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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;IdesOfMarch01, post: 2468223, member: 39084&quot;]Prior to showing my Julius Caesar coins (which most of you have seen dozens of times), a short, and for me insightful, anecdote relating to Caesar&#039;s success as a military commander.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Bridge Across the Rhine</b></p><p><br /></p><p>In 55 BC, Julius Caesar decided to confront some marauding Germanic tribes in the eastern border of Gaul.&nbsp; These tribes felt safe on the eastern side of the Rhine, thinking the river provided cover from any retaliatory attacks after their raids across the river into the province.&nbsp; Caesar wanted to teach them a lesson as well as show support for a local tribe supported by the Romans.</p><p><br /></p><p>Upon reaching the Rhine, his engineers proceeded to build a quasi-permanent (i.e., non-pontoon) bridge across the river in just 10 days.&nbsp; The bridge, located most likely between Andernach and Neuwied, has been estimated to be between 450 and 1300 feet long, with a width between 23 and 30 feet.&nbsp; The depth of the Rhine reaches 30 feet in some places, and 40,000 Roman soldiers crossed the bridge to engage the rogue tribes.&nbsp; However, the tribes had moved eastward and had combined in preparation for battle with the Romans, so Caesar decided simply to leave the region and deconstruct the bridge behind him.</p><p><br /></p><p>This engineering feat, especially in pre-first-century conditions, is simply staggering to contemplate.&nbsp; Yet Caesar simply took for granted such abilities in his military planning, and this level of reliability in his engineers might have been one of the foundations of his success as a military leader and emperor.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]518573[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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