How many years do geese live in Rome? How geese saved Rome, or zoology in history. Reflection in art
In the V-III centuries BC, the Gauls, Celtic tribes, brought a lot of trouble to the peoples of Europe. Those peoples who lived on the Apennine Peninsula and Asia Minor suffered especially greatly - the Gauls constantly launched raids, destroying the population and ruining cities. Largely thanks to the aggressiveness of the Gauls and their constant destructive campaigns, they were able to settle over a vast territory. In the south, the Gaulish people had access to the Mediterranean Sea, and their northern territories extended to the Scottish Highlands. It has firmly settled throughout Western Europe and an impressive part of Eastern Europe. The Romans themselves considered Gauls only those tribes that lived on the territory of modern France and were in a state of constant hostility with them.
The first time the Romans and Gauls came into contact with each other was in 391 BC, when the Senone tribe, led by Brennus, crossed the Alps and attacked the Etruscans, ravaging their cities. After conquering the Etruscans, Brennus went south, intending to capture Rome and raze the city to the ground. Forty thousand men of Rome, commanded by the military tribune Quintus Sulpicius, came out to meet his army. The Romans wanted to move against the Gauls, fighting them on the distant approaches to the city.
Brennus is the leader of the Celtic Senone tribe. (iknigi.net)
Sulpicius's army encountered the Gauls at the point where the Allia River meets the Tiber near Rome on July 18, 390 BC. The Roman army of forty thousand was defeated by the Senones and shamefully fled from the battlefield; a significant part of the Romans threw themselves into the water in panic and drowned in heavy armor. Since then, July 18 was considered a bad day among the Romans.
Birth of a legend
A few days later, Brennus and his soldiers burst into Rome and began a bloody massacre. The Gauls broke into houses, raped women and killed children. The Gauls brutally dealt with almost all the senators of Rome. The surviving residents were able to hide on Capitol Hill in the fortress, which they continued to hold. The siege of the Capitol lasted for six months; the defenders were able to repel every assault attempt by the Gauls. The Romans were constantly malnourished, sleep deprived and under constant stress, which affected the physical and moral qualities in their ranks. One night an incident occurred that marked the beginning of a whole legend.
Deep at night, the Gauls, making sure that the defenders of the fortification were asleep, crawled out from under the cliff, which was located under the Capitol. The warriors below supported the assaulters, handing them swords and spears. Brennus believed that thanks to the effect of surprise he would be able to kill the remaining defenders of Rome, exhausted by the siege. Almost silently, the Gauls placed ladders against the walls of the fortress and gradually began to climb. No one heard the approach of the enemies, with the exception of the sacred geese who were at the temple of the goddess Juno, the patroness of motherhood and marriage. They began to cackle, which woke up the sleeping guards. This signaled the approaching alarm. The Romans awoke from sleep and were able to repel the enemy attack. Since that very night we have known the saying: “The geese saved Rome.” As a rule, the Romans used this expression when a certain random event helped them avoid serious troubles and save their lives.
Illustration of the legend of the Roman geese. (bolshoyvopros.ru)
Realizing that the Gauls would not be able to take Rome in the near future, Brenn agreed with the Romans to lift the siege in exchange for a significant indemnity. Rome withstood the onslaught of the Gauls, and the bitter, unpleasant lessons of this war contributed to the rapid strengthening of the city.
Were there geese?
Some ancient Roman historians wrote that the Romans managed to preserve the gold and save the city from destruction. According to one version, the dictator Marcus Furius Camillus was able to quickly gather an army and attack the warriors of Brennus, expelling them from Rome. The ancient Roman historian Titus Livy in “History from the Founding of the City” said that Lucius Valerius, who led the Roman cavalry, helped Camilla drive out the Gauls. The story of the sacred geese is also mentioned.
In the story “How the Geese Saved Rome,” Leo Tolstoy adheres to the version set forth by Titus Livy and mentions the role of the sacred geese in the salvation of Rome. Tolstoy also talks about a holiday in honor of the savior geese, where geese are honored and dogs that slept through the attack of the Gauls are beaten to death with sticks.
Reflection in art
In addition to Tolstoy, Ivan Andreevich Krylov mentions the geese that saved Rome from destruction in his fable “Geese”, Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin in the novel “Poshekhon Antiquity” (Chapter 10, conversation between Nikanor and Sashenka). And yet, unlike Tolstoy, who retells the story of Titus Livy, taking all its details seriously, they introduce this story into their works to ridicule certain vices of society inherent in people of their generation.
In 1875, in a book for children's reading, L. N. Tolstoy included a story written based on the work of the Roman historian Titus Livius, “How Geese Saved Rome.” In it he gave a historical example of how in 390 BC. e. the birds helped defeat the Gauls. In fact, Rome was not saved by geese - this is just a legend, but by the brave commander Marcus Furius Camillus who defeated the Gauls, who for the expulsion of the Gauls received the title of “the second founder of Rome.” But there were geese too...
Tradition of deep antiquity
The Allian tribes, which in those distant times inhabited the north of Italy, moved towards Rome. Under the leadership of King Brennus, the Senones invaded northern Italy, then camped near the city of Clusium, friendly to the Roman Republic. Frightened residents turned to the Romans for help. Roman ambassadors tried to resolve the conflict. But Brennus replied that the Romans themselves follow in their policy “the most ancient of laws, which gives to the strong the property of the weak and to which everyone obeys, from God to the wild beast” .
ZOO BUSINESS No. 7/2014
- Tradition of deep antiquity
- Objective reality…
- An ancient myth dispelled?
Then the Romans provoked a quarrel, in which one of the Gallic leaders died at the hands of the Roman ambassador. A clash became inevitable - Gallic and Roman troops fought near the Allia River. And July 21, 387 BC. e. Brennus inflicted a crushing defeat on the Romans, which jeopardized the very existence of Rome: the city at that time was deprived of significant fortifications and was practically defenseless. The Gauls burned and practically destroyed the Eternal City. In the middle of Rome, only the Capitol remained, where the Roman senators sat and decided the fate of the Empire. There were many pagan sanctuaries here, the memory of which remained in world history. Including the Temple of Juno, where money was minted. The insidious invaders intended to plunder it, because they knew what countless treasures were stored in this temple. The Capitol rose on a hill: on one side there were walls and gates, on the other there was a steep cliff. At night, detachments of Gauls climbed the Capitol Hill. There was silence all around: the tired defenders of the fortress and the sentries were sleeping. The guard dogs didn’t smell anything either. But suddenly a loud cackling sound was heard. This was the cry of the sacred geese at the temple of the goddess Juno, who heard the clanking of weapons. Cackling and flapping their wings, the birds made such a noise that they woke up the consul Marcus Manlius - he was the first to rush into the fray, knocked down a Gaul who appeared on the hill, and he rolled down, dragging others with him. Because of the screams of horror, other warriors also woke up. The enemies started to run. This feat made Manlius a national hero, and he rightfully began to be called Capitoline. He had many awards and was very revered among the plebs...
Since then, the Romans have treated geese with great respect and established a holiday in honor of this day. The priests walk dressed up around the city; one of them is carrying a goose, and behind him a dog is being dragged on a rope. And the people come up to the goose and bow to it and the priest: they give gifts for the geese, and they beat the dog with sticks until it dies.” And in honor of these birds a monument was erected in Rome...
However, the battle for Rome did not end with the escape of the Gauls from the Capitoline Hill. The Roman commander Marcus Furius Camillus and his army were still on the way, and in Rome negotiations had already begun between the defenders and the attackers. The reason for everything was the hunger that tormented both sides. And then the warring parties agreed that the Romans would pay off with gold and the Gauls would leave. But the Gauls brought false weights. When the townspeople began to be indignant, the leader of the Gauls, Brennus, to prove that he was right, threw a sword on the scales: "Woe to the vanquished!" - he exclaimed. It was at this moment that Camillus appeared with his army. “Rome must be defended with iron, not gold” , he said, and the final battle began, in which the enemy troops were completely defeated. For the expulsion of the Gauls, Marcus Furius Camillus received the title “Second Founder of Rome.”
If you climb the Capitoline Hill today along the steep steps of the Araceli staircase, you will find yourself in one of the most ancient and truly Roman churches - the Basilica of Santa Maria in Araceli. It is located on the site where the Temple of Juno stood in ancient Roman times. Here, in addition to the statue of the Infant Christ “Santo Bambino”, you will see those very “famous Roman geese” that were discussed in our article.
Objective reality…
We all know this amazing story from childhood. And at school, during history lessons, they told us about it, and we read Leo Tolstoy (Collected works in 22 volumes, volume 10 - author's note). But an interesting question arises: why were both the guards and the watchdogs so disgraced? Let's say the guards fell asleep. What about dogs? The picture emerges like this...
As you know, a dog’s canine hearing is unlike a human’s. Well, perhaps it is second only to the wolf: the lower limit is set precisely - from 24 m, the upper - in the process of research. Some hunters claim that in windless, calm weather their hunting dog hears game up to 150 m - apparently, depending on the breed. At the same time, it must be taken into account that far from the most deaf dogs were left in the Capitol as watchdogs...
Many of us know from our own experience that a guard chain dog begins to worry when someone approaches the protected area (the fence of the site) within 20 meters. This is provided that the smell of the “alien” is familiar to it and it does not see it enemy. You just need to give a signal to the owners - for formality. When the “guest” walks along the fence, 10 meters before the booth, such a concert begins that it can be heard at the other end of the village through the roar of the tractor, even if this Buyan or Serko was sleeping soundly in the booth.
What about geese? Here is what the irrefutable authority of the animal world Leonid Pavlovich Sabaneev says about this: “Of course, migrating geese, having been in trouble once or twice, will no longer be allowed in either in a cart or on a horse (that is, on a horse), nevertheless, despite the fact that they rarely spend more than a week on the lakes, they are killed incomparably more than native geese. The latter, in an open place, will rarely allow a hunter with a gun to come within 150 steps.” . Well, we've heard a lot about goose's excellent vision. Bird hunters confirm that wild geese have it - about two human “units”, that is, twice as sharp, and in color and with a 360-degree view. Therefore, it is very difficult to hide them, and they only land on a sure shot when you are disguised. The ability to hunt geese professionally comes, as a rule, after 10 years of hunting them. Plus, we must take into account that in the flocks of geese resting in the fields or swamps there are always experienced “on duty”, a kind of VNOS service - aerial surveillance, warning and communications. These birds are also not deprived of hearing - they have more than excellent hearing. They hear each other on the reflective surface of the water and communicate at a distance of up to 3 km! But these are wild geese. What about the home ones? And they are also not inferior to their wild counterparts: some sources report that “their hearing is better than that of dogs, they react to the slightest rustle and cackle to warn the owner about the arrival of “guests.” Well, that's all, it seems. No questions. But...
While relaxing in the village, I did not notice that domestic geese were worried further than 10 meters from me, even walking towards me along the street. Five meters away they begin to cackle displeasedly, flapping their wings, showing dissatisfaction, and stomp away - just in case. What if they are in a barn (well, we don’t have a temple of Juno with geese in Ukraine)? A riddle... However, an explanation was found for this question in the form of observations of biologist Igor Prokhorov, in his youth a great lover of extreme sports and experiments. “When I was serving in the army, one night I went AWOL to the village, and that’s where I came across the phenomenon of geese. I walked through the backyard past a barn, and there were geese sitting there. And when I crossed some invisible line, they began to quietly make noise. I immediately stopped and stood motionless, I even stopped breathing. I thought they would calm down and I would move on. Nothing like this! They were laughing (not loudly, really) the entire time I was standing there. This interested me and I began to research this phenomenon. This is what happened. The volume of their cackling is directly proportional to the degree of approach to them, starting from a certain boundary distance. According to my estimates, this border runs at a distance of 6-7 meters. If you make any sounds at a greater distance, they do not react. But when you cross this border, they immediately raise an uproar. I didn’t get too close to the barn, because I was afraid that they would go so broke that they would raise the whole village to its feet. And I was AWOL!”... That is, domestic geese have their own safety zone, commensurate with the characteristics of each flock, but within a limit of at least 5 meters.
Beautiful legend or historical truth?
Chinese authorities urge citizens to breed more... geese. Geese patrols are especially effective in rural areas. “Geese are famous among all birds for their guarding abilities, and they are also very smart and brave, so they attack any stranger who enters the yard or house,” says Zhang Quansheng, chief of the Showan county police. Typically, families keep one or two dogs, which can be easily tranquilized or killed with poisoned bait. This trick will not work with geese, because, firstly, there are much more of them, and secondly, they see poorly in the dark and simply may not notice deadly gifts. The policeman cited a case where geese helped detain a criminal who tried to steal a motorcycle directly from the rural police department. He euthanized two police dogs, and had already climbed over the wall when he met a dozen geese in the yard. At the sight of the stranger, the birds made such a noise that they woke up the duty officer. The thief was caught at the crime scene.
Now let's move on to the Romans. Geese in Rome lived in the Temple of Juno and were sacred animals to the ancient Greek goddess of marriage, birth and motherhood. They have never been used as watchmen because of the identified pattern: they begin to cackle only when a stranger approaches them at a distance of less than 3-4 m. And the watchman must react to a much greater distance. This temple, where the geese lived, stood close to the city wall. And when the Gauls had already climbed over the walls, they were too close to the geese. So they started laughing. If the Gauls had climbed over the walls at least 15 meters from the temple, the geese would have remained silent. But even if this was the case, everyone had to wake up early, take a weapon, approach the wall... But the Gauls must already be on the wall for the geese to react to them. No, the consul Marcus Manlius, whose feat was so vividly depicted by Titus Livius, does not make it to the wall. So it's a dead end?
An ancient myth dispelled?
Not at all, because everything ingenious is simple! If you believe the primary sources, Mark’s bonus from the grateful defenders of the fortress was not gold, of which there were hundreds of kilograms in the Capitol, but an additional ration of bread and wine. The besieged Romans had been starving for a long time; leather sandals and shields made of tanned oxhide had already been used as food. Only the geese were not touched, fearing the wrath of Juno. So they went wild when one of the warriors decided to snack on a goose while their brothers in arms were fast asleep. But they slept together. The movement and long absence of a comrade could raise questions. Who automatically had a perfect alibi? The guards, because she “stood on the walls”!
Then the following picture unfolds. The hungry guard, led by the chief, sets off to catch and fry the goose. The geese, sensing reprisals against their carcasses, scream so loudly that they wake up Marcus Manlius. He catches the chief of the guard at the crime scene with a goose in his hands, like Ostap Bender - Panikovsky. Shouts: “Throw the bird!” and rushes to the unguarded wall, to the most dangerous place - the secret path to the top. And - oh happiness! - makes it in time: the Romans, who jumped up from this commotion, successfully repulse the attack of the Gauls, which coincided with the goose showdown at the wrong time.
The Romans are exemplary warriors, from whom they took their example at all times - and suddenly such a passage! What will Titus Livius write next? And the chief of the guard committed sacrilege by encroaching on the temple goose, and Juno’s sacrifice is simply necessary. And so the chief of the guard was thrown into the abyss - which was recorded by historians. Thus, honor was saved, the criminal was punished, and the goddess was pleased...
Yes, historians are an interesting people after all. Livy is an authority for them, but it seems like they didn’t really respect biology from school to double-check all sorts of trifles with dogs and goose hearing.
But if you think that the research is over, you are mistaken! There are many, many other versions. And you, dear readers, probably do too?
Lilia VISHNEVSKAYA
In 390 BC, the wild Gauls attacked the Romans. The Romans could not cope with them, and some fled completely out of the city, and others locked themselves in the Kremlin. This Kremlin was called the Capitol. There were only senators left in the city. The Gauls entered the city, killed all the senators and burned Rome.In the middle of Rome there was only the Kremlin - the Capitol, where the Gauls could not reach. The Gauls wanted to plunder the Capitol because they knew that there was a lot of wealth there. But the Capitol stood on a steep mountain: on one side there were walls and gates, and on the other there was a steep cliff. At night, the Gauls stealthily climbed from under the cliff onto the Capitol: they supported each other from below and passed spears and swords to each other.
So they slowly climbed up the cliff, not a single dog heard them.
They had already climbed over the wall, when suddenly the geese sensed the people, cackled and flapped their wings. One Roman woke up, rushed to the wall and knocked one Gaul under the cliff. Gall fell and knocked others down after him. Then the Romans came running and began throwing logs and stones under the cliff and killed many Gauls. Then help came to Rome, and the Gauls were driven out.
Since then, the Romans started a holiday in memory of this day. The priests walk dressed up around the city; one of them is carrying a goose, and behind him a dog is being dragged on a rope. And the people come up to the goose and bow to it and the priest: they give gifts for the geese, and they beat the dog with sticks until it dies.
I recently visited VRome- once the capital of the Roman Empire. Having looked at the Colosseum and other attractions, I visited on Capitol Hill, where I came across an unusual monument to geese. I confess that before this I had only heard the story about the rescue of Rome by geese only in passing. Now I wanted to find out more.
How geese saved Roman soldiers
This story, oddly enough, does not have exact confirmation, but is based on real events. IN V century BC uh. it was in full swing confrontationtribes of Gauls and Romans. The Roman Empire had not yet been founded. From the series of comedy films about Asterix and Obelix, I knew that the Gauls had a hard time resisting Rome, and they resorted to all sorts of tricks. In the film it was a miracle potion, in reality it was often carried out ambushes and hidden raids.
At that time there were cults in Rome, one of which was cult of Juno- goddesses of marriage and birth. Her animals were considered geese and peacocks. It was geese that were kept as part of the cult on Capitol Hill. At that time, the Gauls managed to capture Rome as a result of a surprise raid, and the remnants of the Roman army took refuge from the Gauls on Capitol Hill. The situation of the Romans was terrible, they were starving and were waiting for support. Legend says that under the cover of darkness the Gauls tried to take him by surprisetired sleepy Romans, but those the geese woke me up who began to cackle loudly. The Roman soldiers woke up and were able to repel the barbarians. Thus, the geese saved the remnants of the Roman army.
Capitol Hill
Rome is founded on seven hills, one of them is Capitol. Having visited it, I saw not only the monument to geese, but also a number of beautiful historical places:
The annalistic records of ancient Roman historians largely form the basis of our knowledge about that distant period when the great one grew and flourished. And it is generally accepted that Roman legends (as well as Greek ones) do not lie. But is it worth blindly trusting such sources? After all, at all times there have been cases when people tried to cover up their own negligence with absurd stories. And the chroniclers, like all other people, relied heavily on eyewitness accounts rather than verified facts. A striking example of this is the legend of how geese saved Rome.
They have been talking about this miraculous salvation since 390 BC. Because of the sensitivity of the goose tribe, the warlike Gauls were unable to secretly capture the Capitol, where the besieged defenders of the Eternal City were locked.
As the great Roman historian Titus Livy later wrote, the Gauls found a secret path along which they climbed to the top of the Capitol and were able to climb the walls of the fortified Kremlin. Exhausted by hunger and fatigue, the Roman warriors slept soundly. We didn’t even hear the enemies creeping up in the darkness.
But the Romans were lucky. Very close to the place where the attackers approached, right next to the fortress wall, there was a temple in which its sacred birds, geese, lived. Despite the famine that raged among the besieged, the temple geese remained untouchable. They sensed trouble. They screamed and flapped their wings. The guards, awakened by the noise, and the resting warriors who came to her aid managed to repel the attack. Since then they say that the geese saved Rome.
More than 1000 years have passed since then. But its inhabitants remember how geese saved Rome. In honor of this event, a holiday is organized in Rome to this day, during which all the people honor the savior goose and kill the dog, guilty only of its belonging to the canine family. The catchphrase about how geese saved Rome has entered all the languages of the world. They say this when they want to talk about a happy accident that saved them from a huge disaster.
But zoologists have serious doubts about this historical fact. After all, no matter how exhausted the dog is, no matter how soundly she sleeps, her hearing and sense of smell are working. A trained guard dog (namely, these were kept in the service of the Romans) could not miss the approach of the enemy. The dog should have smelled and heard the Gauls sneaking in the dark at a distance of about 80 m. Even if we assume maximum values, the four-legged guard should have raised the alarm when the enemy approached a distance of 20-25 m. If in doubt, try to discreetly approach an unfamiliar sleeping dog. And see for yourself.
And now - about the abilities of geese. Geese have never been used as guards. And this is not surprising. Because their main “guard” organ, like other birds, is acute vision. Geese cannot hear or sense the approach of a stranger at a considerable distance. Only at a distance of 3-4 m, geese, even being behind a solid wall, somehow sense the approach of a person and show signs of alarm. But this is not noisy behavior that can wake up soundly sleeping soldiers, but only dissatisfied quiet cackling. Unless the threat is directly approaching.
So how did geese save Rome? After all, it turns out that this legend openly contradicts the laws of zoology. But this story caused so much noise in its time that it is difficult to admit a lie on the part of the respected Roman chronicler. We can only guess how events unfolded in reality. Perhaps the geese woke up not from the approach of enemies, but from the fact that the hungry guards decided to secretly feast on the sacred bird from everyone. Well, the gods wanted this sin to become salvation for the city. Another option: at that time there were simply no dogs left in the city. After all, they were not counted, and the inhabitants were so hungry that the leather of sandals and shields was already used for food. And finally, version three. Perhaps the most far-fetched. However, it is possible to assume that Titus Livy and after him all of humanity allegorically called the bribed traitor guards “dogs”, and “geese” - one of the Gaulish (Celtic) warriors who warned the consul Marcus Manlius about the attack and betrayal . After all, it was for them that the goose was a sacred bird from time immemorial. But neither pride nor tactical considerations allowed the Romans to openly admit this fact.
We will never know how everything really happened. But the geese forever retained the glory of being the great saviors on the seven hills.
