05-15-2019, 04:13 PM
I think this camp being apart of the last Varus march is a pretty tall order.
Assuming that Kalkriese was in some way, shape, or form a part of the battle, and I know opinions here vary, it is almost 80 Roman miles away as the crow flies. For the sake of argument, let's assume Kalkriese IS the sight of the last engagement, and this new camp is the first camp Varus stopped at after leaving his summer fort. Arminius launched his first ambush the next day's march, but despite this, the Romans did supposedly cover their 20 miles. The next day they halted to reassess their situation. The third day, they marched out in stormy conditions through ruff terrain while under heavy attack. Let's be generous and say they by some miracle they made 10 miles. The last day's march it is suggested that the Romans didn't make it more then a few miles.
This leave roughly a 47 Roman mile deficit between the Wilkenburg camp and Kalkriese by my estimation. If one camp is part of the last campaign, then the other one cannot be. Now certainly it is plausible that neither of them are a part of it, but it definitely not both, in my opinion.
That said, it could be a part of an earlier operation of Varus. He was in the region with those legions for two years previously. Also, a force of 20,000 troops seems like a common detachment for a large Roman army. Caecina was detached from Germanicus' main force with four legions. Given the state of manpower in the Roman Empire at that time, it is feasible that his force only amounted to around 20,000. Any number of armies before, during, and after Varus might have sent a force of 20,000 on some mission, or just to break up a cumbersome baggage train to move the army faster.
Or maybe this IS the first camp of Varus and Kalkriese needs to be reevaluated, which may not be a bad thing.
In any case, these are some exciting days for us amateur historians and historical enthusiasts!
Assuming that Kalkriese was in some way, shape, or form a part of the battle, and I know opinions here vary, it is almost 80 Roman miles away as the crow flies. For the sake of argument, let's assume Kalkriese IS the sight of the last engagement, and this new camp is the first camp Varus stopped at after leaving his summer fort. Arminius launched his first ambush the next day's march, but despite this, the Romans did supposedly cover their 20 miles. The next day they halted to reassess their situation. The third day, they marched out in stormy conditions through ruff terrain while under heavy attack. Let's be generous and say they by some miracle they made 10 miles. The last day's march it is suggested that the Romans didn't make it more then a few miles.
This leave roughly a 47 Roman mile deficit between the Wilkenburg camp and Kalkriese by my estimation. If one camp is part of the last campaign, then the other one cannot be. Now certainly it is plausible that neither of them are a part of it, but it definitely not both, in my opinion.
That said, it could be a part of an earlier operation of Varus. He was in the region with those legions for two years previously. Also, a force of 20,000 troops seems like a common detachment for a large Roman army. Caecina was detached from Germanicus' main force with four legions. Given the state of manpower in the Roman Empire at that time, it is feasible that his force only amounted to around 20,000. Any number of armies before, during, and after Varus might have sent a force of 20,000 on some mission, or just to break up a cumbersome baggage train to move the army faster.
Or maybe this IS the first camp of Varus and Kalkriese needs to be reevaluated, which may not be a bad thing.
In any case, these are some exciting days for us amateur historians and historical enthusiasts!
Daniel DeVargas
