The impact on Roman Expansion
Germanic situation ca. 50 CE
From the time of the rediscovery of Roman sources in the 15th Century, the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest has been seen as a pivotal clash which ended Roman expansion into northern Europe. This notion became especially prevalent in the 19th Century, where it formed an integral part of the mythology of German nationalism. However, more recently, scholars have begun to question this interpretation and have pointed out reasons why the Rhine was a much more practical boundary for the Roman Empire than any other river in Germania.[44] Logistically, armies on the Rhine could be supplied from the Mediterranean via the Rhone and Mosel, with a brief stretch of portage. Armies on the Elbe, on the other hand, would have to have been supplied either by extensive overland routes or ships travelling the hazardous Atlantic seas. Economically, the Rhine was already supporting towns and sizeable villages at the time of the Gallic conquest. Northern Germania, however, was far less developed, possessed fewer villages, and had little food surplus. Thus the Rhine was both significantly more accessible from Rome and better equipped to supply sizeable garrisons than the regions beyond.
What kind of crap is this ?
If the Romans would have been content with the Rhine river being the eastern border of their Empire they would not have sent their troops east of the Rhine river in the first place !!!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment