When Rome first formed it was a city under Etruscan rule. As years passed, it underwent expansion to the point where it no longer needed or wanted to be a part of the Etruscan empire. And once Rome broke away from the Etruscans, it thrived. Rome continually gained more territory until the time came when it had grown so large that it threatened to consume its motherland, Etruria. The Romans were a people of conquest, and though their former statesmen the Etruscans fought valiantly to save their homeland, the Romans could be absolutely ruthless in their efforts to supplant Etruria. One such effort was led by the dictator Marcus Furius Camillus.
During periods of Roman conflict, such as the invasion of Etruria, dictators were selected to rule Rome by a council of elders. These dictators would have absolute power for the duration of the struggle, but lose all power immediately after its resolution. Camillus was the dictator under whose might Etruria fell. After weakening the Etruscan defense, Camillus captured Veii, an important Etruscan stronghold. Then in a barbaric move calculated to inspire fear throughout all of Etruria, Camillus ordered Veii razed, and its citizens enslaved.
During the destruction of Veii, Camillus allowed his men to plunder the city freely. But afterward he was alleged to take some of the loot from Veii himself. Under law he was not allowed to do this, and so was denounced by Rome. Incensed by the accusation, and fearing that action would be taken against him, Camillus, along with his followers, deserted Rome for the city of Ardea, where they stayed in self imposed exile. His destiny, however, was still entwined with Rome. Gallic invaders entered Italy and soon became a threat to the city. The Gauls successfully defeated the Roman forces 11 miles north of the city, and took Rome.
Though Rome was now largely an occupied city, the general Marcus Manlius still held out on the Capitoline hill, unbeknownst to the Gauls. He knew that his forces did not number enough to get Rome out of the predicament she was now in, so Manlius, in a desperate bid for assistance, sent a messenger to Camillus for help. Camillus agreed to come with his men to Rome’s aid as long as his commission would be formally recognized by Manlius and his troops. Through that act Camillus knew his stained reputation would be cleansed.
As Camillus’ messenger rode to the Capitoline Hill where Manlius awaited his response, so came the Gauls, who had managed to track the rider down the secret path to where Manlius’ troops lay. Manlius’ troops were alarmed by the squawking of geese disturbed by the Gallic charge, and refused their advance. The Gauls, however, would not return home empty handed. They continued to besiege Manlius’ forces on the Capitoline for several months. During this time Camillus was readying his forces to take to Rome. Manlius, however, was finding his situation growing bleaker with each passing day. His forces nearly expelled, Manlius decided that he would pay the invaders to leave with gold taken from the temple of Juno.
It was during this bargaining that Camillus was said to have arrived, and informed the Gauls that, “Rome buys its peace in iron, not gold.” meaning that Rome would fight for peace, and never give of its riches to obtain it. A heavy battle subsequently broke out. The Romans were the victors, and drove the marauding Gauls far north of Rome. Then Camillus was immediately welcomed back into Rome, where he lived and worked for the rest of his life, and was hailed as the city’s second founder.Analysis
While it is true that Camillus did save Rome, he was the most flawed of the Roman heroes. Though Camillus did indeed abandon his grudge against Rome when he was called to her defense, he first ensured that he would receive a thorough reward for his efforts. With this megalomania in mind it is easy to see how Rome could have widely believed him to loot the Veii treasures for his own gain, and perhaps, he did.
But the darkest and most evil stain upon Camillus’ character was the brutal method which he chose to subjugate the Etruscan populace with little cost to his own men. The destruction of an entire city and the deaths and enslavement of its people was an act of unconscionable barbarity. We do not pardon “Chemical Ali” for killing an entire city of Shiite Muslims that were dissidents to the Iraqi government. Nor should history pardon Camillus, no matter how romantic his role might have been. Camillus was a shrewd and calculating man, and if he so wished, he would have found other, less bloody methods of taking Etruria.
So while Camillus did play an important part in perpetuating Rome’s might, he would by no means fit today’s conception of a hero. With Roman attitudes during Camillus’ time in consideration, it can be seen why his story would be appealing, but it is no tale of exemplary courage, or strength, or duty. It is only the story of one man who wanted glory and renown to be his own, and saw through the salvation of Rome a way he might do that. And that is the legacy of Camillus that history should remember.