Battle of Abritus: On a sweltering summer evening in the year 251 AD, the emperor Trajan Decius offers a sacrifice to Jupiter Optimus Maximus at a wild and overgrown patch of earth in the place the Romans called Missia Inferior. An altar has been erected for the occasion, on a site that would become known to posterity as the Altar of Decius.
Despite the muggy and stifling atmosphere, the three Roman legions with their equivalent number of auxiliary divisions, line up in perfect order. Their weapons sharpened and polished, and scutum shields bearing the divine insignia of their units. There is comfort in ceremony, drill, and parade. Even though the legionaries stand with eyes forward, they have seen the size of their emperor's forces. Tens of thousands of regulars, along with allied tribal confederations.
The Gothic enemy, by contrast, is a dweller of these swamps. The time has come for them to pay for the crime of entering the Roman Imperium, despoiling its cities and farms, taking its citizens as slaves. They have even killed the son of the Emperor, Herennius Etruscus, in a previous battle. Ready to fight, the legions relish the chance to teach these barbarians a lesson and make things right. The Emperor's favored priest brings forth an ox to the slaughter as a sacrifice to the gods.
The procession is made uncomfortable by the heat and the nearby wetlands. The drone of insects fills the air, while the soldiers are bitten and bothered by the flies, mosquitoes and ticks. Opposite the Roman position and near the marsh stands the defiant army of Goths. They goad the legionaries to attack, and the Romans have every intention of meeting their invitation. Knowing that Roman honor is at stake, Decius raises his sparta blade before the ranks, where it would glint if there was any sun in these overcast bogs, and then he slices open the animal's throat.
The spray covers his hands and arms, splashing upward onto his face. The priests and the nearby imperial officers are coated in gore. Decius does not wait for the divination process. Instead, he turns and raises his blood-stained hands to the ranks. They scream and bang their peeler against their shields. The time for ceremony and prayer is at an end.
In 238 AD, the same year that Rome saw no fewer than six emperors, a new group of Germans made their first reliably attested appearance in history. They would come to be known as the Goths. Since the late 2nd century, wars with the Romans had encouraged the peoples of Northern Europe to unite their tribes into ever larger confederations in order to better contend with the empire, whether in the defense of their homelands or raiding Roman territory.
At the same time, volcanic eruptions elsewhere in the world had caused a period of drier and cooler climate in the 3rd century. Agriculture became more difficult, and yields in even the largest imperial Latifundia would have seen significant decreases. These conditions may have caused instability and migrations in northern Europe, as ever more people sought to plunder or extort payments from the Romans after poor harvests.
In the 3rd century, new powerful confederations such as the Franks and the Alemanni were also attested for the first time. Some of the Goths had formed a formidable if loose confederation to the north of the lower Danube. They and the Carpi and other people of the region were exploiting Roman civil wars to plunder Mysia. The Goths sacked Istria in that fateful year 238, and the general Tullius Menophilus moved to stop the attacks.
He agreed to pay an annual subsidy to the Goths in return for the service of Gothic warriors in Roman armies, but he refused to do the same for the Carpi. The Carpi complained that they were superior to the Goths, but to no avail. This episode reflects the growing importance of the Goths in the region. In buying off their Gothic allies, Monophilus had also neutralized the Carpi, or so he thought. However, of more immediate importance were developments in the east.
The Sassanian Persians had also used the instability within the Roman Empire of the late 230s to launch a series of offensives. More aggressive than their Parthian predecessors, the army of the new Eastern Dynasty captured Zingara, Nisibis, Karhai, and various towns in between, perhaps under the command of the crown prince Shapur. the crown prince Shapur. However, the death of the Sasanian dynasty's founder Ardashir in 241 prompted a series of rebellions against the still young regime, and Shapur was forced to campaign against the Khurasmians, Gelans, Dalamites, and Gurganians.
The administration of the new Roman emperor Gordian III III, sought to exploit the Sassanian civil war. The experienced Praetorian prefect, Timosithius, mustered the Roman forces, including Germanic contingents and a unit of Goths, newly bound by their agreement with Rome. In 242, the Roman army marched into upper Mesopotamia, and Shapur, having crushed the rebels, rushed back to his western front. Likely caught on the back foot by the timing of the Roman offensive, he was defeated by Timosithius at Resina, and the Romans retook territory as far as Syngara.
However, in 243, Timosithius died of dysentery, and in 244, Gordion was defeated and mortally wounded in the battle of Myse, dying soon after. Now trapped on Persian soil, the new emperor Philip, whom the Romans called the Arab on account of his eastern background, and who had replaced Timosithius as Praetorian prefect, was compelled to negotiate a humiliating treaty with Shapur to secure the Roman army's escape. Philip paid a massive ransom of 500,000 gold coins, bound himself to pay regular tribute to the Persians, and vowed not to intervene in Armenia. Receiving the generous payment, Shapur began a series of eastern conquests as far as Sogdiana and the Indian subcontinent.
Philip, however, not only had to pay the ransom and tribute to the Sassanians, but also the traditional ascension donative to his own soldiers. Moreover, he had to rebuild Rome's military strength, and further funds were required when the Carpi, unhappy at the special status given to the Goths, invaded Dacia and Misia in 245 and were not defeated until 247.
To remedy all of these issues, Philip raised taxes and issued reforms to increase food production. To further compound his imperial obligations, in April 248 the city of Rome was to celebrate its 1000th anniversary. Preparations for the splendid festivities exacerbated the administration's financial challenges.
Meanwhile, the Goths had not been idle, and while Gordion was fighting in the east, the Gothic nobles Argaïth and Gantharic had been attacking neighboring barbarians. Perhaps overconfident following his victory over the Carpi, Philip now ceased paying subsidies to the Goths. And so, a new stage in the Empire's descent into crisis began to take shape.
Around the same time that Rome celebrated its new millennium, the Gothic king Ostrogotha crossed the Danube and began to ravage Mysia and Thrace. One Gothic column reached as far as the vicinity of Adrianople, via the eastern Hamus Pass.
Another traveled west towards Oescus, and then south as far as the vicinity of Serdica and Pautalia. None of these cities were sacked, but the outskirts were devastated. were sacked, but the outskirts were devastated. Suffering the attacks of the raiders, the Balkan provinces were not inclined to remain loyal to Philip. He was of equestrian rather than senatorial background, and his heavy financial demands had soured his relations with provincial senators.
And so, towards the end of the year, General Picatian usurped in the Balkans, and the Syrian aristocrat Yotapian seized power in the east. In early 249, Philip responded by sending into the Balkans one Gaius Messias Quintus Decius, who was given an extraordinary command over the legions of Pannonia and Mysia.
Decius was a senator of Balkan origin who had held military and administrative positions during the reigns of Elagabalus, Severus Alexander, and Maximinus. Due to his loyalty to Maximinus, Gordian III may have forced him into inactivity, but under Philip he had returned to importance. Upon the approach of Decius' army, Pacatian was slain by his own soldiers.
However, the Gothic war was less successful. Annoyed at the poor performance of his troops, Decius dismissed some of them. These soldiers joined Ostrogotha's army and provided valuable information on Roman tactics and procedures. Many of the soldiers still present feared Philip's punishment for having supported a usurper. And so, in the summer of 249, they proclaimed Decius emperor, perhaps with his encouragement. He then added Traianus to his name, thereby associating his questionable achievements with the Dacian Wars of Trajan. Decius marched on Italy.
In the process, he withdrew significant manpower from the Danubian frontier, leaving the garrisons unable to protect Roman territory from barbarian incursions. Philip mustered an army in the Po Valley to meet the usurper. The two claimants met in battle near Verona. Philip's army was larger, but they were defeated by the battle-hardened Balkan troops. Philip himself perished in the battle, his head cut through above the teeth.
The new emperor Decius could see that the empire was in trouble. In an unprecedented move, he ordered every inhabitant in the empire to perform a sacrifice to the gods for the safety of Rome. The rituals were supervised by officials, who would produce certificates verifying that each sacrifice had taken place. However, Christians were prevented by their theology from engaging in sacrifice, However, Christians were prevented by their theology from engaging in sacrifice, and their refusal led to empire-wide persecution.
Far from securing the empire's safety, Decius made it all the more unstable. In 250, he made his son Herennius Etruscus Caesar or Junior Emperor and sent him to administer the Balkans. But many of the empire's veteran soldiers had fallen in the Battle of Verona and Ostrogotha soon exploited this fact. He sent a powerful warband under his chiefs Argaïth and Guntheric to again raid Mysia.
Meanwhile their allies the Carpi raided into Dacia. The Goths besieged Martianople, with the two sides exchanging arrow and catapult fire. But after a lengthy siege, the inhabitants paid them to withdraw. In the meantime to the north, in what is now northern Transylvania, Ostrogotha led an army against an invasion by the Gepids.
The expansionist Gepid king Fastida had crushed the Burgundians and subdued other tribes there. However, at the town of Galtis, he and Ostrogotha fought a battle until nightfall, after which the Gepids withdrew. For the Goths, the expedition against Martian Opal had been a mere precursor. Later that year, the Goths launched their greatest invasion yet.
This time, Decius personally set out with the Imperial army to deal with the aggressors. Ostrogotha too led his army in person, but he was now joined by another king, the wily Neva, who appears to have been given overall command of the expedition. Because of the fragmentary state of the sources, the reasons for Neva's ascendancy are unrecorded.
Perhaps he had always held seniority, or maybe over the course of several years, he had built a reputation for himself parallel to that of Ostrogotha, maybe gaining fame against the Gepids. It is unknown whether Oshragotha and Neva had combined their tribes for this expedition, or whether a Gothic confederacy had chosen them as the army leaders.
In any case, this was a large-scale Gothic coalition, likely including Gothic veterans from Gordion's Persian war who had been expelled from the Roman army by Decius. There are indications that they were joined by the Carpi, Hasding Vandals, Taifali and Piochini, a coalition that may have originally formed in response to Gepard expansion. Ostrogotha led one column, perhaps again through eastern Mysia, while Neva crossed the Danube near the fort of Oescus.
Neva marched downriver against the fortress of Novai. However, the position was stoutly defended by the governor of Mysia Inferior, Trebonianus Gallus. Rather than persist against Novai, Neva marched south along the Istris river and besieged Nicopolis. Meanwhile, another band of Goths, probably the column of Ostrogotha, began pillaging the outskirts of Philippopolis, the largest city in Thrace. of Philippopolis, the largest city in Thrace.
In a battle outside Nicopolis, Decius won a victory over Neva, forcing him to make an orderly retreat into the relative safety of the Hamus mountains. However, the Gothic king retained control of his still formidable force and they now marched in the direction of Ostrogotha and Philippopolis. The Roman Emperor pursued them and he wrote a letter to Philippopolis, urging its inhabitants not to be tempted into leaving their walls to attack the Goths.
It was perhaps at this moment that Neva reunited with Ostrogotha, thus combining their manpower. Meanwhile, exhausted by the rigorous pursuit, the imperial army rested outside Varroia, Augusta Traiana, in the upper Thracian plain. Neva had been waiting for the Romans to drop their guard, and the concentration in manpower was likely kept hidden from the Emperor. As the unsuspecting Romans rested, the Goths fell upon them.
The slaughter was heavy, and Decius fled with rebuild his army, the Goths could now attack Philippopolis without imperial intervention, which was under the command of Iulius Priscus, the governor of Thrace. The contemporary historian Dexippus describes a harrowing siege. The Goths attacked the city with arrows, siege tortoises, ironclad rams, extendable ladders, and wheeled towers with bridges. The inhabitants, including soldiers and local militia, fought back with rocks, beams, torches, and burning pitch.
At one point, the Goths began building a large ramp with which to approach the top of the walls. The Thracians responded by increasing the height of their fortifications with wooden extensions, and they caused the ramp to partially collapse by setting fire to its supporting woodwork. Supposedly, the Goths then killed the sick and elderly among their prisoners and pack animals and used their bloated corpses as supports for the ramp.
But the inhabitants again undermined this ramp by having their sappers excavate its putrid foundations. Finally, Neva ordered that the siege be lifted. The Thracians celebrated their success, but the victory was false. Neva was still in the area with a rearguard.
The warriors in this force were renowned for their valor and ferocity, and they refrained from lighting fires at night to keep their presence a secret. The Gothic king was acting on an existing plan. He wanted the city's inhabitants to drop their vigilance. His plan worked. The city became so careless that there was even political unrest in the wake of the siege.
Moreover, Neva had received a defector from Philippopolis, who supplied him with information about when and where to direct an attack. The king arranged prizes for the first Goths to scale the walls. Then, late at night, and on the traitoritors' signal, five Goths approached a poorly guarded low section of wall near the city's stadium. The inhabitants were drunkenly asleep after festivities and the Goths scaled the wall by hammering iron pins into the masonry.
Upon killing the inebriated guards, they used torches to signal Neva. At this point, 500 hand-picked elite Gothic warriors assaulted the wall with ladders and seized control of the towers. Hearing the commotion, the Thracians hurried to reclaim the towers. Hearing the commotion, the Thracians hurried to reclaim the towers. The Goths stood their ground, successfully defending against superior numbers in the narrow entrances.
Using this foothold, the Gothic army entered the city. Many of the inhabitants were killed, and numerous captives and plunder were seized. Senators and other high officials were among the prisoners. However, the Goths also made an alliance with Priscus, who perhaps had taken refuge in the town citadel. Priscus usurped the throne, likely as a puppet of the Goths, but he was unable to prevent the ransacking of the city.
The Goths advanced as far as Macedonia, spreading panic as they went. The officer Ptolemaeus the Athenian garrisoned a border between Macedonia and Thessaly, and Greek militias garrisoned the pass at Thermopylae. However, content with their prisoners and booty, the Goths turned back towards the Danube. Decius had by now finished rebuilding his army, having mustered units from around Novai and Oescus.
He had failed to protect Philippopolis, but he would not allow the Goths to leave the Empire with their spoils, encamping near Varroia. Neva and Ostrogotha began their journey along separate routes. Dexipus records that songs had been sung in Neva's honor for the capture of Philippopolis, and that Ostrogotha was jealous of Neva since his own tactics against the city had failed. On noting the approach of Ostrogotha, Decius set out.
He was accompanied by his son Etruscus, now his co-emperor. The events that followed are recorded in fragmentary fashion, but it appears that Decius defeated Ostrogotha, who may have been captured or killed, since he ceases to be attested in the sources. Nevertheless, the battle was hard fought, and the emperor's son Etruscus was slain by an arrow. and the emperor's son Etruscus was slain by an arrow.
Although in grief, Decius was said to have told his soldiers, let no one mourn, the death of one soldier is not a great loss to the state. Neva used a battle between Decius and Ostrogotha to slip past the Romans. However, his army struggled to keep ahead of them, as they were laden with plunder. Eventually, Decius caught up with Neva in the vicinity of Abritus.
The Roman emperor set up camp two miles south of the modern village of Draianovets and led his army across the river Belilom, where the Goths had established their army near a boggy overgrown area, now known as Bujuk Goyal, the Big Marsh. Much of the day passed with little activity, as neither bided his time until survivors from Ostrogotha's army joined him.
The Romans thought they had superior numbers, but unbeknownst to them, by nightfall, neither accumulated more warriors and now equaled the Romans. Both armies had between 25 and 30 thousand men. The Gothic front line banged their weapons against their shields, yelling and challenging the Romans to battle. The Romans obliged. Seeking vengeance for their losses, the legions advanced. But true to form, neither had a plan. The Gothic army consisted of cavalry, heavy and light infantry, as well as archers. Neither divided his forces into three groups.
One group was positioned in sight of the Romans, perhaps on a ridge, and behind this force was a second group. By design, the two formations took position with the swamp to their rear, and beyond this swamp was a third group. By arranging his forces in this way, Niva concealed his numbers and deployment, since the Romans likely could only see the formation standing in front of the swamp. see the formation standing in front of the swamp. As the forces clashed, a fierce battle ensued. The Romans urged one another forward, demanding that honor be restored, and Atruscus' death avenged. The Goths of the first group, facing the weight of the Imperial Roman army lost ground.
As the Romans forced their possession of the ridge, at a given signal the Gothic first group retreated, perhaps taking up positions on the flanks of the second group. The Romans attacked the second Gothic group. Certain they would soon have the enemy on the run, the fighting recommenced. But then, at another signal, the Gothic line fled for the woodlands surrounding the swamp. It was at this point the Romans spotted the third group on the other side of the marshes. They believed this formation to be nothing more than the rearguard of a collapsing army.
Driven by forward momentum, the legionaries advanced against the final line of Goths. The darkness impeded their awareness of the terrain and the enemy. As they proceeded into the swamp, their progress was slowed. Many found themselves knee-deep in water Progress was slowed. Many found themselves knee-deep in water or entangled in greenery. The trap had been set.
As the Roman front ranks began to reach the other side of the marsh, the warriors of the 3rd Gothic group charged into them. The Romans attempted to gain a foothold on dry land, but the Goths fought them tooth and nail, pushing them back into the bog. Meanwhile, the Gothic 1st and 2nd groups reappeared on the flanks, coming out of the thick vegetation. They had not fled the battle, and were now raining arrow and javelin fire on the enemy. The Romans in the rear attempted to wallow out of the mire. However, they too came under attack from the first and second groups.
The panic and the difficult terrain made an efficient retreat impossible. In the thick of it was none other than Decius. Unable to control his terrified horse, the emperor's mount lost its balance and he was thrown into the slimy water. The emperor never regained his footing. In the darkness, the stampede of panicking Romans likely kept him underwater until he drowned. His body was never recovered. The Roman army was now disintegrating, picked off piecemeal by the rampaging Goths.
Archaeology shows that Roman survivors retreated back across the Belli Lom, and that some attempted to rally in the camp. However, likely in shock at the loss of the emperor and with whatever leaders that remained more concerned with escape, the succession, and the transfer of imperial power, the Roman army collapsed. The victorious Niva seized the enemy's camp and took possession of the imperial treasury. The remaining Roman forces proclaimed Gallus emperor, but it was clear that the war was lost. The new emperor allowed the Goths to return home with their plunder, including the treasury and high-ranking prisoners. He also resumed the annual subsidy.
The Gothic warriors eventually returned to their homeland, so enriched by plunder that many ordinary soldiers now became the elite in their society. The Battle of Abritus had far-reaching consequences. The Gothic capture of enormous quantities of gold may have caused the deterioration of the gold coinage under Decius' successors. Also around this time, Shapur was conquering Armenia. Becoming aware of Rome's losses in the west, he launched a new war against them in the following year.
The climax of this conflict with the Persians would be the capture of the Emperor Valerian in the Battle of Edessa in 260. Another historic and devastating battle, which I covered previously. You can see it here. Meanwhile, as the 250s progressed, the peoples beyond the Rhine, Danube, and the Black Sea increased the frequency and scope of their raids. The Goths were among them. The disaster at Abritus had revealed the Empire's weakness, and it would be decades, indeed a lifetime, before there was a return to stability.
