The Weighted Scales: The World of an Aborted Rome
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Chapter One: Reign of the Senones
Part Four: Senonirix’s War
After centralizing his command and officially claiming the title of Senonirix Brennos, the King Brennos seemed to have recalled his reasons for settling down in Italia to begin with. Indeed, with the last major military power in northern Italia laid low and out of the way, it appeared that the land was ripe for the taking. In the summer of 376 B.E. (383 B.C.) the Senone army marched into mexl Rasnal [1] and laid siege to Perusia, a Rasna city near the head of the Tiber River.
Senonirix Brennos demanded that Perusia pay him tribute and give the Senones its rich farmlands, or else see its doom. Initially, the king of Perusia refused, and attempted to fight off the Senones. He led the Rasna elite hoplites out to meet the Senones, their armor glistening in the summer sun. The Senones yelled and cried intimidating.
Battle ensued.
Senonirix Brennos lead the charge, riding a chariot adorned with the heads of his fallen enemies. They bumped and pounded, dried hair twirling like flags of death, against the sides of his chariot. His long mustache blew in the wind as his driver brought him closer to the phalanx line. His grey eyes [2] narrowed as he grabbed his javelin, and at just the last second, he launched the weapon into the Rasna line. Just as his chariot turned, he saw the spear meat its mark. Behind him, two thousand champions on chariots did likewise, riding forward at full speed, and launching their javelins just at the last moment before pulling back. With the line weakened, the footmen, far behind the swift charioteers, cut through the Perusians like a blade through tender flesh. The Rasna were slow, cumbersome, and rigid. The Senones were fast, agile, and fluid. Like a tidal wave, the men painted blue bore down, rushing through the golden fields and pastures.
Said fields and pastures soon turned scarlet from the rage of battle borne.
When the Senone footmen broke through the Perusian line, tearing through the phalanx like wolves amongst the flock, the Senone champions dismounted from their chariots and rushed to join them. Glory in war, amongst all things, was what the Senones wanted. Indeed, the rich lands and the wealthy city were excellent boons for such a war, but the average man who not only ran, but made a mad dash in nothing but his skin, hair standing on end in rigid lemon-dried spikes, body painted blue, heart pounding like the deep drums and voice shouting like the battle-horns in the distance—yes, it was all for glory that they ran into the fray and carnage. [3]
The Perusian center crumbled, the phalanx falling in on itself like a demolished building. Rasna fought as best as they could, but with their long spears, they could not fight effectively in such close combat. Many men dropped their spears entirely in preference for knives as weapons. Some Perusians did without their arms entirely, and fought the Senones with nothing more than their fists for weapons. However, nothing they could do would hold back the waves of Senones, crashing down harder and harder.
The Rasna quickly fled back into the walls of their city and barricaded the gates. The Senones camped outside Perusia for a month until the Perusian king conceded and paid the Senones seven hundred pounds of gold, a hundred cows, and three hundred sheep, and that was merely the compensation for the lost Senone warriors. The farmlands around the city were handed over to Senonirix Brennos, and Perusian itself was forced to pay an annual tribute of two hundred pounds of gold and four hundred pounds of silver, or else forfeit its sovereignty.
The next year, Senonirix Brennos launched yet another campaign into Rasna lands, this time for his old target of Clevsin. The city was laid under siege once again, reminiscent of its ordeal with the Senones in 384 B.E. (391 B.C.). However, nine years later in 375 B.E. (382 B.C.) the city had no Romans to save it from its grim fate.
The next spring, Clevsin fell, and the Senones not only sacked it, pouring through the gates and ransacking the city, but set it ablaze when they were done. It is unknown how or why. In fact, it seems counter-productive to the Senones who had initially wished to make Clevsin their new home and to replace Sena as the capital of Brennos’ new kingdom. There are several stories about how the Burning of Clevsin occurred.
The first, and most famous, is that the Rasna king of Clevsin Lauxum [4] insulted Senonirix Brennos by spitting in his face as Brennos broke into his palace. Brennos then took off Lauxum’s head, claiming it as a trophy, and said:
“Let his body be set afire with the rest of his palace, so that all shall know that Senonirix has slain Lauxum at last.”
However, when his servants set the palace on fire, a wind came in from the north, and blew the flames into the city. The Senones quickly escaped while the fire grew out of control and devoured the city.
Another story is that Lauxum himself set his palace on fire as Brennos and his men approached. A Rasna source claims he grabbed a lamp filled with oil and shouted to the gods:
“No barbarian shall have me or my city! Clevsin will burn before being in the hands of outsiders! But my city will rise again from ash like the phoenix, and rain down justice upon the Senones!” [5]
And with that, Lauxum poured the oil onto his skin, and set himself, his family, and his servants on fire, sacrificing his city to spite Senonirix Brennos.
Both stories hold credence, but both resulted in the same end. Clevsin burned to the ground, and the Senones returned to Sena with all the riches of the city in tow. It was the beginning of a new age for Italia, one that would lead to more war, more bloodshed, and perhaps more myth than truth in the shadowy depths of the past.
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[1] What the Etruscans called Etruria.
[2] According to later historians, Senonirix Brennos was described as having grey eyes, although it is unknown if this is true. Some historians debate if this was little flair added by the Greeks who later settled Italia as a nod to Athena and her legendary grey eyes.
[3] While realistically this image does not hold as true as the poets of old would like, there is some merit to it. The Senones, and Celtic warriors in general, were very driven by personal honor as well as the greed that drives all men to war.
[4] Probably not his real name. Lauxum is Etruscan for king or prince, so it is likely that this was documented as his name when in fact it was his title.
[5] The story is discredited by most modern historians because of this phrase. It was just a tad to prophetic for most historians to take seriously. While the possibility that the city was set on fire by the king is just as possible that Brennos did it, this quote is thought to have been added to the story later.
Part Four: Senonirix’s War
After centralizing his command and officially claiming the title of Senonirix Brennos, the King Brennos seemed to have recalled his reasons for settling down in Italia to begin with. Indeed, with the last major military power in northern Italia laid low and out of the way, it appeared that the land was ripe for the taking. In the summer of 376 B.E. (383 B.C.) the Senone army marched into mexl Rasnal [1] and laid siege to Perusia, a Rasna city near the head of the Tiber River.
Senonirix Brennos demanded that Perusia pay him tribute and give the Senones its rich farmlands, or else see its doom. Initially, the king of Perusia refused, and attempted to fight off the Senones. He led the Rasna elite hoplites out to meet the Senones, their armor glistening in the summer sun. The Senones yelled and cried intimidating.
Battle ensued.
Senonirix Brennos lead the charge, riding a chariot adorned with the heads of his fallen enemies. They bumped and pounded, dried hair twirling like flags of death, against the sides of his chariot. His long mustache blew in the wind as his driver brought him closer to the phalanx line. His grey eyes [2] narrowed as he grabbed his javelin, and at just the last second, he launched the weapon into the Rasna line. Just as his chariot turned, he saw the spear meat its mark. Behind him, two thousand champions on chariots did likewise, riding forward at full speed, and launching their javelins just at the last moment before pulling back. With the line weakened, the footmen, far behind the swift charioteers, cut through the Perusians like a blade through tender flesh. The Rasna were slow, cumbersome, and rigid. The Senones were fast, agile, and fluid. Like a tidal wave, the men painted blue bore down, rushing through the golden fields and pastures.
Said fields and pastures soon turned scarlet from the rage of battle borne.
When the Senone footmen broke through the Perusian line, tearing through the phalanx like wolves amongst the flock, the Senone champions dismounted from their chariots and rushed to join them. Glory in war, amongst all things, was what the Senones wanted. Indeed, the rich lands and the wealthy city were excellent boons for such a war, but the average man who not only ran, but made a mad dash in nothing but his skin, hair standing on end in rigid lemon-dried spikes, body painted blue, heart pounding like the deep drums and voice shouting like the battle-horns in the distance—yes, it was all for glory that they ran into the fray and carnage. [3]
The Perusian center crumbled, the phalanx falling in on itself like a demolished building. Rasna fought as best as they could, but with their long spears, they could not fight effectively in such close combat. Many men dropped their spears entirely in preference for knives as weapons. Some Perusians did without their arms entirely, and fought the Senones with nothing more than their fists for weapons. However, nothing they could do would hold back the waves of Senones, crashing down harder and harder.
The Rasna quickly fled back into the walls of their city and barricaded the gates. The Senones camped outside Perusia for a month until the Perusian king conceded and paid the Senones seven hundred pounds of gold, a hundred cows, and three hundred sheep, and that was merely the compensation for the lost Senone warriors. The farmlands around the city were handed over to Senonirix Brennos, and Perusian itself was forced to pay an annual tribute of two hundred pounds of gold and four hundred pounds of silver, or else forfeit its sovereignty.
The next year, Senonirix Brennos launched yet another campaign into Rasna lands, this time for his old target of Clevsin. The city was laid under siege once again, reminiscent of its ordeal with the Senones in 384 B.E. (391 B.C.). However, nine years later in 375 B.E. (382 B.C.) the city had no Romans to save it from its grim fate.
The next spring, Clevsin fell, and the Senones not only sacked it, pouring through the gates and ransacking the city, but set it ablaze when they were done. It is unknown how or why. In fact, it seems counter-productive to the Senones who had initially wished to make Clevsin their new home and to replace Sena as the capital of Brennos’ new kingdom. There are several stories about how the Burning of Clevsin occurred.
The first, and most famous, is that the Rasna king of Clevsin Lauxum [4] insulted Senonirix Brennos by spitting in his face as Brennos broke into his palace. Brennos then took off Lauxum’s head, claiming it as a trophy, and said:
“Let his body be set afire with the rest of his palace, so that all shall know that Senonirix has slain Lauxum at last.”
However, when his servants set the palace on fire, a wind came in from the north, and blew the flames into the city. The Senones quickly escaped while the fire grew out of control and devoured the city.
Another story is that Lauxum himself set his palace on fire as Brennos and his men approached. A Rasna source claims he grabbed a lamp filled with oil and shouted to the gods:
“No barbarian shall have me or my city! Clevsin will burn before being in the hands of outsiders! But my city will rise again from ash like the phoenix, and rain down justice upon the Senones!” [5]
And with that, Lauxum poured the oil onto his skin, and set himself, his family, and his servants on fire, sacrificing his city to spite Senonirix Brennos.
Both stories hold credence, but both resulted in the same end. Clevsin burned to the ground, and the Senones returned to Sena with all the riches of the city in tow. It was the beginning of a new age for Italia, one that would lead to more war, more bloodshed, and perhaps more myth than truth in the shadowy depths of the past.
-----------------
[1] What the Etruscans called Etruria.
[2] According to later historians, Senonirix Brennos was described as having grey eyes, although it is unknown if this is true. Some historians debate if this was little flair added by the Greeks who later settled Italia as a nod to Athena and her legendary grey eyes.
[3] While realistically this image does not hold as true as the poets of old would like, there is some merit to it. The Senones, and Celtic warriors in general, were very driven by personal honor as well as the greed that drives all men to war.
[4] Probably not his real name. Lauxum is Etruscan for king or prince, so it is likely that this was documented as his name when in fact it was his title.
[5] The story is discredited by most modern historians because of this phrase. It was just a tad to prophetic for most historians to take seriously. While the possibility that the city was set on fire by the king is just as possible that Brennos did it, this quote is thought to have been added to the story later.
well, the city shall. as an italian, you aught to know Senigallia still exists to this day
well, the city shall. as an italian, you aught to know Senigallia still exists to this day
Yes, however if Rome was destroyed surely other cities in Italy and Western Europe will be butterflied of course.
I.... am subscribing this. This TL rocks !!
thanks dude!!!
glad to see you are on board
I wish I was better at giving more in depth comments, but instead, telling you that the update was pretty great will have to suffice.
I wish I was better at giving more in depth comments, but instead, telling you that the update was pretty great will have to suffice.
well, that's just fine. if you have questions, inquiries, requests or predictions, they are more than welcome
I think this is a really good timeline so far, and I hope it continues!
I'd like to see the implications of surviving hellenistic civilization. Alexandria in particular as port could hardly be better situated. The ships coming in from west and east were searched and they forcibly copied any books they found. That coupled with a pretty developed science has some very curious implications, I imagine.
I'd like to see the implications of surviving hellenistic civilization. Alexandria in particular as port could hardly be better situated. The ships coming in from west and east were searched and they forcibly copied any books they found. That coupled with a pretty developed science has some very curious implications, I imagine.
I think this is a really good timeline so far, and I hope it continues!
I'd like to see the implications of surviving hellenistic civilization. Alexandria in particular as port could hardly be better situated. The ships coming in from west and east were searched and they forcibly copied any books they found. That coupled with a pretty developed science has some very curious implications, I imagine.
yes, in many ways, the greeks will become the bearers of the torch metaphorically speaking. however, they will not achieve what rome did in conquering all of the mediterranean. our friend carthage stands in the way of that
ptolemaic egypt from everything i've gathered was pretty much destined to fail without roman intervention. so the question becomes, once the ptolemys are out of the picture, who replaces them on top in egypt?
Cuāuhtemōc
Banned
yes, in many ways, the greeks will become the bearers of the torch metaphorically speaking. however, they will not achieve what rome did in conquering all of the mediterranean. our friend carthage stands in the way of that
ptolemaic egypt from everything i've gathered was pretty much destined to fail without roman intervention. so the question becomes, once the ptolemys are out of the picture, who replaces them on top in egypt?
Depends? I personally like the idea of a native Egyptian dynasty arising.