Chronicle records of ancient Roman historians largely form the basis of our knowledge about that distant period when the great Roman Empire grew and flourished. And it is generally accepted that Roman legends (as well as Greek ones) do not lie. But is it worth blindly trusting such sources? Indeed, at all times there have been cases when ridiculous stories sought to cover up their own negligence. And the chroniclers, like all other people, relied heavily on eyewitness accounts, and not on verified facts. A vivid example of this is the legend of how geese saved Rome.
This miraculous salvation has been talked about ever since 390 BC. due to the sensitivity of the goose tribe, the warlike Gauls could not secretly capture the Capitol, where the besieged defenders of the Eternal City were locked up.
As the great Roman historian Titus Livy later wrote, the Gauls found a secret path along which they climbed to the top of the Capitol and were able to climb the walls of the fortified Kremlin. Exhausted by hunger and fatigue, the Roman soldiers slept soundly. Even the guard dogs did not hear the enemies crept up in the dark.
But the Romans were lucky. Very close to the place where the attackers approached, right next to the fortress wall stood a templethe goddess Juno, in which her sacred birds - geese lived. Despite the famine that raged among the besieged, the temple geese remained untouchable. They sensed trouble. They screamed and flapped their wings. The guards, awakened by the noise, and the resting soldiers who came to her aid, managed to repulse the attack. Since then, they say that the geese saved Rome.
More than 1000 years have passed since then. But how the geese saved Rome, its inhabitants remember. In honor of this event, a holiday is held in Rome to this day, during which all the people honor the goose savior and kill the dog, guilty only of its belonging to the dog family. A catchphrase about how geese saved Rome has entered into all languages of the world. They say this when they want to talk about a happy accident that saved them from a huge disaster.
But zoologists have serious doubts about this historical fact. After all, no matter how exhausted the dog is, no matter how soundly she sleeps, her hearing and instinct work. A trained guard dog (namely, such were kept in the service of the Romans) could not miss the approach of the enemy. The dog should have sensed and heard the Gauls sneaking in the dark at a distance of about 80 m. Even if the maximum values are allowed, the four-legged watchman should have raised the alarm when the enemy approached at a distance of 20-25 m. If in doubt, try to quietly approach an unfamiliar sleeping dog. And see for yourself.
And now about the abilities of geese. Geese have never been used as watchmen. And this is not surprising. Because the main "watchdog" organ inthey, like other birds, have sharp eyesight. Geese cannot hear or smell the approach of a stranger at a considerable distance. Only at a distance of 3-4 m, geese, even being behind a solid wall, somehow feel the approach of a person and show signs of anxiety. But this is not noisy behavior that can wake up soundly sleeping soldiers, but only displeased quiet chuckles. Unless the threat is directly approaching.
So how did the geese save Rome? After all, it turns out that this legend frankly contradicts the laws of zoology. But this story made so much noise in its time that it is difficult to admit a lie on the part of a respected Roman chronicler. We can only guess how events unfolded in reality. Perhaps the geese woke up not from the approach of enemies, but from the fact that the hungry guards decided to secretly feast on the sacred bird from everyone. Well, the gods wanted this sin to become a salvation for the city. Another option: there were simply no dogs left in the city at that time. After all, they were not considered sacred animals, and the inhabitants were so hungry that the skin of sandals and shields was already used as food. And finally, version three. Perhaps the most contrived. Nevertheless, it is possible to assume that Titus Livius and after him all of humanity allegorically called “dogs” the bribed traitor guards, and “geese” - one of the Gauls (Celts) warriors who warned the consul Marcus Manlius about the attack and betrayal. After all, it was with them that the goose from time immemorial was a sacred bird. But neither pride nor tactical considerations allowed the Romans to openly admit this fact.
How it really happened, we will never know. But the glory of the saviors of the great Rome, the eternal city on seven hills, was forever attached to the geese.
