Judacilius

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Gaius Judacilius or Gaius Vidacilius was a native of Ascoli in Piceno and one of Hauptgeneräle the allies in the Social War, v 90th He was known as one of the most capable and determined leaders of the insurrection. At first he commanded very successfully in Apulia : Canusium , Venusia and many other cities opened their gates to him, those who refused were taken by force. He executed the captured Roman nobles and took the common people and slaves into his troops.

Judacilius teamed up with Titus Afranius (also called Lafrenius) and Publius Ventidius Bassus on Mount Falerinus, where they defeated Pompeius Strabo , who retired to the city of Firmum . Assuming that Afranius is strong enough for the further fight with Pompey, Judacilius and Ventidius now turned to other theaters of war. When Strabo, for his part, had won a victory over Afranius and besieged Picenum, Judacilius and eight cohorts hurried into the city to save his hometown.

He previously sent a message to the residents that if they saw him advancing from a distance, they should make a sortie against Strabo's siege forces so that the enemy on both sides should be attacked at the same time. The residents were afraid to do so and a massive and bloody battle ensued between the two armed forces. Roman accounts of the battle speak of 75,000 soldiers on the Roman side against 60,000 Italians, although most scholars consider these numbers to be excessive.

Nevertheless, Judacilius made his way through the enemy lines and got into the city. However, his plan to hit the opposing force hard had failed. He had only managed to barricade his armed forces at the defenders. When he realized that the city could not be held for much longer, he decided not to survive its fall. He first killed all of his enemies, including those in Asculum who he thought had prevented the townspeople from gathering for battle, and then built a pyre in the area of ​​the town's main temple. Judacilius then ate with his friends and, after taking poison, lay down on the pile and ordered his friends to set it on fire. The city soon fell into the hands of Pompey and was severely punished for its resistance. The leaders of the uprising were unceremoniously executed and the others were driven naked from the city.

Many researchers consider this battle to be the turning point in the war.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c Wilhelm Ihne : The History of Rome . Longmans, Green, and co., London 1882, pp. 215 (English, google.com ).
  2. ↑ William Smith : Judacilius . In: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology . tape 2 . Boston 1870, p. 637 (English, archive.org ).
  3. ^ Carl Peter: History of Rome in three volumes . tape 1 . Hall 1865, p. 87 ( google.at ).
  4. ↑ Appian : The Roman History Vol. 2: The Civil Wars . Macmillan & Co., London 1899, p. 34 (English, google.com ).
  5. ↑ Florus , III. 18th
  6. ^ Appian, Civil Wars I. 40, 42, 47, 48
  7. ^ Orosius , v. 18
personal data
SURNAME Judacilius
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Gaius Judacilius; Gaius Vidacilius
BRIEF DESCRIPTION general
DATE OF BIRTH 2nd century BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH 90 BC Chr.