October 9, 2026
The Capitol Holdout and Camillus
After the Gauls sacked Rome in 390 BC, the last defenders held the Capitoline Hill until Camillus drove the invaders out and talked Rome out of abandoning the ruined city for Veii.
The Gaulish sack of Rome in 390 BC culminated in the Capitol Holdout. After defeating Roman legions at the Allia River, the Gauls entered undefended Rome, besieging the Capitoline Hill.
When invaders attempted a night climb, sacred geese awakened Marcus Manlius, who repelled the assault. Facing starvation, Romans agreed to pay 1,000 pounds of gold in ransom. Gaulish chieftain Brennus threw his sword onto the scales, declaring "vae victis" (woe to the vanquished).
Marcus Furius Camillus arrived, rejected the terms, and drove the Gauls out, asserting Rome pays with iron, not gold. Rebuilding Rome rather than fleeing to Veii earned Camillus the title of Rome's second founder.
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