rebellion in 56 BC had been intended to prevent Caesar from traveling to Britain and disrupting their commercial activity, suggesting that the possibility of a British expedition had already been considered by then. In August of 55 BC he took ninety-two Galleys and an unknown number of warships, and two Legions with some Cavalry, and scouted out Britannia.</p><p></p><p>The Britons opposed the landing. They were eventually driven back with <em>catapultae</em> and slings fired from the warships into the exposed flank of their formation and the Romans managed to land and drive them off. The Cavalry, in twelve Galleys which had launched from a different port were delayed by adverse winds, still had not arrived, so the Britons could not be pursued and finished off, and Caesar could not enjoy what he calls, in his usual self-promoting style, his <em>"accustomed success"</em>. He withdrew before winter set in dashing the plans of the Britons to pin him into place and force his surrender during the winter.</p><p></p><p>Determined not to make the same mistakes as the previous year, in 54 B.C. Caesar gathered a larger force than on his previous expedition with five legions as opposed to two, plus two thousand cavalry, carried in ships which he designed, with experience of <em>Veneti</em> shipbuilding technology so as to be more suitable for a beach landing than those used in 55 BC, being broader and lower for easier beaching. This time he named <em>Portus Itius</em> as the departure point.</p><p></p><p>Using a divide and conquer strategy, Caesar defeated a number of British tribes, but some held out, and as winter approached Caesar was eager to return to Gaul for the winter due to growing unrest there, and an agreement was mediated by <em>Commius</em>, a Briton. <em>Cassivellaunus</em> Caesars’ foe, gave hostages, agreed to an annual tribute, and undertook not to make war against <em>Mandubracius</em> or the <em>Trinovantes</em>, Roman Allies in Briton. Caesar wrote to Cicero on 26 September, confirming the result of the campaign, with hostages but no booty taken, and that his army was about to return to Gaul. He then left, leaving not a single Roman soldier in Britain to enforce his settlement. Whether the tribute was ever paid is unknown.</p><p></p><p>The winter camps in 54 B.C. were largely in <em>Belgica</em>. Caesar went to <em>Cisapline Gaul</em>. With increasing rumors of rebellions, in 53 B.C. Caesar deposed several dangerous kings. Rebellions erupted along the Rhine (Eburones). Roman camps were overrun. There was an additional uprising of <em>Nervii </em>in <em>Belgica</em>. Caesar lost more than one legion. He recruited two more in Cisalpine Gaul, and asked Pompey for a loan of another. Caesar laid waste to Gallic territories in the north (<em>Nervii, Treveri, Eburones, Senones, Carnutes</em>). He installed new sets of friendly kings. Roman troops were quartered in these northern regions and in central <em>Celtica</em> for the winter of 53 BC. During winter, numerous Gallic chiefs conspired against him and this time organized synchronous rebellions.</p><p></p><p>In 52 BC The Averni took the lead under a young noble, <em>Vercingetorix</em>, whose father had been executed for aspiring to the throne. Vercingetorix took Gergovia and proclaimed himself king of the <em>Averni</em>. He took hostages from allied tribes and organized a large cavalry. Caesar had to march through snow-laden Alps to reach his army from his winter headquarters in <em>Cisalpine Gaul</em>.<em> Vercingetorix</em> engaged in scorched earth methods to deprive Caesar’s forces of food. Vercingetorix destroyed bridges as well to break up Roman communications. Caesar focused on sieges of rebellious towns. The Gallic desertion became widespread. Caesar’s forces were now stretched thin and over extended. Caesar assembled all forces (10 legions) into a field army to confront Vercingitorix, who at <em>Bibracte </em>was universally proclaimed king of the Gauls. <em>Vercingetorix</em> with 80,000 selected Alesia as his main base. Caesar chose to assault him there. Caesar defeated <em>Vercingetorix</em> in the field and encircled him in the town. Vercingetorix’ calls for help brought 250,000 Gallic warriors. Caesar’s celebrated double circumvallation. With the fall of Alesia and capture of <em>Vercingetorix,</em> the rebellion was crushed even though Caesars Army was outnumbered by a 4-1 margin.</p><p></p><p>All of this campaigning took place in Gaul, and along the English Coast, less than 1,000 Km from the borders of (Rome) Italy to Belgica. The Roman Legions could typically travel 50 Km a day when they were well supplied and marching during their campaign on unimproved roads and trails. Everyone who went with Caesar and survived became very wealthy from that campaign.</p><p></p><p>Caesar converted Gaul into his “hidden” powerbase: Used Gaul as a recruiting ground for troops; Also as a source of revenue, Caesar ceased to be a “debtor” and became a creditor of senators much like Crassus; took money from him; cos. Of 50 BC, L. Aemilius Paullus took a huge bribe from Caesar to refurbish the Basilica Aemilia that stood in ruins.</p><p></p><p>Events in Rome, from the tribuneship of P. Clodius, in 58 BC</p><p></p><p>The aristocracy had to build its own mob elements and Annius Milo; was recalled in 57 BC</p><p></p><p>Caesar’s growing threat in to Pompey and Crassus alike. Caesar’s 5 year grant of imperium in was due to expire in 54 BC.</p><p></p><p>The First triumvirate secretly meet at Luca in 56 BC; renewing the triumvirate: Pompey and Crassus held the consulship in 55 BC; Caesar’s external command and consulship in Gaul was renewed for 5 more years; Pompey and Crassus would each obtain extraordinary commands, Pompey in Spain and then the Mediterranean; Crassus in Syria vs. the Parthians. They prevented the elections from taking place in Rome; 55 BC began with an interregnum. Pompey and Crassus were elected consuls.</p><p></p><p>Pompey remained at and governed his provinces through legates.; adding to the division, Caesar’s daughter Julia died in childbirth in 54; Crassus died at the Battle of Carrhae in 53; Death of P. Clodius at the hands of Milo in 52; Cato agreed to let Pompey be sole consul for 52. Pompey allows all 10 tribunes to pass a law permitting Caesar to be a candidate for the consulship in absence.</p><p></p><p>Consuls of 50 BC, Aemilius Paullus; C. Claudius Marcellus, ardently anti-Caesarian. Received as his consular province Cisalpine Gaul, he made a point of scourging a citizen of Novum Comum in who was awarded Roman citizenship by Caesar.</p><p></p><p>C. Scribonius Curio, in 50 BC took a massive bribe from Caesar and conducted brilliant defense of Caesar’s position in the Senate, winning an overwhelming senatorial vote for both Caesar AND Pompey to surrender their “extraordinary commands”, disarm, and return to as private citizens. Thus demonstrating the distaste generally in Rome for civil war.</p><p></p><p>Marec Antony was in 49 BC, was driven out of Rome by Marcellus. He fled to Caesar’s camp on the border of Cisalpine Gaul, precipitating Caesar’s invasion of Rome.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="GameDaddy, post: 8075576, member: 80711"] [B][SIZE=5]Unimproved Roads and trails in Ancient Gaul[/SIZE][/B] I'm going to weigh in here with some historical references campaigns along ancient roads and speak about travel times in Roman Europe. Now there were ancient roads and trails that existed in Neolithic times and were in place from about 18,000 BC or so right after the Ice sheet melted, right up until now, the modern day. Today. These ancient roads are still in use. The first ones I'm going to mention are the roads and trails that [I]Caesar [/I]used when he invaded Gaul in 58 B.C. He traveled out of Italy up the [I]Po river Valley[/I] and to the [I]Rhone [/I]river valley in what is now the Burgundian Highlands. Then he traveled North along the [I]Rhone[/I] in 58 B.C. and ended his campaign that year about 80 Km North-Northeast of [I]Lake Geneva[/I] on the West bank of the Southern Rhine in [I]Germania Superior[/I] where his Legions camped for the winter. In the Spring of 57 BC he traveled west cutting France in two and attacked the [I]Veneti [/I]Tribe north of present day [I]Nantes[/I] along the[I] Brittany Coast[/I] and in the modern province of[I] Pas de la Loire[/I] on the north bank of the Loire in Western France. This was about 400 Km the Roman Army traveled on foot from their winter quarters in Cisalpine Gaul. Caesar’s activities in the [I]Loire Valley[/I] alarmed the [I]Belgae [/I]to the north. Again, internal dissension among tribes led one, the Remi, to invite Caesar in against another, the [I]Suessiones[/I]. Caesar faced 160,000 combatants with 8 legions and Gallic allies. He was outnumbered about 4:3. He defeated these as well and incorporated this new territory under his command. Next he besieged the [I]Aduatuci,[/I] alleged descendants of the Cimbri and Teutons, 53,000 prisoners taken via siege. Then the [I]Veneti[/I] submitted to Rome. Caesar placed Seven Legions in winter quarters along the line of the [I]Loire River[/I]. In the winter of 57 B.C. he split his army.[I] The Twelfth Legion[/I] with some Cavalry went to [I]Cisalpine Switzerland[/I] and settled into Winter quarters to protect the passes into Italy, but was attacked by the Gauls. Alba was in charge of the 12th Legion, and defeated the Gauls, but rejoined Caesars main camp shortly after that fearing a followup Gallic attack. Caesar wintered in along the Loire river in Western France again. During winter in 56 BC, there were renegade activities of the [I]Veneti[/I] by sea. After the conference at Luca, Caesar returned to humble the Veneti. He dispatched officers in varying directions, [I]Labienus[/I] to watch the Belgae, [I]P. Crassus [/I]to Aquitania. Caesar attacked the Veneti by land and sea. Again, his army was quartered for winter along the Loire, and also along the Seine in central France near present day Paris. At this point he has eight Legions, (about 90,000 soldiers, including Cavalry, plus loyal Gaul auxiliaries) who volunteered to be in the Roman Army, approximately 120,000 troops total. The threat of more Germanic migration caused Caesar to build his famous bridge over the Rhine. Caesar conquered all of [I]Transalpine Gaul[/I] by 55 B.C. Caesar claimed that, in the course of his conquest of Gaul, the Britons had supported the campaigns of the mainland Gauls against him, with fugitives from among the Gallic Belgae fleeing to Belgic settlements in Britain, and the Veneti of Armorica, who controlled seaborne trade to the island, calling in aid from their British allies to fight for them against Caesar in 56 BC. Strabo says that the Venetic rebellion in 56 BC had been intended to prevent Caesar from traveling to Britain and disrupting their commercial activity, suggesting that the possibility of a British expedition had already been considered by then. In August of 55 BC he took ninety-two Galleys and an unknown number of warships, and two Legions with some Cavalry, and scouted out Britannia. The Britons opposed the landing. They were eventually driven back with [I]catapultae[/I] and slings fired from the warships into the exposed flank of their formation and the Romans managed to land and drive them off. The Cavalry, in twelve Galleys which had launched from a different port were delayed by adverse winds, still had not arrived, so the Britons could not be pursued and finished off, and Caesar could not enjoy what he calls, in his usual self-promoting style, his [I]"accustomed success"[/I]. He withdrew before winter set in dashing the plans of the Britons to pin him into place and force his surrender during the winter. Determined not to make the same mistakes as the previous year, in 54 B.C. Caesar gathered a larger force than on his previous expedition with five legions as opposed to two, plus two thousand cavalry, carried in ships which he designed, with experience of [I]Veneti[/I] shipbuilding technology so as to be more suitable for a beach landing than those used in 55 BC, being broader and lower for easier beaching. This time he named [I]Portus Itius[/I] as the departure point. Using a divide and conquer strategy, Caesar defeated a number of British tribes, but some held out, and as winter approached Caesar was eager to return to Gaul for the winter due to growing unrest there, and an agreement was mediated by [I]Commius[/I], a Briton. [I]Cassivellaunus[/I] Caesars’ foe, gave hostages, agreed to an annual tribute, and undertook not to make war against [I]Mandubracius[/I] or the [I]Trinovantes[/I], Roman Allies in Briton. Caesar wrote to Cicero on 26 September, confirming the result of the campaign, with hostages but no booty taken, and that his army was about to return to Gaul. He then left, leaving not a single Roman soldier in Britain to enforce his settlement. Whether the tribute was ever paid is unknown. The winter camps in 54 B.C. were largely in [I]Belgica[/I]. Caesar went to [I]Cisapline Gaul[/I]. With increasing rumors of rebellions, in 53 B.C. Caesar deposed several dangerous kings. Rebellions erupted along the Rhine (Eburones). Roman camps were overrun. There was an additional uprising of [I]Nervii [/I]in [I]Belgica[/I]. Caesar lost more than one legion. He recruited two more in Cisalpine Gaul, and asked Pompey for a loan of another. Caesar laid waste to Gallic territories in the north ([I]Nervii, Treveri, Eburones, Senones, Carnutes[/I]). He installed new sets of friendly kings. Roman troops were quartered in these northern regions and in central [I]Celtica[/I] for the winter of 53 BC. During winter, numerous Gallic chiefs conspired against him and this time organized synchronous rebellions. In 52 BC The Averni took the lead under a young noble, [I]Vercingetorix[/I], whose father had been executed for aspiring to the throne. Vercingetorix took Gergovia and proclaimed himself king of the [I]Averni[/I]. He took hostages from allied tribes and organized a large cavalry. Caesar had to march through snow-laden Alps to reach his army from his winter headquarters in [I]Cisalpine Gaul[/I].[I] Vercingetorix[/I] engaged in scorched earth methods to deprive Caesar’s forces of food. Vercingetorix destroyed bridges as well to break up Roman communications. Caesar focused on sieges of rebellious towns. The Gallic desertion became widespread. Caesar’s forces were now stretched thin and over extended. Caesar assembled all forces (10 legions) into a field army to confront Vercingitorix, who at [I]Bibracte [/I]was universally proclaimed king of the Gauls. [I]Vercingetorix[/I] with 80,000 selected Alesia as his main base. Caesar chose to assault him there. Caesar defeated [I]Vercingetorix[/I] in the field and encircled him in the town. Vercingetorix’ calls for help brought 250,000 Gallic warriors. Caesar’s celebrated double circumvallation. With the fall of Alesia and capture of [I]Vercingetorix,[/I] the rebellion was crushed even though Caesars Army was outnumbered by a 4-1 margin. All of this campaigning took place in Gaul, and along the English Coast, less than 1,000 Km from the borders of (Rome) Italy to Belgica. The Roman Legions could typically travel 50 Km a day when they were well supplied and marching during their campaign on unimproved roads and trails. Everyone who went with Caesar and survived became very wealthy from that campaign. Caesar converted Gaul into his “hidden” powerbase: Used Gaul as a recruiting ground for troops; Also as a source of revenue, Caesar ceased to be a “debtor” and became a creditor of senators much like Crassus; took money from him; cos. Of 50 BC, L. Aemilius Paullus took a huge bribe from Caesar to refurbish the Basilica Aemilia that stood in ruins. Events in Rome, from the tribuneship of P. Clodius, in 58 BC The aristocracy had to build its own mob elements and Annius Milo; was recalled in 57 BC Caesar’s growing threat in to Pompey and Crassus alike. Caesar’s 5 year grant of imperium in was due to expire in 54 BC. The First triumvirate secretly meet at Luca in 56 BC; renewing the triumvirate: Pompey and Crassus held the consulship in 55 BC; Caesar’s external command and consulship in Gaul was renewed for 5 more years; Pompey and Crassus would each obtain extraordinary commands, Pompey in Spain and then the Mediterranean; Crassus in Syria vs. the Parthians. They prevented the elections from taking place in Rome; 55 BC began with an interregnum. Pompey and Crassus were elected consuls. Pompey remained at and governed his provinces through legates.; adding to the division, Caesar’s daughter Julia died in childbirth in 54; Crassus died at the Battle of Carrhae in 53; Death of P. Clodius at the hands of Milo in 52; Cato agreed to let Pompey be sole consul for 52. Pompey allows all 10 tribunes to pass a law permitting Caesar to be a candidate for the consulship in absence. Consuls of 50 BC, Aemilius Paullus; C. Claudius Marcellus, ardently anti-Caesarian. Received as his consular province Cisalpine Gaul, he made a point of scourging a citizen of Novum Comum in who was awarded Roman citizenship by Caesar. C. Scribonius Curio, in 50 BC took a massive bribe from Caesar and conducted brilliant defense of Caesar’s position in the Senate, winning an overwhelming senatorial vote for both Caesar AND Pompey to surrender their “extraordinary commands”, disarm, and return to as private citizens. Thus demonstrating the distaste generally in Rome for civil war. Marec Antony was in 49 BC, was driven out of Rome by Marcellus. He fled to Caesar’s camp on the border of Cisalpine Gaul, precipitating Caesar’s invasion of Rome. [/QUOTE]
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