The Battle of Placentia was fought in 194 BC, near Placentia, between the

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( la, Res publica Romana ) was a form of government of Rome and the era of the classical Roman civilization when it was run through public representation of the Roman people. Beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Ki ...

and the

Boii The Boii ( Latin plural, singular ''Boius''; grc, Βόιοι) were a Celtic tribe of the later Iron Age, attested at various times in Cisalpine Gaul ( Northern Italy), Pannonia ( Hungary), parts of Bavaria, in and around Bohemia (after whom ...

. The Roman army won the battle. The following year, another battle with the Boii would take place in the same region; known as the

Battle of Mutina The Battle of Mutina took place on 21 April 43 BC between the forces loyal to the Senate under Consuls Gaius Vibius Pansa and Aulus Hirtius, supported by the forces of Caesar Octavian, and the forces of Mark Antony which were besieging the ...

, it would end the Boii threat.

Battle

Tiberius Sempronius Longus, one of the

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throu ...

s of 194 BC (the other being

Scipio Africanus Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus (, , ; 236/235–183 BC) was a Roman general and statesman, most notable as one of the main architects of Rome's victory against Carthage in the Second Punic War. Often regarded as one of the best military co ...

), invaded the territory of the

with a four-legion-strong consular army. The Boii chieftain Boiorix and his two brothers built a

camp Camp may refer to: Outdoor accommodation and recreation * Campsite or campground, a recreational outdoor sleeping and eating site * a temporary settlement for nomads * Camp, a term used in New England, Northern Ontario and New Brunswick to descri ...

in open country to challenge the Roman army to battle. Intimidated by the numbers and confidence of the Gauls, Sempronius asked for help from Scipio. Seeing the Romans' hesitation, the Boii decided to strike before the two Roman consuls could unite their forces. They advanced on the Roman camp, waited two days for a Roman attack and then launched their own attack on the Roman position simultaneously from all sides. Two legions attempted to sortie out the main

gate A gate or gateway is a point of entry to or from a space enclosed by walls. The word derived from old Norse "gat" meaning road or path; But other terms include ''yett and port''. The concept originally referred to the gap or hole in the wall ...

s, but were pushed back by the Boii. The fighting dragged on in the confined space and

weapons A weapon, arm or armament is any implement or device that can be used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime, law enforcement, s ...

were little used, both sides preferring their shields and bodies for pushing and shoving instead. A

centurion A centurion (; la, centurio , . la, centuriones, label=none; grc-gre, κεντυρίων, kentyríōn, or ) was a position in the Roman army during classical antiquity, nominally the commander of a century (), a military unit of around 80 ...

from the second

legion Legion may refer to: Military * Roman legion, the basic military unit of the ancient Roman army * Spanish Legion, an elite military unit within the Spanish Army * Legion of the United States, a reorganization of the United States Army from 179 ...

, Quintus Victorius, and a military

tribune Tribune () was the title of various elected officials in ancient Rome. The two most important were the tribunes of the plebs and the military tribunes. For most of Roman history, a college of ten tribunes of the plebs acted as a check on th ...

from the fourth legion, Gaius Atilius, threw the legionary

standards Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object t ...

in the midst of the Boii. The Romans attacked with renewed vigor and the second legion fought their way out of the camp. At the same time, the Boii broke through the quaestorian gate and killed the

quaestor A ( , , ; "investigator") was a public official in Ancient Rome. There were various types of quaestors, with the title used to describe greatly different offices at different times. In the Roman Republic, quaestors were elected officials who ...

along with three allied

prefects Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect's ...

and 200 men. A special

cohort Cohort or cohortes may refer to: * Cohort (educational group), a group of students working together through the same academic curriculum * Cohort (floating point), a set of different encodings of the same numerical value * Cohort (military unit) ...

sent by Sempronius restored the situation and drove out the Gauls. The fourth legion crushed its Boii opponents as well and the battle shifted to outside the camp. The fighting went on until noon, with the Gauls less able to withstand the heat, thirst, and physical struggle. They were finally routed by the Romans and pushed back to their own camp. Sempronius ordered his men to withdraw and not attack the Gauls, but a number of Romans disobeyed his order and stormed the Gallic ramparts. They were quickly defeated by the Boii, who were not impressed by this small force. The Romans lost 5,000 men killed and claimed to have killed 11,000 Boii. The Boii retreated to the most remote parts of their country, where the Romans could not pursue them due to the forests and marshes. Sempronius retired from the battlefield and led his army to Placentia. According to Livy, Scipio either merged his forces with his colleague's and they plundered the Ligurian and Boii homelands, or Scipio went to Rome for elections and did nothing of note.Livy, 34.47-48

References

{{Reflist

Sources

* Livy, ''

Ab urbe condita libri The work called ( en, From the Founding of the City), sometimes referred to as (''Books from the Founding of the City''), is a monumental history of ancient Rome, written in Latin between 27 and 9 BC by Livy, a Roman historian. The wor ...

34.46-48''

Battle

References

Sources

See also