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THE HISTORY OF TARENTUM
Theophilus of Euhesperides

The causes behind the immigration of the Senonian Celts into Greater Greece are only known to us from the historian whose History of the Latins was long thought to have been written by Clearchus of Heraclea, but which is now known to be the work of an imposter, so that we call the unknown author False Clearchus. In his History, False Clearchus reports that the Senonians, led by their famed king Brennus, were besieging a Tuscan city by the name of Clusium. The city had refused them lands to dwell in, despite its extent in territory, much of which was left fallow or as wilderness, and when the Senonians encamped before it so as to seize it, the Clusines called to their allies in Rome, at that point the leading city of Latium, to deliver them from the trouble which they had brought upon themselves.

The Romans, the historian says, sent three brothers as messengers to negotiate terms with the Celtic besiegers on behalf of the besieged. He goes on to say that the three brothers were of a divided opinion as to what to say to the Senonians. Two are said to have favored war with the Celts, while the third did not. All three met with Brennus, and when he pointed out that it was better for the Romans if they remain content that it was not their lands that he was ravaging, the elder two took themselves into the city by night and, breaking all the customs of nations, proceeded to aid the Clusines in the defense of their city in battle the next day. Brennus was furious at this betrayal, and told the youngest brother who had remained in the Senonian camp that he would lift the siege of Clusium and make straightaway for Rome so as to remove such an odious and lawbreaking people from the face of the earth. Hearing this, the young Roman, who feared for his city’s survival against the vast Celtic army, intimated to the king that Latium was an exceedingly poor province in comparison with the vast wealth and riches of Greater Greece to the far south, and that he would be willing to guide the Senonians there in order to spare his country from the king’s wrath at the foolish actions of a few men. False Clearchus says that Brennus laughed and mocked the Latin for his cowardice, but agreed to lift the siege of Clusium and forgive Rome if the envoy would lead him to these lands of wealth. The Senonians immediately departed with all of their armaments and belongings and proceeded south towards Greater Greece. [1]

It would be helpful to relate the state of Greater Greece at this time. Dionysius of Syracuse, who brought in mercenaries from Greece in order to set himself up as tyrant in his city, had a few years before concluded a peace treaty with the Carthaginians, with whom he had been engaged in a great conflict for five years. Now he turned his attentions to the cities of Greater Greece which were opposed to his interests. Rhegion, a colony said by some to have been settled by immigrants from Chalcis and Messenia, and by others only the latter, was a wealthy and significant city located on the Strait of Messene opposite Messene itself. During Dionysius’ war with Carthage, the Punic ruler Himilco had taken Messene in a great battle, and razed it to the ground, installing a colony of Sicels opposed to Dionysius at Tauromenion a small distance away. With the conclusion of the war, Rhegion, which was opposed to Syracuse, was now was the principal city controlling the trade through the Strait. To restore his power over the Strait, Dionysius was now warring against the city in alliance with Locri, from whence one of his wives came; the cities which came to the aid of the Rhegines were those of the Italiote League, though several, such as Tarentum and its colony Heraclea, did not, owing to their friendship with Dionysius.

When news came of the Celts’ approach, a delegation of the Greeks led by a certain Lysander of Heraclea begged him to leave off from invading their lands. It is reported by False Clearchus and Leon that he mutilated the ambassadors, though most hold to the opinion of Xenocrates the Sicyonian, who states that he refused to see them, whereupon the delegation, returning home, were set upon by Lucanians and slaughtered. [2] Yet when all are threatened by a common danger, it is often the case that parties which would otherwise find fault in one another unite against a foe which threatens their continued survival. All of the members of the Italiote League, excepting the Locrians, who were in direct alliance to Dionysius (who was at this point besieging Tauromenion, which the Carthaginians had abandoned to its fate) and refused to countenance any cooperation with Thurii and Rhegion in particular, assembled their armies at Heraclea in order to meet this new, most imminent threat. This army was the greatest yet put into the field in Greater Greece, consisting of 40,000 infantry and 3,000 horse. The Greeks voted as their commander Heloris, a distinguished Syracusan who had been exiled from his city by Dionysius.

The Italiots met the Senonians at Genusia. The Senonians are stated by False Clearchus to have numbered 80,000, by Leon to have numbered 50,000, and by Xenocrates to have numbered 40,000. The Tarentines held the right wing, the Thurians the left, with the other cities’ contingents in the center. The battle began at high noon, and although the Celts rushed forward with their barbarian fury, pressing hard against the Greek left and center so that the battle seemed to be in their favor, the bravery of the famed Tarentine captain Archytas resulted in the destruction of the Senonian left, and a great slaughter quickly ensued. The fleeing Senonians were driven to the edge of the Bradanus River, where Brennus sought terms so that his entire people would not be slaughtered. Heloris initially desired to utterly destroy the Celts, but at the urging of Archytas he allowed the survivors to leave in peace for the lands of the Lucanians, the enemies of the Greeks, so that they might exterminate them and remove a threat to the Italiots. [3]

[1] The story may be true, it may not be; what False Clearchus does not mention is that Dionysius, the tyrant of Syracuse at that time, delivered funds to Brennus to attack Rome, which was hindering the trade of Syracuse in Central Italy. The subtle reader will note that Brennus ceased his attack on Clusium, an ally of Rome, and marched into Magna Graecia, the location of wealthy cities both aligned with and against the tyrant. Was he undertaking a secondary operation on behalf of Dionysius, or betraying his benefactor? History does not give us his true motivation.

[2] The treatment of Brennus after the battle would indicate that Xenocrates’ opinion is the correct one.

[3] This they accomplished to a great degree; though some of the Lucanians intermarried with the Senonians, no one speaks their language today, and their few cities were all renamed by the Celts.
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