I happen to live in a part of the Netherlands which has not left any
mark in ancient history. Dikes where not built till the Middle Ages and instead
people lived on artificial hills for protection against the water of the Wadden
Sea. These hills are still visible in the landscape and are often inhabited. It
is fascinating to think that some of these hills (wierden or terpen) have
been inhabited for almost 2500 years. This part of the country must have been
extremely inhospitable and I still don’t understand what on earth has moved my
ancestors to live here or why they did not go away during the migration period
of the 3rd – 6th century. I would have been an Italian by
now and enjoying far better weather than this miserable spring! Not to speak of
the food, the wine and the women…
There is only one report about something happening here in this
area: Tacitus wrote in his Annales
how two legions almost were swept away by the water. The Wadden Sea is a
shallow sea with a great difference between ebb tide and high tide. At ebb tide
large parts are almost dry and traversable, but high tide comes unexpectedly
for those who have no experience. The Romans had no experience…
What happened and why were the legions here? In the year 9 AD the
Roman army under command of Varus suffered a devastating defeat in the Teutoburg
forest in an attempt to increase their territory beyond the Rhine. Three
legions were massacred and their vexilia,
the legionary standards, lost. The defeat was a great shock for the Roman people
and it is reported the Emperor Augustus woke up in the night, screaming: Vare, Vare, redde legiones! Varus, Varus, give
me back my legions.
After the death of Emperor Augustus, Tiberius decided to retaliate
and recover the vexilia. Germanicus
was made commander of an army of 55.000 - 70,000 men. A large part of this army
was put on ships at a Roman base near modern The Hague and sailed over the
Wadden-sea to the mouth of the river Ems in order to attack form the north. It
soon appeared that the ships were too heavy for the Wadden-sea and when Germanicus
had successfully finished his campaign, he ordered two legions to go back by
foot, travelling alongside the coast of the Wadden Sea. When they arrive in
this area suddenly a storm arises, driving the water far into the land.
Hundreds if not thousands of soldiers were drowned and Tacitus describes in a
vivid account their fate.
PS. In 1987 the original site
of the battle of the Teutoburg Forrest was discovered by the British army
officer and amateur archaeologist Tony Clunn. Remains of Roman skeletons and
armour spread over a large area were subsequently found by further excavations.
Nothing of the disaster here of 2000 years ago has remained: the sea has washed
everything away….
Tacitus, Annales 1.70
[70] At Germanicus legionum, quas navibus vexerat, secundam et
quartam decimam itinere terrestri P. Vitellio ducendas tradit, quo levior
classis vadoso mari innaret vel reciproco sideret. Vitellius primum iter sicca
humo aut modice adlabente aestu quietum habuit: mox inpulsu aquilonis, simul
sidere aequinoctii, quo maxime tumescit Oceanus, rapi agique agmen. et
opplebantur terrae: eadem freto litori campis facies, neque discemi poterant
incerta ab solidis, brevia a profundis. sternuntur fluctibus, hauriuntur
gurgitibus; iumenta, sarcinae, corpora exanima interfluunt, occursant.
permiscentur inter se manipuli, modo pectore, modo ore tenus extantes,
aliquando subtracto solo disiecti aut obruti. non vox et mutui hortatus
iuvabant adversante unda; nihil strenuus ab ignavo, sapiens ab inprudenti,
consilia a casu differre: cuncta pari violentia involvebantur. tandem Vitellius
in editiora enisus eodem agmen subduxit. pernoctavere sine utensilibus, sine
igni, magna pars nudo aut mulcato corpore, haud minus miserabiles quam quos
hostis circumsidet: quippe illic etiam honestae mortis usus, his inglorium
exitium. Iux reddidit terram, penetratumque ad amnem [Visurgin], quo Caesar
classe contenderat. in positae dein legiones, vagante fama submersas; nec fides
salutis, antequam Caesarem exercitumque reducem videre.
veho vexi vectum: to transport
itinere terrestri: for a journey by land (The ablative is instrumental. Litt: (to be led) through a terrestrial journey.)
vadosus: full of shallows
inno: to sail
(leviore) reciproco sideret: could ground lighter at ebb-tide (so that they could go earlier
away at high-tide.)
aestus, -us (m): (of the sea) a heaving, swell, surge
adlabor adlapsus: to flow
aquilo onis (m): northern wind
sidus aequinoctii: the season of the equinox (in this case autumn)
rapi agique agmen: historic infinitives: the
army lost foot and was swept away
freto litori campis: asyndendetic enumeration
fretum: sea
incerta ab solidis: treacherous ground from solid ground
brevia: shallow waters
sterno stravi stratum: to spread
hauriuntur gurgitibus: they are swallowed by whirlpools (the under-currents below the
surface of the water can be very strong and dangerous.)
iumentum: mule, beast of burden
sarcinae: package
occurso: to run against
manipuli: soldiers (especially infantery)
tenus (+ abl.): as far as, unto
extantes (ex aqua)
subtracto solo: i.e when their feet lost ground
disicio disieci disiectum: to drive asunder
obruo obrui obrutum: to drown
mutui hortatus: mutual encouragements
nihil strenuus ab ignavo,
sapiens ab inprudenti, consilia a casu differre:
there was nothing to distinguish etc.
strenuus: prompt, active
ignavus: slow
editiora enisus: struggling upwards to higher places (there are no hills or
mountains here, so these editiora
would be just one or two meters above the water.)
pernocto: to pass the night (pernoctavere
= pernoctaverunt)
utensilis: (here) food
mulco: to injure
illic: apud illos i.e, those
who are fighting
exitium: death
Visurgin: certainly not right as this is the Weser, far in the east of
Germany. Probably Unsingin is meant, the supposed Latin name (not recorded!) for
the river Hunse, which is still streaming in this area.
quo Caesar classe
contenderat: where Germanicus had arrived with his
fleet
vagante fama submerses: the rumour went that they were drowned
redux reducis (adi.): coming back (the singular is because the main concern was for
the safety of Germanicus.)
videre: historic infinitive
Translation:
