Two thousand years ago, three Roman legions were slaughtered virtually to the last man in the Teutoburg Forest near the modern-day German city of Osnabruck. Led by Arminius, a Roman citizen, the Cherusci and Chauci Germanic tribes lured the Roman Proconsul Quinctilius Varus into an ambush resulting in the loss of 30,000 men. Arminius became a hero of myth, more in death than life, particularly in the 1800s as Germans looked to their past for legends to complement growing nationalism.
Rome Expands Beyond the Rhine River
During the reign of Augustus, Rome began an earnest expansion beyond the Rhine. Roman ruins as far north as the present day city of Cologne attest to the efforts. Reaching the Elbe River, Roman frontier trading posts were established as working relationships with local clans and tribes became imperial policy.
The Germanic peoples were not pastoral. The deep and dark forests of Germany, so much a part of superstition and mystery, allowed for hunting even as they provided a focus for religious practices. Sacred groves and trees characterized the worship practices of these peoples.
Within the clans and tribes, leadership was based on acclamation and loyalty. Fighting between the clans, indeed even within some clans, was often brutal. Out of this system, two brothers, from a noble family, were sent to Rome. Arminius, who would attempt to unite the clans against Rome once he returned home, and Flavus, who adopted Rome and would later fight his brother.
Quintilius Varus as Proconsul of Germanica
Varus arrived to command the 17th, 18th, and 19th legions after serving as Governor of Syria. Underestimating the possible threat posed by restless tribes, he deployed troops haphazardly as small garrisons, particularly after receiving calls for assistance from clans friendly to Rome.
This suited Arminius perfectly. Arminius attempted to unite the often disparate tribes into a mighty force but was not successful. There was no tradition for such centralized leadership and animosities between different clans produced mistrust. Others felt that Rome was simply too powerful.
Reacting to reports of rebellion and ignoring warnings of an ambush given by leaders of friendly clans, Varus marched his legions into the thick woods, forced to chop a road through the dense trees. At Teutoburg Forest, in boggy terrain, Arminius and his army of Cherusci and Chauci fell upon the Romans. Three days and nights of fighting obliterated the legions.
It is unclear whether Varus died in the battle or committed suicide. Nonetheless, Arminius cut off his head and sent it to another German chieftain who then sent it to Rome. Surviving officers were butchered in a sacred grove as a sacrifice for victory.
Roman Response to Teutoburg
The magnitude of the defeat reverberated in Rome, forcing Augustus to send new legions to the area to protect against any possible invasion. The Roman historian Suetonius recounts that for months after the event, Augustus beat his head on a door and shouted, “Quinctilius Varus, give me back my legions!” Suetonius also writes that the emperor kept his beard and hair untrimmed and mourned the event for years. (23)
Roman retribution was swift in coming as Germanicus led legions across the Rhine attempting to capture Arminius and destroy the rebellious tribes. Pacification, however, was unsuccessful and Rome eventually retired behind the Rhine. Arminius was later killed by members of his own family in AD 19.
In Germany today, the battle is commemorated by an exhibition in Detmold, not far from the actual battle site. Heidrun Derks, museum director of another exhibition at Kalkriese, told the Atlantic Times in a recent interview that, “The defeat of the Romans at Teutoburg Forest is just one…event in a whole chain of developments that led to the duality of the Roman Empire and Germania…”
Sources:
- Klaus Grimberg, “Crushed in the Mire,” The Atlantic Times, Vol. 6, No. 5, Sec. C, May 2009
- Philip Matyszak, The Enemies of Rome from Hannibal to Attila the Hun (Thames & Hudson, 2004)
- Suetonius, The Twelve Caesars (Penguin Books, 1984)
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