BRENNUS

flourished 4th century BC according to tradition, the leader of the band of Gauls who captured Rome about 390 BC. Most scholars accept his historicity even though he is first mentioned by the Roman historian Livy (59 or 64 BCAD 17) and not by earlier writers of comprehensive histories such as Polybius (2nd century BC). Evidently Brennus invaded Italy and severely defeated the Roman army at the Allia River about 12 miles (19 km) north of Rome. He then appears to have delayed a day or two in the field, giving his enemy time to fortify the Capitoline, one of the hills of Rome. He sacked the city and, after having besieged the Capitoline for seven months, accepted the offer of the defenders to ransom themselves and departed safely with his booty. The details provided by Livy are less credible. They include Brennus' utterance of the famous phrase Vae victis (Woe to the vanquished) after the Gauls were caught cheating in measuring the ransom money. died 279 BC Gallic chieftain who led an unsuccessful invasion of Greece in the autumn of 279. He advanced through Macedonia to Greece shortly after another group of Gauls had overrun Macedonia and killed its king. At the narrow pass of Thermopylae, on the east coast of central Greece, Brennus suffered heavy losses while trying to break through the Greek defense. Eventually he found a way around the passin much the same manner as the Persian invaders had done in 480 BCbut the Greeks escaped by sea. Brennus pushed on to Delphi, where he was wounded in battle; in the subsequent retreat northward few Gauls escaped. Brennus avoided capture by committing suicide.