225 BC
Javelins against the Gaesatae
Polybius describes the Gallic army as the Romans saw it: countless horns and trumpets, the war cries of the whole host, and the Gaesatae standing naked in the front ranks, wearing gold torques and armlets. The Insubres and the Boii wear trousers and light cloaks.
A Gallic carnyx, the war trumpet with an animal head, found at the sanctuary of Tintignac in FranceWikimedia Commons, Claude Valette, CC BY-SA 3.0 (CarnyxDeTintignac2.jpg)
The velites of both Roman armies advance against the Gallic infantry from each side and throw volley after volley of javelins. The Gaesatae’s narrow shields give them little cover. Some of them rush at the skirmishers and are cut down, and the rest fall back into the mass of the army and throw their allies into disorder.
Sources
- Polybius, Histories, book 2, 28 to 30.
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