The Roman Army: A Social and Institutional History - Karatunov.net

G r e at S o l d i e r s a n d B at t l e s 275
success was more or less negated by another defeat, because Pompey attacked
Sertorius at what he considered to be an opportune moment, without waiting
for Metellus to join him with more troops. He was saved the next day when the
Sertorians wi t h d rew as Metellus march ed up. The war de s cen ded into one of
s m a ll-scale attacks and a constant search for su pp l i e s , while the oppo s i n g
armies chased each other. In the winter Pompey remained close to Sertorius’s
camp in the mountains, and Metellus took his troops to Gaul, since dividing the
forces reduced the problem of feeding them. Pompey wrote an impassioned letter
to the Senate, pointing out that he had used up all his own money in supplying
his army, and if he did not receive help soon he might have to withdraw. The
consuls for 74 bc were Lucius Licinius Lucullus and Marcus Aurelius Cotta, and
another war was about to start in the east against Mithradates, whose predatory
de s i gns on Roman terri tory had begun on ce aga i n . Lu c u llus had been appointed
to the command and realized that disaster in Spain would threaten the
success of his own enterprise, so Pompey got his supplies. The trouble was that
the Mediterranean pirates had now allied with Sertorius, and so deliveries to the
Spanish ports became that much more difficult.
The war was dra gging on because thro u gh o ut 74 and 73 bc Pom pey and
Metellus did not risk pitch ed battles, con cen tra ting inste ad on sec u ring port s ,
c i ti e s , and towns and wre s ting them from Sertoriu s’s con tro l . War we a riness on
both sides began to tell on the troop s . Sertorius had been figh ting spec i f i c a lly
a gainst the govern m ent of Su ll a , who was now de ad and whose draconian po l itics
had largely been overtu rn ed . Si n ce his troops and the Spanish allies were exh
a u s ted , tre ach ery soon ra i s ed its head in Sertoriu s’s army. Perperna arra n ged to
h ave his leader assassinated and took over the army, wh i chhe unwi s ely com m i tted
to a pitch ed battle against Pom pey, who set a trap that Perperna walked
s tra i ght into. O n ly two Spanish cities sti ll held out and came to an ign om i n i o u s
en d , be s i eged until they starved . Pac i f i c a ti onof Spain could begi n , t h o u gh it
would take a long ti m e ; Roman gen erals could sti ll cut their teeth and win or
lose rep ut a ti ons against the Spanish tri be s , as Caesar did in his first indepen den t
m i l i t a ry command as govern or of Fu rt h erSpain (Hispania Ul teri or) in 61 bc.
On his way home, Pompey set up a monument in the Pyrenees, proclaiming
that he had conquered 876 cities between the Alps and the borders of Further
Spain. Then he hastened back to Italy because the slave army of Spartacus was
wreaking havoc and was unexpectedly defeating Roman generals. By the time
Pom pey re ach ed It a ly, Ma rcus Licinius Cra s sus had defe a ted Spart ac u s , but
Pompey met up with about 5,000 of the survivors and routed them, thus robbing
Crassus of the complete victory. Pompey said that Crassus had won battles,
but he himself had ended the slave war, cutting it out by the roots.
Al t h o u gh Cra s sus and Pom pey pers i s ted in their riva l ry thro u gh o ut thei r
lives, they had to work closely with each other for the following year, since they
were both el ected con suls for 70 bc. At the end of Decem ber 71, s ti ll on ly an