Early Roman Empire, Flavian Dynasty (69-96): Vespasian, Rhine-Danube Frontier [1/5]

09 VESPASIAN (69; r.69.07-79.06)

Rhine-Danube Frontier (68-74) [1/5]

At various periods both groups of Sarmatians, western (Iazyges and Roxolani) and eastern (Alani), in alliance with Germanic tribes, made incursions into Roman territory.

In AD 68 tribes beyond the Danube and Rhine rivers were watching the events of the Roman civil wars with great interest. In winter 68/9, nine thousand heavily armoured Roxolani horsemen crossed the Danube for a raid into Moesia, but during the spring thaw the mud-bound invaders were defeated by the more agile infantry of Legio III Gallica. In 69 ²³Julius Sabinus, a chieftain of the Lingones, started a revolt in Belgica, but he was easily defeated by the Sequani who remained faithful to Rome. In the autumn the Dacians, believing that Moesia was vulnerable, crossed the Danube, but ²⁰Licinius Mucianus was close at hand en route for Italy and promptly dealt with them. In 70 the new Moesian governor, ⁰⁴Fonteius Agrippa, fell in battle with Sarmatian tribes, but his successor, Rubrius Gallus, managed to check them.

Far more serious was the revolt by the tribes in the area of the Rhine. In 69 Vitellius might have been able to continue fighting if he had been able to draw on troops remaining in Germania, except that in autumn the Romanized Batavian chieftain ²⁴Julius Civilis declared for Vespasian and attacked the Vitellian garrisons on the lower Rhine.

In 70 with Vespasian now victorious, Civilis, encouraged by the Bructerian prophetess Veleda’s prediction of success, expanded the revolt with the aim of weakening and removing Roman rule from Gaul. With the help of unconquered Germanic tribes and eight cohorts of Batavians from the Roman army, Civilis attacked the legionary camp at Vetera (Xanten) in Lower Germania

Hordeonius Flaccus (c.55; fl.47-69), commander in Upper Germania, entrusted Dillius Vocula (d.70), legate of XXII Primigenia, with operations against Civilis. Vocula relieved Vetera but had to retreat to defend his camp at Moguntiacum (Mainz). Among his forces however there were some who did not accept Vespasian as emperor and in spring 70 Vocula was murdered at Novaesium (Neuss) by a Roman deserter.

Gallic leaders, especially the two Treveri chieftains, ²²Julius Classicus and ²⁵Julius Tutor, offered their support and the depleted legionary garrisons including Vetera were forced to surrender, the men at Novaesium taking an oath to the imperium Galliarum (Empire of the Gauls). Civilis and his allies now had complete control of Lower Germania, but Mucianus, ruling in Rome before Vespasian’s arrival, organised a force of nine legions under the command of Petillius Cerialis (cos.73, 74) and ⁰²Annius Gallus (cos.108).

At the approach of Cerialis the Gallic army deserted back to the Roman side and Moguntiacum fell back into his hands without resistance. He recovered Augusta Treverorum (Trier), the capital of Classicus, and in a hard-fought battle near this city he destroyed the ’empire of the Gauls’.

After a stiffly fought battle near Vetera, where he met Civilis and the Germanic levy, Cerialis drove the Batavians back to their own territory, an island between the Rhine and Waal rivers. In September the Romans fought their way onto the island and Civilis capitulated. The XIV Germina crossed the North Sea to reduce the Tungri and Nervii of Belgica.

When peace had been re-established Vespasian reorganised the frontier regions. In Lower Germania a strong river frontier was created with four single-legion fortresses, Nijmegen, Xanten, Neuss and Bonn, supplemented by auxiliary troops placed at intervals along the bank. In addition, stronger auxiliary units were placed in forts in the more vulnerable sectors, such as the stretch between Xanten and Bonn.A series of forays by the Suebi into Raetia in 73 and 74 was ended by the intervention of troops from Upper Germania led by Pinarius Clemens. In 74 In 74 Vespasian moved troops to fill the agri decumates, the awkward gap of barbarian territory between the sources of the Rhine and Danube.