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Hello!

I read this on Wikipedia:


  • "Flaccus expedition.
During Augustus times lake Chad was a huge lake and two Roman expeditions were done in order to reach it: Septimius Flaccus and Julius Maternus reached the "lake of ippopotamus" (as was called the lake Chad by Claudius Ptolomeus). They moved from coastal Tripolitania and passed near the Tibesti mountains. Both did their expeditions trough the Garamantes territories, and were able to leave a small garrison on the "lake of ippopotamus and rhinoceros" after 3 months of travel in desert lands.
Ptolemy wrote that in 50 AD Septimius Flaccus did his expedition in order to retaliate against nomad raiders who attacked Leptis Magna, and reached Sebha and the territory of Aozou. http://books.google.com/books?id=LY5Lmc-... Septimius Flaccus] He then reached the rivers Bahr Ergig, Chari and Logone in the lake Chad area, described as the "land of Ethiopes" (or black men).

  • Matiernus expedition.
Ptolomeus even wrote that around 90 AD Julius Maternus (or Matiernus) did a mainly commercial expedition. From the Sirte gulf he reached the Oasis of Cufra and the Oasis of Archei, then arrived to the river Bahr Salamat and Bahr Aouk, near the actual Central African republic. He went back to Rome with a rhinoceros with two horns, that was showed in the Colosseum."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_expeditions_to_lake_Chad_and_western_Africa


Does anyone on this board know how big those garrisons were and how long they lasted?


Sincerely,


Jan
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