42.7
The
principal incidents in the provinces this year were the following: C. Cicereius
fought a regular engagement in Corsica; 7000 of the enemy were killed and
over 1700 made prisoners. During the battle the praetor vowed a temple to
Juno Moneta. After this the Corsicans begged for peace, which was granted
to them on condition of their paying a tribute of 200,000 pounds of wax.
After the subjugation of Corsica, Cicereius sailed across to Sardinia. There
was a battle also in Liguria at the town of Carystum in the Statellate country.
A large force of Ligurians had concentrated there. After the consul M.
Popilius reached the place they at first kept within their walls, but when they
saw the Romans preparing to attack, they formed their line of battle in front
of their gates. This had been the consul's object in threatening an attack and
he lost no time, therefore, in commencing the action. They fought for more
than three hours without any certain prospect of victory on either side. When
the consul found that in no part of the field were the Ligurians giving way,
he ordered the cavalry to mount and deliver as fierce a charge as possible on
the front and flanks of the enemy's line. A good many broke through the
enemy's centre and got behind the fighting line. This created a panic amongst
the Ligurians; they broke and fled in all directions, very few reached the
town, the cavalry mostly intercepting them. The obstinacy of the fighting
proved costly to the Ligurians; 10,000 men are said to have been killed and
more than 700 prisoners taken; 82 standards were carried off the field. The
victory was not a bloodless one for the Romans: they lost more than 3000
men; the loss fell mainly on the front ranks owing to both sides refusing to
give ground.