Arverni in the context of "Vercingetorix"

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⭐ Core Definition: Arverni

The Arverni (Gaulish: *Aruernoi) were a Gallic people dwelling in the modern Auvergne region during the Iron Age and the Roman period. They were one of the most powerful tribes of ancient Gaul, contesting primacy over the region with the neighbouring Aedui.

They are mentioned in 207 BC as treating with Carthaginian commandant Hasdrubal Barca. Headed by their chiefs Luernius and Bituitus, the Arverni were at the head of an extensive empire. After Bituitus was defeated by Domitius Ahenobarbus and Fabius Maximus in 121 BC, the Arvernian empire was reduced to suzerainty over some neighbouring tribes.

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👉 Arverni in the context of Vercingetorix

Vercingetorix (Latin: [wɛrkɪŋˈɡɛtɔriːks]; Ancient Greek: Οὐερκιγγετόριξ [u.erkiŋɡeˈtoriks]; c. 80 – 46 BC) was a Gallic king and chieftain of the Arverni tribe who united the Gauls in a failed revolt against Roman forces during the last phase of Julius Caesar's Gallic Wars. After surrendering to Caesar and spending almost six years in prison, he was executed in Rome.

Vercingetorix was the son of Celtillus the Arvernian, leader of the Gallic tribes. Vercingetorix came to power after his formal designation as chieftain of the Arverni at the oppidum Gergovia in 52 BC. He immediately established an alliance with other Gallic tribes, took command, combined all forces, and led them in the Celts' most significant revolt against Roman power. He won the Battle of Gergovia against Julius Caesar in which several thousand Romans and their allies were killed, and the Roman legions withdrew.

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Arverni in the context of Battle of Alesia

The Battle of Alesia or Siege of Alesia (September 52 BC) was the climactic military engagement of the Gallic Wars, fought around the Gallic oppidum (fortified settlement) of Alesia in modern France, a major centre of the Mandubii tribe. It was fought by the Roman army of Julius Caesar against a confederation of Gallic tribes united under the leadership of Vercingetorix of the Arverni. It was the last major engagement between Gauls and Romans, and is considered one of Caesar's greatest military achievements and a classic example of siege warfare and investment; the Roman army built dual lines of fortifications—an inner wall to keep the besieged Gauls in, and an outer wall to keep the Gallic relief force out. The Battle of Alesia marked the end of Gallic independence in the modern day territory of France and Belgium.

Archeological and historical research confirms that the battle site was most probably atop Mont Auxois, above modern Alise-Sainte-Reine in France.

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Arverni in the context of Battle of Gergovia

The Battle of Gergovia took place in 52 BC in Gaul at Gergovia, the chief oppidum (fortified town) of the Arverni. The battle was fought between a Roman Republican army, led by proconsul Julius Caesar, and Gallic forces led by Vercingetorix, who was also the Arverni chieftain. The Romans attempted to besiege Gergovia, but miscommunication ruined the Roman plan. The Gallic cavalry counterattacked the confused Romans and sent them to flight, winning the battle.

The site is identified with Merdogne, since renamed Gergovie, a village located on a hill within the town of La Roche-Blanche, near Clermont-Ferrand, in south central France. Some walls and earthworks still survive from the pre-Roman Iron Age. The battle is well known in France as an example of a Gallic victory.

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Arverni in the context of Celtillus

Celtillus, sometimes referred to as Celtillus the Arvernian or simply Celtillos, was a leader of the Arverni people in the 1st century BC and the father of Vercingetorix. He is believed to have been executed during his reign, presumably by Gallic chieftains as well as his own nobility, after attempting to establish sovereignty over the entirety of Gaul. After his death, his son rose to prominence during the Gallic Wars, rivaling Julius Caesar.

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Arverni in the context of Gergovia

Gergovia was a Gaulish town in modern Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in the upper part of the basin of the Allier, near present-day Clermont-Ferrand. It was the capital of the Arverni. The city of Gergovia had strong walls and was located on a giant raised plateau surrounded by hills.

It was the chief town (oppidum) of the Arverni and the site of the Battle of Gergovia in 52 BC. The battle was fought between a Roman Republic army, led by proconsul Julius Caesar, and Gallic forces led by Vercingetorix. Caesar marched south with six legions to take the hill town of Gergovia. The Gauls won the battle, which led to increased cavalry support for Vercingetorix's campaign for future battles. This was a significant failure in Gallia for Caesar and the Roman army.

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Arverni in the context of Gergovie

Gergovie (in auvergnat Gergòia; until 1865 Merdogne) is a French village in the commune of La Roche-Blanche in the Puy-de-Dôme département, a few kilometres south of Clermont-Ferrand.

It is situated at the foot of the Gergovie plateau, the official but disputed site of the Battle of Gergovia, where, near the Arverni oppidum of Nemossos (a sacred wood, in Gaulish), the Arverni and other Gallic tribes gathered under Vercingetorix's command to fight the Roman legions of Julius Caesar in 52 BC.

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Arverni in the context of Ariovistus

Ariovistus was a leader of the Suebi and other allied Germanic peoples in the second quarter of the 1st century BC, whose name appears prominently in Julius Caesar's Commentarii de Bello Gallico. Before their conflict with the Romans, Ariovistus and his followers took part in a war in Gaul, assisting the Arverni and Sequani in defeating their rivals, the Aedui. They then settled in large numbers into conquered Gallic territory in the Alsace region. They were defeated however, in the Battle of Vosges and driven back over the Rhine in 58 BC by Julius Caesar.

While known primarily for his conflict with Caesar, Ariovistus is one of the earliest named figures associated with the peoples the Romans later categorized as Germani. Caesar portrays Ariovistus as a violent and threatening invader in Gaul; however, modern scholars recognize that this depiction reflects Roman political motives in as much as it does historical fact. Like other major ancient Germanic figures, Ariovistus remains a pivotal figure for understanding early Greco-Roman conceptions of "barbarian" identity, frontier politics, and the complex dynamics of early Germanic ethnography.

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