Download VikupitzColeRomanResearchPaper - 2010

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Cole Vikupitz
Ms. Bergen, Mrs. Downer, Mrs. Ibrahim
English 10-7, Latin II-3, History T/TH
7 November 2010
Romans in Germany
The battle of the Teutoburg forest was one of the greatest setbacks for Rome in
the ancient world. This was because Rome’s empire was vastly expanding into Germany.
However, the Romans suffered heavy losses from the battle including 30,000 men killed,
loss of their legions (Legio XVII, Legio XVIII, Legio XIX), and the loss of their soon-tobe conquered land. The man in charge of the Roman army during this time was Publius
Varus. The man responsible for the attack against the Romans was Arminius, who had
experience with the Romans before the battle and had taken advantage of the weaknesses
he knew about. The battle itself had all of the Romans in fear as they were caught by
surprise. As a result of the battle, the expansion of the Roman Empire past the Rhine
River was halted.
The man who was in charge of the Roman army during the time the battle took
place was Publius Varus. Varus was born in 46 AD. He came from a poor family and is
known to have a universal background involved with politics. However during this time
men in a low social class were not allowed to run for office and participate in the
government. Because Varus’ father was a Senator, Varus had access to people of high
rank. Varus befriends Augustus, the emperor of Rome during this time, which boosts his
political status. He was then elected consul in 13 BC. After he left the position of consul
he then was elected as the governor of the African province which was taken from
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Carthage. He then was elected governor of Germania in 7 AD. Varus then became a
widely popular leader throughout Rome. He also became a famous ruler to historians
because of all the political positions he held. “Everything we know about him derives
from his connections with Augustus and his political positions” (Ferrero 80).
Arminius was the man who had set up the Romans for disaster in the Teutoburg
forest. He was the one who had set up the ambush waiting to attack the Roman army.
Arminius was born in 18 or 17 BC. He spent a long period of his life in Rome as an
equestrian citizen. This was a rank higher than plebian which was what most Romans
were. While in Rome, he was trained as a Roman military general. From this he earned
full Roman citizenship. Once Rome began to expand their empire well into Germany,
Arminius’s homeland, he fled back to Germany to defend it. He returned in the year 8 or
7 AD. By this time Rome had expanded well into northern territory, just south of the
Rhine River. Since Arminius was a Roman military officer and a Roman citizen himself
he was able to befriend Varus. Varus then asked for his assistance in helping the Romans
expand their empire further north. Arminius then gladly accepted his new duties because
it put him in a position to carry out his secret plan to ambush the Romans.
However once he returned he also warned his people what the Romans planned to
do with their land. Rome had planned to conquer this land, imprison its citizens, and then
claim it as its own. However Arminius had a plot that he could use in driving the
Romans out of Germany. Since he was a Roman citizen and a Roman military general he
knew a little about the Roman army. He knew that most soldiers were “concerned more
with staying alive than being heroes” (Mackay 167). Because of this trait of the Roman
army he would soon apply it when he attacked them in the Teutoburg forest.
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One thing both of the armies had in common was that they had something to fight
for. For Arminius’s army the rule was simple. The Germans had to fight for their
homeland otherwise it would soon be taken by Rome. However it was different for
Rome. During this time the only requirement to join the Roman army was to own land.
This way they had their homeland to fight for. “Military groups consisted of men who
temporarily left their farms and villages to follow a local chief in a raiding expedition or
to defend their territory from invasion” (MacKendrick 126). Once both armies had
completed their campaign they could go back to their homes where they were always
welcomed.
In 9 AD a report of an “uprising” near the Rhine River was given to Varus. He
trusted Arminius to take care of the situation. He then ordered Arminius to lead the way
through the forest. Arminius then left saying that he had to scout up ahead with the rest
of his troops. He then had the Romans continue marching through the forest in a
dangerous fashion. They marched single file on the path leaving them completely
vulnerable to the attack. As the Romans continued ahead there was a large opening
where the Germans planned to attack them. On the side of the path the German tribes,
organized by Arminius, were hiding in trees and bushes in an ambushing formation. By
the time the Romans stepped into the opening the Germans unleashed the attack on the
legions. “With no warning, hundreds of spears were falling from the air…and the tightly
packed marching troops could do nothing to defend themselves” (Wells 170). The battle
itself lasted for three days and it was an incredibly easy win for the Germans. It was also
fascinating that the Germans had still won despite being greatly outnumbered. They also
did not have sufficient weapons as they carried spears while the Romans carried swords,
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shields and javelins. The consequences of the battle included the loss of the seventeenth
eighteenth and nineteenth legions and well over 20,000 men. Out of all of these men less
than 1,000 survived. Compared to the Romans the Germans suffered very little casualties
which may have been little as 500 men. When Varus heard of the shocking defeat, he
committed suicide rather than being taken by the Germans. When Augustus heard of the
news he shouted: “Quintili Vari, legiones redde!” which meant “Quintilius Varus, give
me back my legions”. Because of this shocking defeat Rome had never again tried to
expand their empire into Germany. In fact their empire had never expanded north after
the battle.
There were a lot of disadvantages for the Romans which had contributed to their
loss. One disadvantage was that Arminius knew a lot about the Roman army before
moving back to Germania so he did know a few of their weaknesses. Before the battle
began he led them through the forest in single file. This was not the Roman army’s
regular combat formation. But Arminius knew how the Roman army functioned. They
were very influenced by their order. “Once their order was broken…their command
structure ceased to function and the unit’s maneuverability was destroyed” (Wells 172).
Once the Germans attacked the Romans, the Romans couldn’t stop them since they were
caught off guard. As Wells stated, their maneuverability was destroyed. Arminius’s
order to march in single file was good tactical thinking since this prevented the Roman
army from fighting back. Due to the legions carrying large spears they were unable to
turn sideways without killing their own allies. Therefore since the Roman army’s order
was broken it became an instant defeat for them. Nearly all, if not all, of the men were
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killed including all three legions. “The battle, if we can call it that-massacre might be a
more appropriate term” (Wells 176).
Another disadvantage the Romans had in the battle was the weather conditions
they had to face. Due to these conditions the Roman’s weapons quickly became useless.
Their shields absorbed water which made them even heavier exhausting all the men.
Their spears were useless due to the formation the Romans were led in. And their bows
became useless as well due to the bowstring’s absorption of water. Therefore all the
weapons possessed by the legions were almost useless and all the men soon became
exhausted making them even easier targets for the Germans. Since so many men were
killed off in the first few hours of the battle the path quickly became tricky for the
Romans to move through. Also, any weapons dropped from any dead bodies of the
Romans that could still be used were picked up by the Germans and used against them.
Nevertheless the conditions the Romans fought in left them in the worst position they
could be.
The battle of the Teutoburg forest was one of the greatest setbacks for Rome in
the ancient world. This was because this battle set their expansion back by a lot and
halted it any further north. Arminius was the man who planned and carried out the
tactical ambush. Varus was the Roman general and the main victim of the attack. The
consequences of the battle resulted in heavy casualties for the Romans including the loss
of their legions and 20,000 men. Because of Rome’s shocking defeat they were never
again seen in Germany.