Aduatuca

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Aduatuca or Atuatuca was the name of a fortified place in the area of ​​the Celtic tribe of the Eburones , who mostly lived between the rivers Meuse and Rhine .

At Aduatuca, Gaius Julius Caesar suffered during his campaigns of conquest against the Gauls from 58 to 50 BC. A sensitive defeat. One and a half legions , around 7,000 men, were defeated. According to Caesars De bello Gallico , this castellum Aduatuca was "in the middle of the Eburonian area" ( in mediis Eburonum finibus ).


Celtic fortress of Aduatuca

Caesar reports that the Celtic tribe of the Aduatuk people came into being in 57 BC. BC initially wanted to rush to the aid of the Belgian Nervians , but they turned back halfway when they heard of Caesar's victorious battle against the Nervians. Thereupon they went back to their area, left all homes and withdrew with all their belongings to a place in Aduatuca.

Condition and location

According to Caesar, Aduatuca in the Eburones region was a city with an outstandingly protected location. It had very high cliffs and good foresight. There was a sloping access from one side that was no more than 200 feet (65 m) wide. This access was protected by a double wall and heavy pieces of rock and pointed beams.

Caesar's Siege and Conquest

After Caesar's arrival, his army was disrupted by raids and minor skirmishes by the Aduatuk people. A circular wall was then built around Aduatuca, 15,000 feet in circumference, which had several bases. Caesar also had protective roofs and a wooden tower built, which should be pushed up to the fortress. He reports that the Aduatuk people made fun of the small stature of the Romans and mocked them.

When the tower was brought up to the fortress, the Aduatuk wanted to negotiate about safe conduct while in possession of their weapons. But Caesar replied that he wanted to spare the tribe, but that they had to hand over the weapons. The Aduatuk surrendered and threw some of their weapons over the wall. The city was taken.

During the night, the Aduatuk tried a dogged sortie with previously hidden weapons, but were pushed back and defeated by the Romans. A total of 4,000 men were killed. Caesar's legionaries invaded the city and, according to him, sold 53,000 Aduatuk people to buyers, that is, he had them enslaved.

Roman winter camp Aduatuca

In 54 BC Because of the persistent drought and the lack of grain, Caesar decided to distribute the winter camps of his army over several locations and tribes of the Gauls. One of these camps was set up near the Eburones between the Meuse and the Rhine in Aduatuca. He distributed the winter quarters so that they were within a radius (diameter) of a hundred miles (approx. 150 km) apart. This camp was occupied by a legion and five cohorts. The legates Quintus Titurius Sabinus and Lucius Aurunculeius Cotta received the command .

Lost to Ambiorix

In the castellum Atuatuca the associations were supposed to winter. In November 54 BC The camp was attacked surprisingly by the Eburones under their part-king Ambiorix . By means of a ruse, Ambiorix succeeded in luring the Roman units out of the fortified camp. He took advantage of the headlessness of the legate Quintus Titurius Sabinus, who acted expressly against the advice of the second, but apparently subordinate Legate Lucius Aurunculeius Cotta and ordered the withdrawal towards the nearest winter camp, which was 50 miles away and under the command of Quintus Tullius Cicero was standing.

Caesar gives a detailed and vivid description of the conflict between Titurius and Cotta and the ensuing battle, which he himself describes as calamitas ("misfortune") and which is mentioned in numerous historical works of the following centuries (Appian, Suetonius, Cassius Dio, Eutropius, Florus , Plutarch).

How hard Caesar took the defeat of Aduatuca, Suetonius has handed down in his emperor biographies. There it is said that after the defeat of Sabinus, Caesar let his beard and hair grow and not let it be removed until he took revenge.

The Sugambrians attack Atuatuca

A second military conflict at Aduatuca took place in 53 BC. Instead of: The Germanic tribe of the Sugambres came "on ships and barges" across the Rhine to plunder the Eburones region. Eburonic prisoners pointed out the Roman camp, which was only three hours away by riding, where much richer booty could be made and where the entire train of the Roman army was stored when the crew was small.

The Sugambrer then turned against the Aduatuca camp, which was commanded by Quintus Tullius Cicero . Cicero's military mistake in sending five cohorts to the fields to fetch grain put the camp's crew in great danger. The remaining Roman soldiers, however, were able to hold back the onslaught of the riders for a while. Only some of the Romans who hurried back from the fields were able to return safely to the camp. According to Caesar, the soldiers, who were still inexperienced, were surrounded and killed by the “barbarians”. Caesar reports that the Germanic peoples despaired of the siege of the camp and that they returned to their area across the Rhine with their booty.

Only Caesar was able to put an end to the fear of the Romans after his early return. From the Roman camp Aduatuca he then continued the devastation of the Eburonian tribal area, his relentless revenge for the catastrophe of November 54 BC. BC, which his army had suffered at Aduatuca.

Localization of Aduatuca

Caesar can be described in great detail in his style and in his remarks, tribes and places of activity during the Gallic War. Historians often doubt his statements if they do not fit into their pattern of thought and conflict with their hypotheses. When it comes to locating Aduatuca, the following criteria should be considered, clearly described by Caesar:

From the second book

  • The Celtic Aduatuca was a city that was naturally protected by its location (“natura munitum”).
  • The fortress of Aduatuca had very high cliffs and a good view downwards.
  • There were excavated rock deposits because the castle fortress was protected with heavy pieces of rock.
  • At one point only was Aduatuca accessible via a gently sloping slope that was only 200 feet (65 meters) wide. This place was secured with an extremely high double stone wall. Only there could the Romans bring their wooden siege tower up to them .
  • It must have been an isolated mountain, because Caesar had a circular wall 15,000 feet (approx. 4,400 m) in circumference built. This corresponds to a circle diameter of 1400 meters.
  • There were obviously hiding places for weapons in the village, which the Romans did not find immediately after taking the city. And Caesar had dug a ditch in front of the city. The Aduatucians had to throw their weapons into this trench when they surrendered.
  • During the conquest of Aduatuca, 4,000 Aduatuk people were killed. The rest were thrown back into the fortress. The following day the Romans blew up the gates and stormed in without resistance; Caesar had all the booty from this city sold. The buyers gave him the number of residents sold to 53,000. So Aduatuca was a certain size too.

From the fifth book

  • The Roman winter camp at Aduatuca lay with the other winter quarters (at the Mori formers , Nervii , Esuviern , Remi and Belgern ) in a radius (diameter) of a hundred miles (148 km). Caesar himself was in Samarobriva, today Amiens , with his legion, the heavy military equipment, his archive and all the grain .
  • Although Ambiorix and Catuvolcus had made themselves available to Quintus Titurius Sabinus and Lucius Aurunculeius Cotta on the "border of their territory" and delivered grain to the winter storage, an uprising began after 15 days. The Eburones had been informed about the winter camp of the Romans on the border (finibus) of their settlement area.
  • The withdrawal from the winter camp near Aduatuca took place in the direction of a nearby winter camp. That in the Nervier tribal area was 50 miles (74 km) away and was under the command of Quintus Tullius Cicero . The other with the Remern, in the Treveri tribal area, was more than 50 miles (74 km) away and was under the command of Titus Labienus . The winter camp of Cicero near the Nervi was also 60 miles (approx. 90 km) away from the winter camp of Labienus near the Remern . This results in a relationship that must be taken into account when locating.
  • There must have been a forest two miles away where Ambiorix's men were hiding.
  • Nearby, only a few miles from the Roman camp of Aduatuca, was a long valley that could accommodate a legion and five cohorts, as well as the entourage . The Romans set out at dawn and the battle with the Eburones under Ambiorix lasted from morning until the eighth hour (2 p.m.).
  • A few who had escaped from the battle ended up wandering through the woods to the winter camp of legate Titus Labienus in the land of the Remer, to whom they reported the incidents.
  • Proud of this victory, Ambiorix soon went day and night without ceasing with his cavalry to the Aduatukern, the neighbors of his country; the infantry had to follow. After describing his victory to the Aduatuk people and inciting them to fight, he moved on to the Nervian territory the following day . Accordingly, the Atuatuk lived on the edge of the Eburone country in the neighborhood of the Nervier.
  • The Atuatucers immediately sent envoys to the Ceutrons , Grudier , Levacer , Pleumoxier and Geidumner , all of whom were under their rule. Together with these stormed Eburonen , Nervier and Atuatucers then the winter camp of Quintus Tullius Cicero in the tribal area of ​​the Nervier, 50 miles (74 km) from Aduatuca.

From the sixth book

  • The place was between the Meuse and the Rhine almost in the center of the Eburonen area.
  • While pursuing Ambiorix along the Scaldis River , which flows into the Meuse ("quod influit in mosam"), to the foothills of the Ardennes, Caesar wanted to return to the Aduatuca camp after a week.
  • In the immediate vicinity of Aduatuca there were fertile fields on which enough grain was grown that was driven by the Romans.
  • There were hills in the area so that the grain haulers had no direct view of their camp.
  • After Caesar had devastated the land of the Eburones , after losing two cohorts, he withdrew his army to Durocortorum , now Reims , in the land of the Remer . It can be assumed that the legions also destroyed the Murus Gallicus of Atuatuca after their campaign through the settlement area of ​​the Eburones .

Ancient sources on Aduatuca

  • Gaius Iulius Caesar: Commentarium libri VII de bello Gallico , Book 5, 24-37; 6, 32–40 [main source]
  • Appian : Bellum Civile , II, 29, 150
  • Suetonius : De vita Caesarum , Divus Iulius , 25, 67
  • Cassius Dio : Roman History , Book 40, 5, 6
  • Eutropius : Breviary ab urbe condita 6.17
  • Florus : Epitoma de Tito Livio bellorum omnium annorum , VII Bellum Gallicum, XLV
  • Plutarch : Vitae parallelae , Caesar , 23
  • Ptolemaeus : Geographia - Germania Magna

literature

Web links

Wiktionary: Atuatuca  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Remarks

  1. ↑ a b c C. Julius Caesar: De bello Gallico . 5, 24.
  2. ↑ a b C. Julius Caesar: De bello Gallico . 6, 32.
  3. ↑ a b c d e f C. Julius Caesar: De bello Gallico . 2, 29.
  4. ↑ a b C. Julius Caesar: De bello Gallico . 2, 30.
  5. ^ C. Julius Caesar: De bello Gallico . 2, 31.
  6. ^ C. Julius Caesar: De bello Gallico . 2, 32.
  7. ^ C. Julius Caesar: De bello Gallico . 2, 32.
  8. ^ C. Julius Caesar: De bello Gallico . 2, 33.
  9. ^ C. Julius Caesar: De bello Gallico . 5, 24.
  10. ^ C. Julius Caesar: De bello Gallico . 5, 26.
  11. ^ C. Julius Caesar: De bello Gallico . 5, 28-32.
  12. ^ C. Julius Caesar: De bello Gallico . 5, 26-37.
  13. ↑ Otto Schönberger: The Gallic War . Akademie Verlag, Berlin 2013, ISBN 978-3-05-006417-8 , p. 564.
  14. ^ C. Julius Caesar: De bello Gallico . 6, 35.
  15. ^ C. Julius Caesar: De bello Gallico . 6, 36.
  16. ^ C. Julius Caesar: De bello Gallico . 6, 38.
  17. ^ C. Julius Caesar: De bello Gallico . 6, 40.
  18. ↑ a b C. Julius Caesar: De bello Gallico . 6, 41.
  19. ^ C. Julius Caesar: De bello Gallico . 6, 43-44.
  20. ^ C. Julius Caesar: De bello Gallico . 2, 29-31.
  21. ^ C. Julius Caesar: De bello Gallico . 2, 32.
  22. ^ C. Julius Caesar: De bello Gallico . 2, 33.
  23. ^ C. Julius Caesar: De bello Gallico . 5, 25.
  24. ^ C. Julius Caesar: De bello Gallico , 5, 24.
  25. ^ C. Julius Caesar: De bello Gallico, 5, 24 u. 47
  26. ^ C. Julius Caesar: De bello Gallico . 5, 26
  27. ^ C. Julius Caesar: De bello Gallico . 5, 27-37.
  28. ^ C. Julius Caesar: De bello Gallico . 5, 53.
  29. ^ C. Julius Caesar: De bello Gallico . 5, 32.
  30. ^ C. Julius Caesar: De bello Gallico . 5, 33.
  31. ^ C. Julius Caesar: De bello Gallico . 5, 31.
  32. ^ C. Julius Caesar: De bello Gallico . 5, 35.
  33. ^ C. Julius Caesar: De bello Gallico . 5, 37.
  34. ^ C. Julius Caesar: De bello Gallico . 5, 38.
  35. ^ Caesar: De bello Gallico, 5, 39.
  36. ^ C. Julius Caesar: De bello Gallico . 5, 27.
  37. ^ C. Julius Caesar: De bello Gallico . 6, 33.
  38. ^ C. Julius Caesar: De bello Gallico . 6, 36.
  39. ^ C. Julius Caesar: De bello Gallico . 6, 39-40.
  40. ^ C. Julius Caesar: De bello Gallico . 6, 44.