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Sentinum (295 BCE)

Unless otherwise indicated, pictures on this page © Marco Prins and Jona Lendering. Photos can be downloaded and used for non-commercial purposes, but you have to acknowledge Livius.
The plain of Sentinum. Photo Jona Lendering. The plain of Sentinum. On this site, in 295 BCE, the Romans were able to overcome a formidable coalition of Samnites, Etruscans, and their Gallic allies. The decisive Roman charge was commanded by consul Publius Decius Mus, who dedicated himself to the gods. When the enemies killed him, the angry gods punished them, and the inevitable result was a Roman victory. From now on, it was no longer in doubt that Rome would one day unify Italy. (A satellite photo can be found here.)
Ancient-Warfare.com, the online home of Ancient Warfare magazine
This photo has nothing to do with the battlefield: it is shows a detail from a mosaic that was excavated in a villa near Sassoferrato (the modern name of Sentinum). Today, the mosaic is in the Glyptothek in Munich. The man standing in the great loop is Aion, "eternity"; the loop is decorated with the twelve signs of the Zodiac. The woman is Fertility, together with her four children: Spring (left), Summer (with a crown made of cereals), Autumn, and winter (dressed).
© Jona Lendering for
Livius.Org, 2004
Revision: 23 June 2006
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