How the Romans Conquered the Alps

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Summary

Exploring Emperor Augustus's Alpine campaign, revealing the route, weapons and tactics used by the Romans to successfully annex the unconquered Alps. A team of archaeologists, forensic and ballistics experts reconstruct the campaign. The findings reveal how Roman soldiers coped in the harsh mountain conditions during the conquest

Review

Stephen Kelly

In 15 BC, Emperor Augustus set out to expand the Roman Empire by conquering Germania. To do so, he needed to carve a path through the unconquered Alps and subjugate the Suanetes, its native Celtic tribe. But this charming documentary is less concerned with the history of Augustus’s campaign than the day-to-day reality of his legion’s march through the Alps.

Archaeologists in the Swiss canton of Grisons hire re-enactors to march in 30kg of legionnaire gear to better understand the effort required. This includes the “soldiers” setting up camp, cooking a traditional bacon and onion stew and sleeping in the Roman military fashion – six men to a tent, with their shield as a blanket.

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rolenameNarratorSean GilderWriterFlorian BreierDirectorFlorian Breier

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