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The Gallic disaster, which happened in Rome in the early fourth century BC, is a historical event that was perhaps extracted from a part of its military and political context by a late memory reappropriation. Ancient literary accounts omit some of the tactical and strategic origins of the disaster of the Allia, and explain it by using fables assigning this episode to civic mythology. But the stories of Diodorus and Livy likely reveal a part of the military context of the event. Indeed, the conflict between the Romans and the Volsci and Aequi escalates during this period and increases the Roman difficulties in a region that was probably not as well-controlled as the texts suggest. This pressure may have perturbed the Roman military and political organization enough to provide a further explanation for the Romans’ ill-preparedness in the face of the Gallic expedition.