The Battle of Placentia was fought in 194 BC, near
Placentia, between the
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic ( la, Res publica Romana ) was a form of government of Rome and the era of the classical Roman civilization when it was run through public representation of the Roman people. Beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Ki ...
and the
Boii
The Boii (Latin plural, singular ''Boius''; grc, Βόιοι) were a Celtic tribe of the later Iron Age, attested at various times in Cisalpine Gaul ( Northern Italy), Pannonia (Hungary), parts of Bavaria, in and around Bohemia (after whom ...
. The Roman army won the battle. The following year, another battle with the Boii would take place in the same region; known as the
Battle of Mutina, it would end the Boii threat.
Battle
Tiberius Sempronius Longus, one of the
consul
Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throu ...
s of 194 BC (the other being
Scipio Africanus), invaded the territory of the
Boii
The Boii (Latin plural, singular ''Boius''; grc, Βόιοι) were a Celtic tribe of the later Iron Age, attested at various times in Cisalpine Gaul ( Northern Italy), Pannonia (Hungary), parts of Bavaria, in and around Bohemia (after whom ...
with a four-legion-strong consular army. The Boii chieftain Boiorix and his two brothers built a
camp
Camp may refer to:
Outdoor accommodation and recreation
* Campsite or campground, a recreational outdoor sleeping and eating site
* a temporary settlement for nomads
* Camp, a term used in New England, Northern Ontario and New Brunswick to descri ...
in open country to challenge the Roman army to battle. Intimidated by the numbers and confidence of the Gauls, Sempronius asked for help from Scipio.
Seeing the Romans' hesitation, the Boii decided to strike before the two Roman consuls could unite their forces. They advanced on the Roman camp, waited two days for a Roman attack and then launched their own attack on the Roman position simultaneously from all sides. Two legions attempted to sortie out the main
gates, but were pushed back by the Boii. The fighting dragged on in the confined space and
weapons
A weapon, arm or armament is any implement or device that can be used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime, law enforcement, s ...
were little used, both sides preferring their
shields
A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry or projectiles such as arrows, by means of ...
and bodies for pushing and shoving instead.
A
centurion from the second
legion
Legion may refer to:
Military
* Roman legion, the basic military unit of the ancient Roman army
* Spanish Legion, an elite military unit within the Spanish Army
* Legion of the United States, a reorganization of the United States Army from 179 ...
, Quintus Victorius, and a military
tribune
Tribune () was the title of various elected officials in ancient Rome. The two most important were the tribunes of the plebs and the military tribunes. For most of Roman history, a college of ten tribunes of the plebs acted as a check on th ...
from the fourth legion, Gaius Atilius, threw the legionary
standards in the midst of the Boii. The Romans attacked with renewed vigor and the second legion fought their way out of the camp. At the same time, the Boii broke through the quaestorian gate and killed the
quaestor along with three allied
prefects
Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area.
A prefect's ...
and 200 men. A special
cohort
Cohort or cohortes may refer to:
* Cohort (educational group), a group of students working together through the same academic curriculum
* Cohort (floating point), a set of different encodings of the same numerical value
* Cohort (military unit ...
sent by Sempronius restored the situation and drove out the Gauls. The fourth legion crushed its Boii opponents as well and the battle shifted to outside the camp.
The fighting went on until noon, with the Gauls less able to withstand the heat, thirst, and physical struggle. They were finally routed by the Romans and pushed back to their own camp. Sempronius ordered his men to withdraw and not attack the Gauls, but a number of Romans disobeyed his order and stormed the Gallic ramparts. They were quickly defeated by the Boii, who were not impressed by this small force.
The Romans lost 5,000 men killed and claimed to have killed 11,000 Boii. The Boii retreated to the most remote parts of their country, where the Romans could not pursue them due to the forests and marshes. Sempronius retired from the battlefield and led his army to
Placentia. According to Livy, Scipio either merged his forces with his colleague's and they plundered the Ligurian and Boii homelands, or Scipio went to Rome for elections and did nothing of note.
[Livy, 34.47-48]
References
{{Reflist
Sources
* Livy, ''
Ab urbe condita libri
The work called ( en, From the Founding of the City), sometimes referred to as (''Books from the Founding of the City''), is a monumental history of ancient Rome, written in Latin between 27 and 9 BC by Livy, a Roman historian. The wor ...
34.46-48''
See also
*
Roman Republican governors of Gaul
Roman Republican governors of Gaul were assigned to the province of Cisalpine Gaul ( northern Italy) or to Transalpine Gaul, the Mediterranean region of present-day France also called the Narbonensis, though the latter term is sometimes reserved ...
194 BC
190s BC conflicts
2nd century BC in the Roman Republic
Boii
Placentia
Battles involving the Roman Republic