The Roman Emperor Marcus Aureliusonce said , “ be like the cliffs against which the waves break and split up . ” Here are the stories of eight nations who stand like cliffs against the might of Rome and broke the dreams of Saturnia pavonia .
Sudan
Amanirenas , the one - eyed warrior queen of the Kush , should be much more famous than she is . During Augustus ’s reign ( 27 BCE–14 CE ) , Aelius Gallus , prefect of Egypt , levied a taxonomic category the kingdom of Kush , which lie in Nubia in forward-looking - day Sudan . Egypt at the meter was part of the imperium , but the Kush feel they were decidedlynot . enrage by the tax , Amanirenas take a foray on Roman territory , come along past the First Cataract of the Nile and returning home with prisoners , loot , and the head of Augustus ( in statue flesh ) . Amanirenas bury the stone point of the emperor beneath her castle steps so that all comers might step upon the Saturnia pavonia ’s shame and joke .
Her maraud launched eld of back - and - forth fighting between the papistic legion and the Kush . At times the host gain victories , level Nubian townspeople to the basis , but Amanirenas fought back with fury and purpose . She fought alongside her soldiers on the theatre , strike fear into the heart of the legion and lose sight in one heart due to abattlefield injury . By 21 BCE , the Egyptian governor gave in to Aminarenas . Her embassador secured their people ’s reign from Augustus with the Treaty of Samos , which was report as being essentially a Roman surrender . The treaty would last hundred , and Roman troops would never again set human foot in conquest south of the country of Egypt .
Yemen
The Romans thought quite highly of Yemen . Of the three “ Arabias ” they named , they bestowed upon Yemen the cheeriest name : Arabia Felix , which translates to “ Happy Arabia . ” They admired the region for its riches and climate . Of naturally , that wonderment soon grew into ambition . Aelius Gallus , the governor who would go on to provoke the Kush to war , was enjoin to march upon Arabia Felix by Emperor Augustus in 26 BCE . He was guided by a Nabataean name Syllaeus , who was in turn guided byconflicting motive . Nabataea , his own body politic , was a client DoS of Rome , so Syllaeus require to establish some fealty to the empire ; however , it went against Nabataea ’s economical interests to let the Romans trench upon their valuable trading path through Yemen .
Syllaeus therefore determine to toy a rather crafty biz . Hedidlead Aelius Gallus through the Arabian peninsula — through the most exhausted , abandoned , and barren routes . Aelius Gallus ’s scout group would arrive in Yemen almost dead on their understructure , famish , diseased , and horribly weakened by thirst . In this condition , they had no prospect of interest Arabia Felix and were forced to retreat back to Egypt as quickly as they peradventure could . Arabia Felix stay happily unconquered ( by the Romans , at least ) .
Scotland
Caledonia , as it was known then , was a frustrating place to be a popish commander . Rome attempt three times to capture it — and gave up each time . Contrary to popular belief , the Romans did make it past Hadrian ’s paries : They really get by to make it as far as the Antonine Wall for a few short old age .
The Antonine Wall , unlike Hadrian ’s Wall , waswell within the areawe today know as Scotland . This fortification , which Antoninus Pius ordered the construction of in 140 CE , marked the northern border of the Roman Empire , but it did n’t actually do much to keep the empire safe . The Caledonians mirthfully ignored the wall and continuedraiding acrossit throughout its occupation . in the end , 20 years after build it , the Romans got prey up and retreated back down to Hadrian ’s paries , leaving Scotland wild and free once more .
Ireland
The Roman name for Ireland was Hibernia , or the “ land of unceasing wintertime . ” It ’s not on the dot an appealing descriptor . On top of that , the Roman geographer Strabowrotethat the Irish were “ more savage than the Britons , being cannibals as well as gourmandizer . what is more , they consider it honourable to use up their dead don and to openly have sexual intercourse , not only with unrelated charwoman , but with their mothers and sister as well . ” Taking all that into account , it does n’t seem as though the Romans had any cracking desire to occupy Ireland , unless they take for patricide via cannibalism to be an attractive trait .
We do know that one powerful general — Agricola , who governed Britannia from 77–84 CE — considered intrude on Ireland . His boy - in - law and biographer Tacitustells usthat Agricola hoard info on Ireland from an Irish prince he had befriended . This information led Agricola to believe Ireland could be conquered with just one host . It come out Agricola never plunge this invasion , however . Some historian conceive the satirist Juvenal ’s authorship suggests Agricola landed in Ireland , but the nature of that textual matter leave-taking itopen to interpretation . Whether or not he actually meet Ireland , the archeological track record designate intelligibly that neither Agricola , nor any subsequent Roman , eversuccessfully conqueredthe Emerald Isle .
Iran
Rome ’s war with Parthia — which ruled the region cross today ’s Iran and Iraq — began before the birth of the Roman Empire and lasted past the fall of Parthia itself . historiographer identifyfour major“cycles ” of state of war between the two . While there were periods of peace treaty and finesse between these cycles , anti - Parthian sentiment remained a dogma of Roman political life at all times . Parthia humiliated Rome repeatedly , trouncing itat the Battle of Carrhae , pouringmolten golddown the throat of the commandant Crassus , and just mostly mocking and disparage the Romans at every confluence .
It was considered a true triumph for the age when Emperor Trajan finally conquered the Parthian upper-case letter metropolis of Ctesiphon in 116 CE . But like most of Trajan ’s conquests , his occupation of Ctesiphon did not last . Revolt broke out the very same class , and his replacement , Emperor Hadrian , desolate ship . Rome ’s retreat from Ctesiphon did not for good put an end to the conflict between Rome and Parthia — but it did cross out the high water decimal point of Rome ’s easterly ambitions . Little over a century later , Parthia would pass , defeated not by Rome , but by the Persian rebel Ardashir . Ardashir would become the first Shahanshah of the Sasanian Empire . His Sasanian descendants continue Parthian custom in one key style : by continuing the retentive , fruitless 100 of warfare with Rome .
Armenia
Rome could never get any of its “ subjection ” of Armenia to stick . Trajan , for example , get into an occupation in Armenia for three years , only for his successor Hadrian to get out Romeright back out . It was n’t that the chore of conquering this small mountainous nation was outside the military capableness of the legion . But politically , Armenia was caught up in the endless towboat - of - war between Rome and its competitor , Parthia . This meant that Rome was more systematically able to control Armenia not through military means , which might ( and did ) provoke the Parthians , but instead through heavy - handed influence and statesmanship .
meter and sentence again , Rome sought to ascertain the Armenian monarch would be either a lineal or a de facto vassal of the imperium . Under theTreaty of Rhandeia , for example , Rome agreed that a Parthian prince would sit down upon the Armenian throne , but only if the Roman Emperor was the one who nominated him . These kinds of heap lead to periods of stability in Armenia during the time of the Roman Empire , but eventually , state of war between Parthia and Rome would break out again , and Armenia would be swept up in the tumult .
Poland
During Romanic times , a people whom archeologist make love as the Przeworsk dwell what is now Poland . The Romans themselves spoke of a tribal federation name the Lugii ; today , historians identify the Lugii with thePrzeworsk acculturation . The Romans do not seem to have tried to subject the Lugii . The Emperor Domitian supposedly sent 100 equestrian to support the Lugii in their fighting against the Suebi in 92 CE . It seems that , rather than render and tame another fierce hardening of Germanic peoples , the Romans find it preferred to just bribe the Lugii to keep the peace . However , some historiographer consider the Lugii eventually became ( or perhaps always had been)the vandal , who would go on to get together in on thesack the city of Romeas the Empire fall .
Germany
Rome somewhat notoriously fail to suppress Germany . You might even reason that eventually , Germany rather conquered Rome , seeing as it was Germanic tribe who sacked the Eternal City in 410 CE . encounter with the Germanic kinship group had plagued Rome for C , interpose with trade and evenkilling an emperoror two . Rome was foreclose from its dreaming of spread out into and conquering Germanic territory after its crushing loss at the Battle of Teutoburg Forest , described succinctlyas “ one of the most devastating frustration ever suffered by the Roman Army . ” At Teutoburg Forest in the yr 9 CE , the Germanic leader Arminius root three entire host over the course ofjust four days . The air force officer of the legions wasforced to dieby self-destruction . triumph do n’t get too much more critical than that . The Roman commander Germanicus would seek revengeyears laterfor the blood of the fallen legions , but , shaken and defeated , Rome would never ensure the lands where their soldier ’ corpses set .
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