Hadrian's Consolidation

Hecatee

Hecatee

Donor
Ohohoh no fight here please :)

More seriously, the ancient Romans did have and implement various levels of technology. I've visited quite a few roman archeological sites, including very impressive watermills that could compete with 18th or even 19th century infrastructures, and they had other innovations that did or did not get widespread, but might have been.

The Greek culture did also produce numerous advances that provided the Romans with basis upon which to build, but the Romans were also able to innovate on completely different bases too : Archimedes or Heron of Alexandria did not give the Romans all their technology (the Gauls would give the use of barrels and, in a limited region, a primitive animal pushed harvester that archeology has shown improved tenfold the recolt of certain types of cereals, to give but two examples).

Slavery, while used during all of the imperial period and up to the 8th or 9th century in the West, did fall out of favor due to the Christian vision of the world that was made possible by the Empire : a different philosophy could also bring this transition. Actually by the 4th and 5th century slaves were already becoming rare.

So can the Romans do better than OTL ? Yes, probably. Would it have prevented collapse from internal or external factors ? Probably not, but one may never know. That's were AH comes in :)
 
Hecatee

Hecatee

Donor
Ok, I've been away far too long ! So please receive my most sincere apologies, although I hope I'll be able to show you that this delay (caused by the need to prepare my talk for an internationnal conference and then to do some travelling around Spain in search of some of it's roman remains, see the pictures at the link in my signature) did prove fruitful : I've written a few updates which I'll deliver this week-end to make up for the lost time.

So without further delay, here's the first update :

Pannonia Inferior, February 127 CE

It was an arduous late winter campaign, which no one had expected. All knew that a defeat would probably see their units crushed between the Danuvius or the dacian mountains and the barbarian hordes. As a member of an auxiliary cavalry ala, Culsus Atedumius, son of Eraviscus, decurion in charge of a turma, knew he risked less than infantrymen.

Yet this did not lessen his fear of the enemy : the tribes they were fighting was an unusual alliance between a germanic tribe from the deep forests and the Iazyges, who still had a lot of cavalry despite the huge losses they had suffered a few years before.

The orders of his turma were simple : keep in contact with the barbarians but far enough to flee if required, and inform the legate of any change of course toward either the the Tisia or Danuvius rivers. This was an easy task, and one that left enough time for some hunting that provided the unit with fresh meat every night.

Culsus had even built himself a bow on the model of a scythian weapon he’d seen carried by some barbarians during the previous war, when he’d been posted on the other side of Dacia and had fought under the legendary Voltinius himself during the fight against the Roxolani.

Culsus had actually become quite proficient with the bow, now shooting hares from horseback. Others in ala unit had done the same, but only his turma was fully equipped and carried enough arrows appropriate to fight a small battle, even if none of them had used their weapon against other men. Yet. But it was about to change…

A group of Iazyges cavalry had succeeded in getting in front of the turma, about one hundred men intent on making his thirty men pay for having shadowed them for over two weeks during which the Barbarians had pillaged some small observation posts luckily evacuated in advance, as well as some settlements which the auxiliaries had been able to forewarn in time.

Having launched their offensive too early in the season to live from the land, the barbarians had found an empty land and a lot of frustration which they now hoped to dispel by disemboweling some cavalrymen which they thought were the cause of their disappointments.

Culsus smiled grimly under the shawl protecting his face from the cold. Someone was about to get surprised… The barbarians were coming at them, a disorderly mass of men swatted in huge pushing their smaller horses into a run while holding lances and swords with which to cut the hated Romans…

Giving his orders to his men, Culsus prepared his command for the incoming shock, his men taking a diamond shaped formation at the head of which he led. The barbarians had been too impatient, disclosing their position too early and starting their attack from too far, missing their ambush.

They had hoped to fall on the Romans as they crossed between two small hills, but attacked at a place where they still had room to manoeuvre. The Romans had all the required time to take out their bows and notch an arrow, each man shooting three arrows at the enemy before turning left while still shooting.

While the furs provided the Iazyges with a degree of armor, it was far from sufficient to stop arrows from the short but powerful weapons of the turma. Blood ran on the snow. Another order of Culsus and another left turn, going back toward their initial position. Behind them, twenty barbarians lay on the ground, either killed or thrown down their mounts.

The fallen men and horses had sent the enemy formation into utter chaos, allowing the Romans to get some space before turning around for a second pass at the enemy.

Culsus and his men had not yet mastered the trick of firing backward, but when they turned left once more they could resume firing on their flank before a last turn which brought them toward a frontal collision with the Iazyges.

Setting their bows back in their quivers, they took their lances and readied for the shock, Dubnus leading once more at the front of his men. He’d been on the side of the enemy during the complete manoeuvre of his men, first to ride against them, his back the last they’d seen after the second turn left, and now back against them.

The clash was violent, the compact Roman formation hitting their disorganized enemies and killing a dozen more of them before thundering past the barbarians’ line, broken bodies of men and animals left behind. More than one third of riders had been cut down for nothing more than a few scratches on the armoured Roman soldiers. Yet Culsus knew that his horses were tired, so he did not attempt to make one more pass, electing to keep going past the ambush site and regroup with the others turmae of the ala.
 
Hecatee

Hecatee

Donor
(For thos who wonder, the name of Culsus comes from the name of a real roman auxiliary granted citizenship in 157 CE according to a military diploma found in Pannonia, cf. http://edh-www.adw.uni-heidelberg.de/edh/inschrift/HD000538 )


Emerita Augusta, Hispania, early April 127 CE

Quintus Baebius Novalis, prefect of the fabri of the VII Gemina legion, was not happy to leave his base in Emerita Augusta, especially since the pump for a gold mine from Asturica Augusta was still not repaired, something he’d hoped to do before his departure. But preparing the legion for movement had taken all his time and he’d have to leave this unfinished business behind him, to await the end of the upcoming campaign.

As prefect of the fabri, he was responsible for the logistics of his legion. With his subordinates he’d had to find wagons and mules to complement the legions’ own stock, he’d had to make sure the stores of supplies were well stocked from nails for the shoes to balista shots and, of course, food. There he’d been helped by the imperial envoys sent ahead of the legion by their commander, the emperor to be.

While he was preparing for the move the centurions had regrouped their men from their various stations in the countryside, recalling those serving in police or administrative duties, retraining the units to give them back the cohesion and efficiency that made the legion’s edge over the barbarians.
Of course there had been grumblings, especially from the men who’d made a life outside of the camp, because of both the excess of work and the move far away but the promise to come back to Hispania at the end of the campaign had helped dispel the malcontentment.

He was walking the decumanus of the camp when a call made him turn to the praetorium. The legate, commanding officer of the legion, was calling him. Sighing, he made his way to his commander, another of the pompous fools Rome saw fit to send to this quiet and rich province.

Still, the man was no worse than the previous commander, and even much improved on the one before, a pompous arsehole than used a perfumed tissue when walking around the camp and had a shrill voice that no one would have heard in battle. His only talent had been to make a profit from his tenure, going as far as diverting one full coffer of gold from the Medula mines to his own pocket. While Baebius knew it, he kept the information secret as it could win him no gain to leak it.

As a veteran who’d gone through the ranks before becoming centurium primipilus of the 1st cohort of the VIIth legion before becoming a prestigious praefectus fabrum, one of the first steps of the equestrian career. Hopefully a good behavior during the coming war would see him become praefectus castrorum, commander of the camp, or even get one of the even more prestigious prefectures, although he had no dream of ever reaching the rank of Egyptian or Pretorian prefect, the highest honors people with his background could ever hope to achieve.

Arriving in front of his commander, he saluted smartly. Responding in kind, the senator in charge of the legion asked his officer whether or not he expected his men to be ready. Smiling, Baebius gave his answer : the legion was now completely ready, with new recruits to make the numbers of the units full again and all the detached men having rejoined their unit, some for the first time in more than a year.

Satisfied, the legate invited Baebius in the praetorium, where they went to his office. Once there Lucius Cornelius Avidius took a letter from inside his tunica, giving it to his subordinate. The wax seal had already been broken, and bore the mark of the Caesar. In it, orders for Cornelius Avidius to send part of his staff ahead of the legion, so that they could better coordinate the action of the VIIth legion.
 
Hecatee

Hecatee

Donor
Somewhere in the plains of Pannonia Inferior, April 127 CE

Culsus woke up early, for he knew that battle would come this day and he wanted some quiet time with the Gods before he started looking for his men. His turma had lost about a fifth of its strenght since the winter campaign started, but he’d done many time as much damage to the enemy.

The barbarians had found nothing to eat in the lands they’d captured, nor anything to loot. Everywhere they’d been shadowed and harassed by cavalry units while further south the legions were readying for a spring campaign. Some 30 000 to 40 000 barbarians had invaded the province, but the delaying actions of only 5000 men had been enough to slow them down to a crawl.

Fabius Cunctator would have been proud, especially as the barbarians had been mostly contained to the strip of land between the Danuvius and the Tisia river, mostly a large plain with many smaller rivers. Of course raids had crossed the Tisia, but they had been repelled every time. Now it was time for a new Cannae, but with the Romans in the place of army of the brilliant Hannibal, their most feared foe.

The legions had come out of their camps in the south and had regrouped with the cavalry, offering them shelter so that the horsemen, tired by almost three months of constant warfare, may rest a bit. News had also come of operations further west, against the Marcomanni, which prevented the enemy to get reinforcements.

The situation was much worse in the Agri Decumanes, according to the news, and it was said that the Emperor himself was going to take command of the forces there, or at least his adopted son and heir, the great general Voltinius.

Of course the news were at least a month old, but this did not mean they were wrong. The furor germanica had taken everyone by surprise, and the legions were stretched thin, although no large scale defeat had been reported yet. Some smaller units had suffered great losses, outposts overwhelmed by the numbers or detachments outsmarted by the barbarians, but generally speaking the war in the east was going well.

Now the fight against the Iazyges and the Quadi was about to take a decisive turn as both armies had finally camped close enough for a final battle. The field of battle had been chosen by the Romans, encircling the barbarians alongside the banks of the Tisia, with units on the far side to prevent them from crossing, and a legion north of them to push them toward the trap laid by two other legions which had come from both Dacia and the south of the new province : their camp was Culsus temporary base.

The legion’s legatus had personally complimented Culsus and his turma for their outstanding work, promising them an early citizenship for those of them with more than five years of service, provided they kept in the army until the end of their enrollment period. Still, the simple change of status would offer them many opportunities, but Culsus was to tired to think about it. Beside, they still had to survive the coming battle before they could hope to enjoy their newfound citizenship...
 
Hecatee

Hecatee

Donor
Near Arelate, Gallia Narbonensis, April 127 CE

Quintus Baebius Novalis was impressed by his visit. The mill was really enormous, producing all the flour needed to feed a city as big as Arelate and still leaving some surplus to feed his legion. The three cascading double sets of wheels activated by water brought by a local aqueduc made the six millstones turn apparently without ever stopping, the only issue being the constant need for fresh grain and bags to carry the resulting floor.

Thinking back on his broken pump left in Emerita : such a system would ensure permanent pumping without the need for slaves or animal to activate it, allowing a greater efficiency that would lead to more water being pumped out and deeper galleries being dug up for gold… With some legionnaries and slaves to build the necessary aqueduc it would even be cost effective !

A voice resonated behind Baebius and he put all such thoughts away from his mind, listening again to the owner of the mill who was busy assuring the pretorian tribune who’d come with Baebius that half of the mill’s production would now be for the army free of charge, but that he still required payment for the grain itself.

Shrugging, Baebius looked at the man, a rich member of the local equestrian order and one of the most powerful men of the region but a fool none the less for he’d not yet understood who he was dealing with. Still the man was right, the grain still had to come to the place, but it would be the army that would deliver it directly so that the man may not subtly steal part of it or substitute it for lesser quality cereals in order to make a profit !
 
Hecatee

Hecatee

Donor
North of the Danube, territory of the Marcomanni, April 127 CE

Rome had once more reacted with her customary aggressiveness. The tribes had not yet assembled for their planned raid over the river that two full roman legion and various auxiliary units had landed on their side of the Danube, jumping from their bases at Vindobona and Carnuntum and from staging points further west, in the neighboring province of Noricum and Raetia.

The move was completely unexpected, what with the attacks East and West of the area… All had expected the main forces of the garrison to move in one of those directions so as to help defend the roman territories under threat, but it was not to be : while the Marcomanni had little informations about the way the war was going for their allies, they had now to defend themselves from the Romans.

Villages burned, warriors and their wives and children were taken as slaves or slain, and disorder reigned everywhere. Many fled inland, staying away of the rivers which the roman fleet patrolled aggressively. The king had ordered a muster of the warriors in a fortress at the foot of the mountains in the West, looking to strike toward the roman Raetia. At least that was his initial plan, until he’d heard of a roman blunder… A full auxiliary cohort isolated in his territory, in striking range of his warriors but too far away of other supporting units to hope for help in battle…

His spies had told the king the romans were of the IX Batavorum, an elite auxiliary unit of double strenght and a remarkable target for any barbarians… Of course it was not a legion, but the prestige from destroying a roman unit would still be immense, and the effort to kill a thousand men much less important than fighting a six thousand men legion supported by its auxiliaries... He’d mustered some six thousand men, and now planned to ambush the cohort as it came back toward Raetia.

The place was perfect : the riverside was too broken for the soldiers to walk alongside it, thus removing the support of the fleet’s artillery, and two deeply forested hills made a perfect cover for his warriors. Tales from the long ago ambush against Varus had guided the king’s choice for the site of battle and he’d made sure to have men build wicker walls between the threes so that most escaping legionaries would be caught and killed by his men. What he’d not said to anyone but his most trusted advisors was that those walls would also prevent any attempt at fleeing by his own men, who would be forced to fight to the last should disaster strike.

Hundreds of women had also helped make the walls, and now stood ready to throw abuses and stones on the head of any warrior attempting to flee, be it a Marcomanni or a Roman. They also helped cook food for the men, although the king had forbidden it the previous night, as the Romans were close and he could not allow smoke or fire to be spotted by the pathfinders. The same reason had dictated his choice to leave the hounds back at the fortress, even if a charge by the ferocious packs of dogs would have helped dissolve the orderly ranks of the Romans before his men hit them.

But now was not the time to worry about all that any longer. The invaders were about to enter the chosen ambush site, and he was about to unleash hell. The men coming through the path were auxiliaries, the mostly non citizen forces that served Rome alongside with its legions. They did not wear the plate armor of the legions, nor did they carry the rectangular shield of the feared units, but they were at least as good as any legionary in single fighting.

The king, who’d personally served in an auxiliary unit before deserting back to his tribe and becoming its leader, knew that in fact the auxiliaries fought more often than their brothers in arms, but did not learn the many skills of the legions : they had no specialists in artillery, engineering or siege craft as was the case in the larger units, their mission being to patrol in the first line, repel the small ambushed and call in the garnison forces when needed.

They were thus less prestigious but often better opponents and under the command of more experienced commanders, so it was lucky that their units were much smaller than the legions. Even the six thousand men the king had assembled for this attack seemed a bit too few to confront them, although he expected them to be heavy with loot and overconfident.

While his mind went through all these thoughts, the king kept observing the advancing snake of men that progressed along the path. First some scouts, which he’d let pass unscathed, and then the main body of men. As expected they were not very careful, which was good. His men would now have about half an hour to get in position for their attack.

Strong forces in the front and back of the column, fifteen hundred men each, would pin the Romans in the narrow defile and then a group of two thousand warriors would attack in the middle of the flank of the formation to break it in two. The last thousand men, the best he had and half of them mounted, formed a handpicked reserve to strengthen any group that became too weak or to pursue the eventual survivors...
 
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