In 464 BC, according to Dionysius (9 62-65), the consular army of Spurius Furius encamped near the Aequians, but realising he was outnumbered, sent some cavalry as messengers to Rome asking for reinforcements. While the Roman camp was under attack, Spurius Furius launched a counter attack from the camp and routed the Aequians. During the pursuit of the Aequians 2 Roman cohorts not exceeding 1,000 men, were counter attacked by “about” 5,000 Aequians, resulting in the whole Roman force of “about” 1,000 men being eliminated. When the cavalry sent by Spurius Furius arrived at Rome at midnight, the senate ordered Titius Quintius to lead a force of “about” 5,000 reinforcements to assist the consul Spurius Furius, while the other consul Aulus Postumius was to levy the rest of the troops, which would require more time. Notice how the figure of “about” 5,000 Aequians and “about” 5,000 Roman reinforcements is the same. The next day, in late afternoon, when Titius Quintius arrived with the 5,000 reinforcements, the Aequians quickly withdrew.

In Livy’s (3 5 9-14) account of 464 BC, when the Roman senate learnt of the plight of the consul Spurius Furius, they sent Titus Quintius with a contingent of allied troops to help the consul Spurius Furius. When the Roman senate was informed of an Aequian raiding force sent to devastate the Roman territory, the Roman senate sent the other consul Aulus Postumius against the Aequians raiding force while Lucius Valerius was left to defend Rome. Livy mentions the veterans (seniors), manned the walls, and bodies of troops were stationed before the gates. The allied troops under the command of Titus Quintius, and the army of Spurius Furius were able to defeat the Aequian army, while Aulus Postumius defeated the Aequians that were raiding the Roman territory. Livy has the men of Titus Quintius consist of Hernicans, Latins, and men from the colony of Antium.

The fact that Aulus Postumius received the message asking for reinforcements at midnight and that Titus Quintius left Rome with the reinforcements at daybreak; would rule out the possibility the Romans having enough time to levy allies, especially when the colony at Antium was some 52 kilometres south of Rome. Therefore, Livy’s reference to allied contingents has to be rejected and substituted for Roman reinforcement that had been taken from the legion stationed in front of the Colline gate, that acted as an emergency or reserve legion that was under the command of Lucius Valerius, and the infantry of the seniores that manned the walls of Rome. Livy further adds that the historian Valerius Antias’ claimed that the consul Titus Quintius’ men killed 4,230 Aequians while the other consul, Aulus Postumius killed 2,400 Aequians.

All the above figures have fought me for years, but alas, 2 months ago I finally defeated them, and is shows the lengths of deception that Valerius Antias has employed to create such numbers. The figures of “about” 5,000 Aequians and “about” 5,000 Roman reinforcements amount to 5,190 men. This has been arrived at by Valerius Antias adding the figure of “about” 1,000 Romans being eliminated, which has been rounded from 960 Roman infantry, to the 4,230 Aequians killed (4,230 + 960 = 5,190). The 4,230 Aequians killed are actually the Roman reinforcements. They consist of the most experienced infantry being taken from the reserve legion stationed in front of the Colline Gate and the lowest age bracket of seniores, the Romans considered still fit for active combat. These men have already been levied and were immediately available for mobilisation. In the following year, Livy does mention the reserve legion (juniors) stationed at Rome amounted to 4 cohorts each of 600 men.

In conclusion, Valerius Antias’ has added the 960 Roman killed to the 4,230 reinforcements so as to create 5,190 reinforcements, and in doing so, has disguised the 4,230 Aequians killed were actually the Roman reinforcements.

The figure of 2,400 Aequians killed by the consul Aulus Postumius has been arrived at by taking the number of men left at Rome, which is 2,790 men, and then deducting them from the figure of 5,190 men, (5,190 minus 2,790 = 2,400).

The trouble these numbers gave me for years was I took the figure of “about” 5,000 reinforcements quite literally, and all the methods I have become accustomed to on how the ancient historians employed to arrive at their numbers did not work. What eventually worked was taking the number of juniors in the reserve legion, by infantry and cavalry, and the number of seniores, and then applying to them some standard Pythagorean mathematical procedures, and with that, the year 464 BC was no longer problematic, because 464 BC was the last bastion of resistance in “A Critical Analysts of the Roman Army; Volume I: Rome’s Infancy.”

The next four months should also see the finishing of the remaining 4 volumes, with Volume 5 covering Rome’s Old Age.

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