Was Varus really to blame for the disaster of Teutoburg Forest?
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In this documentary we take a look at the Battle of Teutoburg Forest and ask whether or not Varus was the "fool" he is made out to be by most accounts. For our analysis we begin by reviewing our Roman sources on the Battle of Teutoburg as recounted by Paterculus, Tacitus, Florus, and Dio. Once we have baselined our understanding we then see how their narratives stack up against the common accusation that Varus was squarely to blame for the disaster? Here are the major charges:
He “foolishly” caused the unrest in Germania
He “foolishly” trusted Arminius
He “foolishly” failed to undercover the ambush
He “foolishly” failed to repel the ambush

We dive into each section with arguments for and against the claims. We look at things like the career of Varus, the doctrine of the Roman Military, and technical aspects of the Roman Army marching column. Its a fascinating discussion that reveals how ancient history and military history is never as clear cut as is initially presented. (Note: many of the images we used are from the excellent Netflix Barbarians series). Stay tuned for more roman history documentary episodes.

#Rome
#History
#Teutoburg