Posted on 05/22/2011 6:37:56 AM PDT by Covenantor
That’s the battle I was trying to recall...Thanks!
And as Augustus said many times later when he needed troops, and didn’t have them...
“VARIUS! GIVE ME BACK MY LEGIONS!”
Might I suggest severe fluctuations in climate could have initiated the migrations, the collapse of the Hittite Empire, and the invasion of the eastern Mediterranean coastline by the “Sea Peoples”?
According to Brian Fagan in The Long Summer: How Climate Changed Civilization, there was a very long, hot dry period between 2200 to 1200 bc. Beginning on page 177, he claims a widespread drought in 1200 bc affected much of eastern Europe and the Middle East.
Thanks for mentioning that book. I found it fascinating.
I was also fascinated in the way the author expected it to convince his readers of the importance of cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
He seemed to think that by explaining how past climate changes had impacted or destroyed past civilizations, we’d immediately jump to the conclusion that we need to do all we can to prevent the next climate change.
Somehow, he seems to think that after having explored a number of past incidents of climate change - in eras when there could have been no anthropogenic factor - we’d assume that we could prevent future incidents of climate change, simply by adopting a “green” lifestyle.
That all of those prior civilizations that had been destroyed by climate change had been living “green” lifestyles doesn’t seem to have occurred to him.
Global warming mongers are like The Mob - they demand criminal extortion. For scientists, it is in the form of pushing politcaly-oriented lies. This has, unfortunately, been happening for years.
Heh. Excellent! (Thanks, I needed that laugh tonight.)
That’s just the stuff they left behind. :’) But your question points to what I regard as the fundamental stupidity of continued use of “bronze age” “iron age” etc to date things.
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I think you are referring to the battle of Toutoburg Forest where the Roman Varus (thought to be the 4th most important man in Rome) was totally defeated and he along with most of his legions killed. It was during the reign of Augustus, who reportedly beat his head against a wall screaming, “Varus give me back my legions.” All this from a very detailed Wiki article which I recommend reading.
I thought it was an interesting detail that the Romans retired the numbers for the 3 lost legions, as well as the number for the Legion that fought the Bar Kochba rebellion by the Jews.
Amazing artifact.
*Snort*
Until I read tacitus (iirc), I didn’t know that germanicus was right back at the sites of varus’ pitched defenses within a few years, defeated everyone who fought him, took back some legionary eagles, etc.
Interesting to wonder if Tiberius and his mother hadn’t been so paranoid, and had left germanicus where he was and not poisoned him, if it would have made a lasting impact on the history of the region during roman times.
My ancestors fought naked in the snow BTTT
Note: this topic is from long ago. Sort of one of *those* topics. Thanks for posting it.
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It is also unlikely that there’d be a lot of bronze left on the battle field. It was valuable.
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