Battle of the Allia
The Battle of the Allia was a battle of the first Gallic invasion of Italy. It took place on July 18 390 BC, between 40,000 Romans under Quintus Sulpicius, and the Gauls, who were about equal in number, under Brennus. The Romans, with two legions, took post on the Allia to check the advance of the Gauls on Rome. Here they were attacked by Brennus, who routed the right wing, where the younger soldiers were posted, then broke the Roman centre and left, putting them to flight with enormous losses, and going on to sack Rome itself. In Rome the citizens barricaded themselves on the Capitoline Hill, and according to legend Marcus Manlius Capitolinus was alerted to the Gaulish attack by the sacred geese of Juno. The rest of the city was plundered and almost all of the Roman records were destroyed. As a result, all Roman history prior to this date is perhaps more legend than fact. Marcus Furius Camillus may have arrived with a relief army, or the Celts may have left when they were finished plundering (when the Romans complained, Brennus is said to have exclaimed "vae victis" - "woe to the vanquished"). Rome was soon rebuilt with much stronger walls.
Allia (modern Fosso Bettina) is a small tributary of the river Tiber, joining it on the left (east) bank, about eleven miles north of Rome.
This article incorporates text from the public domain 1911 Encyclopędia Britannica.