Update on excavations of the Varus battlesite

[Thiudareiks Flavius]

Judging from the archaeological evidence and Dio's account it seems Arminius' successful trap was due to his knowledge of the Roman army generally, his understanding of the terrain and careful preparation. The battle site at Kalkriese seems to be where the final stage of the battle took place, rather than the initial ambush, which had occured three days earlier somewhere to the east. It seems Arminius' first two days of hit-and-run attacks were designed the wear down the Roman column as well as to lure them into the final trap. Realising their vulnerability while on the march, Varus abandoned his baggage train and seems to have tried to make his way down into the Lieppe Valley and the safety of the fortresses there - especially the closest fort at Aliso/Haltern.<br>
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A feigned retreat by Arminius led Varus to push westward toward the head of the Lieppe Valley, thinking he was about to break out of the trap. But Arminius knew this would take the Romans around the northern flank of the Kalkrieseburg, and it was there he had prepared his earthworks and the final ambush. This route led the Roman army along a very narrow path between the slopes of the hill and a broad area of marshes. The Cheruscian earthworks also channeled water from the recent heavy rainstorms down the hill and across the Romans' path, making this route even more difficult. Arminius then seems to have pinned the column against the marshes and used his earthworks to retreat behind every time the Romans tried to counterattack. In this way they slowly wore Varus' army down and stopped them from breaking out. Already exhausted from three days fighting in difficult conditions and confronted by a determined enemy which was constantly being reinforced by new warbands, it was only a matter of time before the Romans were destroyed.<br>
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There is little in this evidence to indicate that Varus and his experienced generals were incompetent. There is a lot in it, however, to indicate that Arminius was a very skilled tactician. <p>Tim O'Neill / Thiudareiks Flavius<BR>
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