How geese saved Rome, or Zoology in history

Chronicle records of ancient Roman historians in many respects form the basis of our knowledge of that distant period when the great Roman Empire grew and flourished . And it is believed that the Roman legends (no less than the Greek) 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 their own negligence. And the chroniclers, like all other people, relied largely on the stories of eyewitnesses, and not on proven facts. A vivid example is the legend of how geese saved Rome.

They have been talking about this wonderful salvation from the very time that it was in 390 BC. Because of the sensitivity of the goose tribe, the belligerent Gauls could not stealthily capture the Capitol, where the besieged defenders of the Eternal City were locked.

As the great Roman historian Titus Livius later wrote, the Gauls found a secret path through which they ascended to the top of the Capitol and were able to climb the walls of the fortified Kremlin. Exhausted by hunger and fatigue, the soldiers, the Romans, 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, back to the fortress wall stood the temple of the goddess Juno, in which her sacred birds-geese lived. Despite the famine that raged among the besieged, the temple geese remained inviolable. They felt misfortune. They shouted and flapped their wings. The warriors who had been awakened by the noise of the guards and rescued soldiers who had come to her rescue helped to repel the attack. Since then, they say that the geese of Rome saved.

Since then, more than 1000 years have passed. But how the geese saved Rome, its inhabitants remember. In honor of this event in Rome to this day, a holiday is organized, during which the whole nation honors the savior-goose and kills the dog, guilty only of its belonging to the canine family. In all the languages of the world came the winged phrase about how geese rescued Rome. They say so, when they want to say about a happy accident, saved from a huge disaster.

But this historical fact raises serious doubts among zoologists. After all, no matter how exhausted the dog, no matter how hard she slept, her hearing and flair work. The trained guard dog (namely such kept in the service of the Romans) could not miss the approach of the enemy. The dog had to smell and hear the galls stalking in the dark at a distance of about 80 m. Even assuming the maximum values, the four-legged watchman had to raise the alarm when the enemy approached a distance of 20-25 m. If in doubt, try to quietly approach the unfamiliar sleeping dog. And see for yourself.

And now - about the abilities of geese. As watchmen, geese were never used. And this is not surprising. Because the main "watchdog" body in them, like other birds, is acute sight. No geese can hear or feel the approach of an outsider 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, capable of waking hard-sleeping soldiers, but only a dissatisfied quiet cackle. If only the threat does not approach directly.

So how did the geese save Rome? After all, it turns out that this legend openly contradicts the laws of zoology. But this history has done so much noise in its time, that it is difficult to admit a lie from the respected Roman chronicler. We can only guess how events developed in reality. Maybe the geese did not wake up from approaching the enemies, but from the fact that the hungry guards decided to sneak secretly from everyone to eat a sacred bird. Well, the gods wanted this sin to become a salvation for the city. Another option: the dogs in the city at that time already simply did not remain. After all, they were not considered sacred animals, and the inhabitants were starving so much that the skin was already covered with leather sandals and shields. And, finally, the third version. Perhaps, the most far-fetched. Nevertheless, it is possible to assume that Titus Livius and, after him, all mankind allegorically called "dogs" bribed traitors-guards, and "geese" - one of the Gallic warriors (Celts) who warned the consul of Mark Manlius about the attack and treachery . After all, it was from them that the goose was a sacred bird from time immemorial. But the Romans were not allowed to openly acknowledge this fact neither pride nor tactical considerations.

As it was in reality, we will never know. But behind the geese, the glory of the savior of the great Rome, the eternal city on seven hills, was permanently entrenched.