01866caf6a
- Updated perspective.md: require source citations in temporal answers - Filed feature request #75 for BCE temporal tag support (tested 7 formats, all rejected) - Built batch script to replace all 'Static historical fact' answers with proper source attribution (ancient text date + modern publication year) - Fixed source date detection bug (modern books about ancient figures) - Answers now cite attesting source and its date per document footnotes
6.7 KiB
Battle of Adrianople
Battle of Adrianople
Overview
The Battle of Adrianople (378 CE) was a catastrophic Roman defeat in which the Visigoths destroyed a Roman army and killed Emperor Valens. It is often cited as a turning point signaling the decline of Roman military power. @t[=0378]
Key Facts
- Date: 9 August 378 CE @t[=0378]
- Location: Adrianople (modern Edirne, Turkey)
- Belligerents: Eastern Roman Empire vs. Visigoths
- Commanders: Emperor Valens (Rome, killed), Fritigern (Visigoths)
- Result: Decisive Visigothic victory 1
The Battle
- Valens attacked without waiting for Western reinforcements under Gratian
- Roman cavalry was routed by a surprise Gothic cavalry charge
- Roman infantry was surrounded and annihilated
- ~20,000 Roman soldiers killed, including Valens himself
Significance
- Demonstrated the vulnerability of Roman legions to heavy cavalry
- Led to the Treaty of 382 CE: Visigoths settled within the empire as foederati @t[=0382]
- Often considered a harbinger of the fall of the Western Roman Empire 2
Review Queue
@q[missing]Line 10: "Date: 9 August 378 CE @t[=0378]" - what is the source?
Well-established historical date from Ammianus Marcellinus, Res Gestae (Book 31), the primary contemporary source for the battle. Also corroborated by later sources including Orosius and Zosimus.
@q[temporal]Line 11: "Location: Adrianople (modern Edirne, Turkey)" - when was this true?
CE event (378 CE), tagged @t[=0378] on the date line. Attested by Ammianus Marcellinus, Res Gestae 31.12 (~390 CE) 1 ; modern confirmation in Burns (1994) 2 .
@q[temporal]Line 12: "Belligerents: Eastern Roman Empire vs. Visigoths" - when was this true?
CE event (378 CE), no additional temporal tag needed beyond the date line. Attested by Ammianus Marcellinus, Res Gestae 31.12 (~390 CE) 1 .
@q[temporal]Line 13: "Commanders: Emperor Valens (Rome, killed), Fritigern (Visigoths)" - when was this true?
CE event (378 CE). Attested by Ammianus Marcellinus, Res Gestae 31.12-13 (~390 CE) 1 .
@q[temporal]Line 14: "Result: Decisive Visigothic victory 1 " - when was this true?
CE event (9 August 378 CE). Attested by Ammianus Marcellinus, Res Gestae 31.13 (~390 CE) 1 ; modern analysis in Burns (1994) 2 .
@q[temporal]Line 17: "Valens attacked without waiting for Western reinforcements under Gratian" - when was this true?
CE event (9 August 378 CE). Attested by Ammianus Marcellinus, Res Gestae 31.12.4-6 (~390 CE) 1 .
@q[temporal]Line 18: "Roman cavalry was routed by a surprise Gothic cavalry charge" - when was this true?
CE event (9 August 378 CE). Attested by Ammianus Marcellinus, Res Gestae 31.13.2 (~390 CE) 1 .
@q[temporal]Line 19: "Roman infantry was surrounded and annihilated" - when was this true?
CE event (9 August 378 CE). Attested by Ammianus Marcellinus, Res Gestae 31.13.6-8 (~390 CE) 1 .
@q[temporal]Line 20: "~20,000 Roman soldiers killed, including Valens himself" - when was this true?
CE event (9 August 378 CE). Casualty figure is a modern estimate; Ammianus (~390 CE) says two-thirds of the army was lost 1 . Burns (1994) 2 provides the ~20,000 figure.
@q[temporal]Line 23: "Demonstrated the vulnerability of Roman legions to heavy cavalry" - when was this true?
Scholarly interpretation, not a dated event. Assessment in Burns (1994) 2 ; also Delbrück, History of the Art of War. Some modern historians debate the cavalry emphasis.
@q[temporal]Line 25: "Often considered a harbinger of the fall of the Western Roman Empire 2 " - when was this true?
Scholarly interpretation. Assessment in Burns (1994) 2 ; also supported by Heather, The Fall of the Roman Empire (2006) and Lenski (2002).
@q[temporal]Line 7: Malformed temporal tag @t[=378] — see docs for valid syntax
Fix to @t[=0378]. The temporal tag system requires 4-digit years.
@q[temporal]Line 10: Malformed temporal tag @t[=378] — see docs for valid syntax
Fix to @t[=0378]. The temporal tag system requires 4-digit years.
@q[temporal]Line 24: Malformed temporal tag @t[=382] — see docs for valid syntax
Fix to @t[=0382]. The temporal tag system requires 4-digit years.
@q[missing]Line 10: "Date: 9 August 378 CE @t[=378]" - what is the source?
Source: Ammianus Marcellinus, Res Gestae 31.12-13 1 . The primary eyewitness account.
@q[missing]Line 11: "Location: Adrianople (modern Edirne, Turkey)" - what is the source?
Source: Ammianus Marcellinus, Res Gestae 31.12 1 . Well-established location.
@q[missing]Line 12: "Belligerents: Eastern Roman Empire vs. Visigoths" - what is the source?
Source: Ammianus Marcellinus, Res Gestae 31.12 1 .
@q[missing]Line 13: "Commanders: Emperor Valens (Rome, killed), Fritigern (Visigoths)" - what is the source?
Source: Ammianus Marcellinus, Res Gestae 31.12-13 1 .
@q[missing]Line 17: "Valens attacked without waiting for Western reinforcements under Gratian" - what is the source?
Source: Ammianus Marcellinus, Res Gestae 31.12.4-6 1 .
@q[missing]Line 18: "Roman cavalry was routed by a surprise Gothic cavalry charge" - what is the source?
Source: Ammianus Marcellinus, Res Gestae 31.13.2 1 .
@q[missing]Line 19: "Roman infantry was surrounded and annihilated" - what is the source?
Source: Ammianus Marcellinus, Res Gestae 31.13.6-8 1 .
@q[missing]Line 20: "~20,000 Roman soldiers killed, including Valens himself" - what is the source?
Source: Ammianus Marcellinus, Res Gestae 31.13.18 1 . Casualty figure is a modern estimate; Ammianus says two-thirds of the army was lost.
@q[missing]Line 23: "Demonstrated the vulnerability of Roman legions to heavy cavalry" - what is the source?
Source: Burns (1994) 2 ; also Delbrück, History of the Art of War. This is a longstanding scholarly interpretation, though some modern historians debate the cavalry emphasis.
@q[missing]Line 24: "Led to the Treaty of 382 CE: Visigoths settled within the empire as *foederat..." - what is the source?
Source: Burns (1994) 2 ; Heather, P. The Fall of the Roman Empire (2006). The treaty of 382 CE is well-attested in Themistius, Orations.
@q[stale]Line 25: "Often considered a harbinger of the fall of the Western Roman Empire 2 " - Burns source from 1994 may be outdated, is this still accurate?
Burns (1994) remains a standard reference. The interpretation of Adrianople as a turning point is longstanding scholarly consensus, also supported by Heather (2006) and Lenski (2002). Still accurate.