by Kenneth Kunkel
A big “So what!”
Not quite. First, some context.
It’s 9 C.E. (Common Era) Early September. Three personalities lead the way.
Augustus Caesar, formerly known as Octavian, the adopted son of Julius, wants to expand the Roman Empire into the wilds of Germania to turn it into a dutiful Roman province.
Governor Varus, married to Augustus’ grandniece, is given the assignment to carry it out after his somewhat disastrous assignment in Syria.
Arminius, heir to the Cerusci tribe in Northern Germania, was kidnapped by the Romans along with his brother Flavus when they were young and transported to Rome. Taken to ensure peace, he was educated, became a Roman citizen, and trained for the military. He was even knighted. But he resented the abduction and vowed revenge.
Now, Germania is not your typical region. Unlike Gaul, Greece, Syria, and Judea, there are no great centers of culture and trade. It’s just an assemblage of farms organized into tribes, who trade, bicker, and fight each other. They like to raid the province of Gaul, too.
Over the summer, Varus assembles three legions, over 16,500 men, not to mention slaves and camp followers.
Arminius is his right-hand man, taking care of the auxiliary troops up north. But behind the scenes, he is assembling as many tribes as he can to attack the legions on their way from summer camp to their winter quarters. The plan is to lead them astray.
Now, Arminius is an expert in Roman military tactics, and he understands that their techniques are only good in wide open spaces. He accompanies Varus and the legions. On day two of the march, he gives Varus a “message” that there is a rebellion brewing up north. Rules of engagement dictate that the entire contingent must be brought along when faced with news. So, Arminius leads them northwest, deep into the forest with a hill on one side and a bog on the other. It’s so narrow that at times, only a couple soldiers can walk side-by-side. The Roman line stretches between nine and 12 miles. And, the weather favors the tribes with heavy rain, lightning, and thunder. Over the months previously, a wooden wall has been constructed along the hillside to hide some of the attackers. Others, knowing the terrain, hide in the swamp.
And, the attack begins. Easy to mow down an opponent who can’t organize into their traditional battle formations. Basically hand-to-hand fighting in a confined space. By the end of the day, half of the legions are destroyed.
The Romans want to continue moving northwest and hit the Rhine River where they hope to find reinforcements. On day three, the attacks continue as they struggle forward. More wholesale slaughter. The cavalry rides off by themselves but gets decimated in a valley west of the main line. The situation is hopeless. That night, Varus and many of the officers commit suicide, not wanting to suffer the humiliation and not wanting to be offered on the altars to the barbarian gods.
On day four, the remaining troops try to move toward the river, but most are killed. A few of them escape to tell the tale. Their stories were written down but sadly lost to time. We only get details from historians written after the fact. One comment said that Augustus would pace his palace halls, banging his head against them, shouting “Varus, give me back by legions.”
One of the worst Roman defeats of all time. The aftermath? There were raids into the Germanic territories mostly for revenge but nothing substantial. Tiberius, who succeeded Augustus, realized that Germania could not be turned into a regular province and stopped the incursions.
Scholars deem this a world changing event. Rome was stopped. Basically the rivers of the Rhine and the Danube would be their borders. But it was so much more than that.
“So what?” you may ask. “How does this affect me?” Oh, it does. At this very moment, this very second. Why?
What language are you reading right now? What language do you speak? English. Where does English come from? England. Who developed it? The Anglo-Saxon tribes there. We know who the Anglos are but who are the Saxons? They come from Germany. English has its roots in German. (This was brought home when our daughter found learning German was a piece of cake compared to French.) If the Romans would have conquered Germania, they would have been forced to speak Latin, and would have developed one of the Romance languages (French, Spanish, Italian, and the like). German would have become one of those obscure languages like Welsh.
Note the constant conflict between France and Germany throughout history. This is brought up as an example of racial memory. It even reverberates through religion. Where did the Protestant Reformation begin? Germany. Who were they against? The Roman Catholic Church.
Now, Arminius is brought up as a unifier of Germany. We believe Martin Luther tried this and changed his name to Hermann. Adolf Hitler attempted, too. No. While Arminius did conquer a few tribes, he was assassinated by his own for getting too big for his britches.
The site of the battle was a mystery for centuries, especially when Ernst von Bandel spent 37 years constructing a statue to Arminius atop a mountain way to the southeast. A big wild goose chase. No relics were ever found in the area.
1987. Major Tony Clunn was stationed in Northern Germany during the Cold War. Being a history buff, he armed himself with research and a metal detector. Outside the small town of Kalkriese, he found the horrific battle site. A slew of artifacts spread along the path, over 6,000 discovered so far. Even remnants of the hillside wall were found. Excavations continue today. A museum sits on the site, the Varusschlacht Museum and Park.
I once heard that history is carved in stone. No, it isn’t. New discoveries are made every day that widen and change our perception of those ancient times. And what occurred way back when, certainly touches our lives today.
My latest book, “Fire on the Frontier,” has its characters fighting in the frontier, demonstrating their skill in the gladiatorial arena, and finally clashing with the Germanic tribes in the Tuetoburg Forest. You may not look at Ancient Rome the same way again.
Buy Link: https://geni.us/cGBJVn3
Author Bio:
Ken grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His fascination with all things Roman began with seeing the film “Ben-Hur” when he was nine years old. From then on, he watched as many epic films as he could, thanks to the generosity of his parents. Reading and art joined movies as his other passions. His reading list included archeology, ancient empires, mythology, biblical scholarship, comparative religions, science fiction, and thrillers.
His professional career took him in another direction though: Information Technology. From programmer to director, he traveled through the industry for forty-eight years. But during that time, he devised stories which made his wife comment, “You really need to write those down.”
Ken is retired now with his wife, Karen, of over fifty years and lives in southern Florida. And, he’s writing those stories down.
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