argia.eus
INPRIMATU
Geese that saved Rome
  • Rome, a.C. 406. The city declared war on the town of Veii, about 10 miles away. For many years Veii was enriched mainly by controlling the salt trade, which gradually turned the Romans off.
Nagore Irazustabarrena Uranga @irazustabarrena 2023ko irailaren 05a

The Romans believed that they would easily dominate the adjacent ones, but the conflict lasted the entire decade. In the end, a. C. In 396 the Romans took Veii from the hand of General Marko Furio Kamilo. To celebrate the victory a parade was held along the city streets. Before him was the general on the chariot and behind him were the prey observed in Veiin: slaves, a beautiful statue of Juno, protector of Veii, in another chariot and a set of sacred geese behind him. Marco Furio Camilo ordered the construction of a temple in honor of Juno on the hill of the Capitol. There they would put the statue of the goddess and the geese too.

Six years after Veitian domination, the Republic had to face a new threat; a. C. In the year 390 the Galos, with Breno at the head, were at the gates of Rome ready to take the city. They came in easily and crushed everything they found. But the surviving Romans took refuge in the Capitol and managed to deal with a number of Galos attacks. Then Breno decided to take the fort at night and in silence, going up the wall. The dogs did not bark, the sentinel slept and the Gali were about to enter the Capitol. But then they heard strong cramps, Roman soldiers woke up and forced the Galos to go back. Juno’s sacred geese were the ones who woke the eroomatics and saved the Republic.

The next day, the courts came together and decided to throw away the sentinel that fell asleep and the guard dogs that did not do their work on the rock of Tarpeia. The Galos kept the site, but hunger and disease began to affect them, and finally, in exchange for gold, they decided to leave Rome.

From then on, for a long time, the Romans celebrated that day of liberation, and for that they hanged several dogs to pay for the mistake made by their ancestors. In addition, they decorated and processed the geese of Juno for the citizens to worship them as heroes. If they knew about Antzar Eguna, these lekeitio would think: