01-01-2013, 08:04 PM
Salve to all and Happy New Year
Dont have much time (or mood to search more sources now and still with some glass of wine in front) now, but about the number of soldiers to be used by Romans, we have another number offered by Appianus, regarding the army planned by Caesar for his campaign against Dacians
Appianu - THe Civila Wars - Book II.110
http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Ro...rs/2*.html
<< And now Caesar, either renouncing his hope, or being tired out, and wishing by this time to avoid this plot and odium, or deliberately giving up the city to certain of his enemies, or hoping to cure his bodily ailment of epilepsy and convulsions, which came upon him suddenly and especially when he was inactive, conceived the idea of a long campaign against the Getae and the Parthians. The Getae, a hardy, warlike, and neighbouring nation, were to be attacked first. The Parthians were to be punished for their perfidy toward Crassus. He sent across the Adriatic in advance sixteen legions of foot and 10,000 horse. >>
If the first time when he was just the governor of Ilyria (a province plundered by Getae right at the same time) and Gallia Cisalpina and Transalpina Caesar was afraid and avoided the confrontation with Dacians (chosing to go in Galia in his quest for glory and money), when he became the sole ruler of Rome and Dictator (unofficial emperor we can say) he planned finally a campaign against them.
Having this time the entire Roman Republic (already on the verge to be rebranded as Empire) behind, he assembled an army of 16 legions and 10,000 cavalrymen for attack against Dacia, which was about as close as much as Trajan i think. Probably Caesar would make use of auxiliars too of course, as it was the norm and those 16 legions and cavalry was send in the Balkans just in advance of his arrival.
The size of this army show the difficulties he thought he will face in that war. However, back then Dacia itself becamed a proto-empire under Burebista rule, having the possibility to raise an army of 200,000 warriors according to Strabon.
Anyway, both Caesar and imediatly after him Burebista was assasinated by their own people, so a possible even bigger war betwen Romans and Dacians was postponed until Trajan vs Decebalus confrontation
Dont have much time (or mood to search more sources now and still with some glass of wine in front) now, but about the number of soldiers to be used by Romans, we have another number offered by Appianus, regarding the army planned by Caesar for his campaign against Dacians
Appianu - THe Civila Wars - Book II.110
http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Ro...rs/2*.html
<< And now Caesar, either renouncing his hope, or being tired out, and wishing by this time to avoid this plot and odium, or deliberately giving up the city to certain of his enemies, or hoping to cure his bodily ailment of epilepsy and convulsions, which came upon him suddenly and especially when he was inactive, conceived the idea of a long campaign against the Getae and the Parthians. The Getae, a hardy, warlike, and neighbouring nation, were to be attacked first. The Parthians were to be punished for their perfidy toward Crassus. He sent across the Adriatic in advance sixteen legions of foot and 10,000 horse. >>
If the first time when he was just the governor of Ilyria (a province plundered by Getae right at the same time) and Gallia Cisalpina and Transalpina Caesar was afraid and avoided the confrontation with Dacians (chosing to go in Galia in his quest for glory and money), when he became the sole ruler of Rome and Dictator (unofficial emperor we can say) he planned finally a campaign against them.
Having this time the entire Roman Republic (already on the verge to be rebranded as Empire) behind, he assembled an army of 16 legions and 10,000 cavalrymen for attack against Dacia, which was about as close as much as Trajan i think. Probably Caesar would make use of auxiliars too of course, as it was the norm and those 16 legions and cavalry was send in the Balkans just in advance of his arrival.
The size of this army show the difficulties he thought he will face in that war. However, back then Dacia itself becamed a proto-empire under Burebista rule, having the possibility to raise an army of 200,000 warriors according to Strabon.
Anyway, both Caesar and imediatly after him Burebista was assasinated by their own people, so a possible even bigger war betwen Romans and Dacians was postponed until Trajan vs Decebalus confrontation
Razvan A.
