[The following takes place immediately following the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, also known as the Varus or Varian Disaster, in 9 AD. Here, three entire Roman legions were lured into the deep forests of Germany and slaughtered in a surprise attack led by Arminius.]
At the battle site, in the immediate wake of his victory, Arminius climbed on to a mound – perhaps the embankment built by the Romans troops. To a tumultuous reception from his warriors, he praised them for their courage, derided the defeated Romans, and spat on the captured Roman eagles and other standards. Heads were chopped from dead Roman officers’ bodies and nailed to tree trunks. Junior centurions were crucified in front of their men. Thin-stripe tribunes and first-rank centurions were dragged away to nearby sacred groves.
[…]
Julius Caesar had written that human sacrifice took place in the sacred groves of some Gallic tribes, with the victims placed inside giant wicker cages in the shape of a man. These cages were suspended over a fiery altar, where the victims were roasted alive. This, it seems, was how the last remaining officers of the 17th, 18th and 19th legions died – a slow, agonizing death, roasted like game on the spit.
Source:
Dando-Collins, Stephen. “Part III: The Battles – The Varus Disaster.” Legions of Rome: The Definitive History of Every Imperial Roman Legion. Thomas Dunne Books, 2012. 250-51. Print.
Original Source(s) Listed:
Tac., A, I, 61.
Caes., GW, VI, 16.
Further Reading:
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