A Lesson from Ancient Rome

A LESSON FROM AN ANONYMOUS ROMAN LEGIONNAIRE

If you are like the rest of us, human, then I am sure that you have tried things and not succeeded to the level that you had dreamed. If you are like me, then you have, at times, made an effort and totally failed. I’ve had my share of successes but not every plan I made succeeded and I am sure that there will be things in the future that I plan and cannot bring to fruition.

But failure is never what we plan for; it’s what sometimes happens to those who put themselves out there and take a chance. Success is what happens to those people who try, try, try again, regardless of how many times they fail.

History is full of people who have failed and eventually succeeded. But, none are so dramatic as the story of the Roman Empire in the Second Punic War. Long before Hannibal Lector or Hannibal Smith, there was a famous general from Carthage named Hannibal Barca who very nearly ended the history of Rome before the Julius Caesar was ever born.

In three significant battles, Hannibal’s army defeated the Romans. At the Battle of Trebia, the Carthaginians ambushed and slaughtered a Roman force of over 20,000 men. Rome again sent an army into the field to face the Carthaginians. At the Battle of Lake Trasimene, Hannibal and his army destroyed this second army.

After these two major defeats, the Roman Senate raised an army of unprecedented size to take on Hannibal – eight Roman legions and the auxiliaries to support them were marshaled to attack the Carthaginians near Cannae. Using a series of brilliant tactics, Hannibal’s army destroyed all but a small remnant of this huge Roman force. Somewhere between 50,000 and 70,000 Romans were killed or captured.

But, even after these losses, the Romans did not sue for peace. Instead, the Romans completely changed their strategy and took the war to Carthage. Rome endured and did what was necessary to overcome whatever obstacles it faced and find victory. In the final battle of the war, Zama, the Romans defeated Hannibal and forced Carthage to surrender.

Years later, it became a Roman adage that “Rome must always remember Trebia; Rome must always remember Trasimene; Rome must always remember Cannae; but our enemies should never forget Zama.” The message here was clear – while we may get knocked down again and again, we will always rise up and overcome whatever stands in our way. We will endure and we will succeed.

In homage to this spirit and as a reminder to all of us that failure is not the end of all things, Words2LiveBy has created a t-shirt with this adage on it. While it has been attributed to several different Roman senators, we chose to cite an anonymous legionnaire as the author. If there is any glory in war, it is not in the experience of the government who sends out an army, it is in the experience of the soldier who fights and bleeds and, perhaps, even dies in the service of his country.

So, if you have faced a challenge, failed, and then overcome your failure to achieve ultimate success, this t-shirt is for you. It also makes a great gift for anyone who is facing their own struggles or who is a fan of any aspect of the history of the Roman Empire.

If you wish to purchase one of these shirts or any of several more that relate to the Roman Empire, go to Words2LiveBy.

Stephen "Blackbead" Sanders

blackbead_tc@yahoo.com

The Legend of Thermopylae

I AM ONE OF 300

History provides artists with countless inspirational moments, characters, and tales. No other historical subject has ever been such a fertile field for artistic endeavor as the long list of military conflicts and military leaders. One such example of this phenomenon is the famous last stand of Leonidas and his 300 Spartan knights at Thermopylae.


From movies to novels to graphic novels, Thermopylae has given inspiration to over a dozen literary and film projects that I can think of without even doing research. Poets, novelists, screen writers, even songwriters have been inspired by the tale of Leonidas and his “personal guard.”

If you are unfamiliar with the story, here is a very short retelling of the tale: the Persians were marching west to conquer Greece (or, possibly, Western Europe.) The various Greek city states needed to respond but, for a number of reasons, their response was dependent on the actions of Sparta. Sparta was involved in a religious festival which required that its armies not take the field. Leonidas, understanding the dire nature of the moment, chose three hundred of his Spartan knights (only those who had sons and, presumably, those he had faith in and who he knew would die for him) and marched to Thermopylae to slow the Persians down. Supported by their helots and Greeks from other cities, the Spartans had tremendous success. Unfortunately for them, a local Greek, for whatever reason (and this has been a subject of debate and a source of color for the story), lead a force of Persians through a circuitous route behind the Spartan line. Surrounded, the Spartans fought to the last man. Their sacrifice roused the Greeks to unite and, finally, to defeat the Persians.

The courage it took to occupy the pass and defend their homes, families and way of life against such an enemy has gone down through time as an example of nobility, selfless service to country, and just plain guts. To commemorate this feat of arms, we’ve designed a t-shirt for you. Red, like the Spartan battle cloak, and featuring a period depiction of a Spartan warrior dispatching a Persian foe, the t-shirt reads “I AM ONE OF 300.”

Leonidas chose 300 of his warriors to accompany him on his final journey. He picked Spartans that he knew he could trust, that he knew trusted him, and that he had complete confidence in their abilities. Each of us are one of someone else’s “300” and we all have those we trust and who we would fight and die for. Wear this shirt proudly; give it as a gift to those who are one of your “300”; and never forget the sacrifice of Leonidas and his companions and their effect on the world we live in today.