Caesar Vs. Gaul: Were The Gallic Wars Ancient Rome's Bloodiest Campaign? | Line of Fire | Odyssey

In the middle of the 1st century BC. C., after years of violent resistance, the Celtic tribes of Gaul were savagely crushed under the power of the Roman army. It was a blood-soaked victory on a grand scale. In a legendary fight that lasted over 9 years, the Romans killed 1 million Goals and banished a million more into slavery, but the man leading Gul's

campaign

had something to prove as he wanted a military

campaign

that would ensure his place at the top of political life in an Empire at the peak of its powers: the capture of Go catapulted into the history books forever that man was Julius Caesar because in the 1st century BC.

C. Rome dominated the Mediterranean world with provinces from Spain in the west to Syria in the east; However, although the Roman city-state had become an

ancient

world superpower, it was still a The real power of the republic rested with the aristocracy in the unelected Senate, but Roman magistrates were elected. The highest-ranking elected magistrates were the consuls, two of whom were elected to serve as heads of state for one year in 60 BC. The Consols of Rome Caesar's family, the Julius, were an

ancient

noble house and he had distinguished himself in the Arenas as was expected of a Roman aristocrat.

The Lord of politics and war. Despite these credentials, Caesar was regarded by his conservative aristocratic peers as an ambitious populist. His natural extravagance was generous. His generosity, even his notoriety as a seducer of married aristocratic women, all added to his dangerous popular appeal, Caesar was a very interesting figure in Rome. On the one hand, he himself is a traditional Roman aristocrat from one of the oldest and most venerable families in Rome, on the other hand. He was associated, his family was associated with some of the most radical elements of Roman politics. Caesar himself also had to make a career as a rather poor man and that meant that he could not afford to follow the normal path through the levels. of the Roman magistracies and the traditional way of advancement for a Roman aristocrat, so he was the type of figure who aroused intense feelings.

Caesar was not very popular among the conservative aristocracy of Rome. He was a popularist politician. He was interested. in gaining power through the will of the common people and passing legislation that was beneficial to the common people, um, in the eyes of the conservatives there was a very radical agenda and a very worrying agenda, which really convinced the political competitors Caesar's aristocrats. Political opponents said it was dangerous when Caesar was elected High Priest ponteix Maximus of Rome and Caesar got it through massive bribery; However, despite all of Caesar's popular threat, he was politically vulnerable, having no great wealth or followers.

A successful general attracts, in contrast, heavyweights like Cres and Pompy had impressive records as commanding generals and enough wealth to raise large private armies and buy the loyalty of the Roman people, fortunately for Caesar, both powerful men required his He helped as consul and a political alliance of the three was formed, the triumvirate. together they ensured that new laws regarding provincial command were passed and when Caesar resigned after his one-year term as consul, he was given command in the provinces of Cisalpine Gul, Transalpine Gul and Alyria for 5 years. These were strategic provinces that gave Caesar control of a large army that provided an excellent reserve of military manpower and offered the prospect of a great campaign in Gaul for Caesar. great military command is the difference between political survival and political destruction.

It's as simple as that, during his year as consul, heh heh, he continued. In addition to his enemies, he had forced the passage of laws in quite unorthodox and violent ways, at times he continued to trample on the tender feelings of most of his fellow aristocrats. and he had really put himself in a position where he was in or out, so to speak, absolutely vital to Caesar, after being consul in 59 BC. C., secure a great military command. He does not have the enormous military reputation that his most powerful rivals in Rome have. the great the great because of his various military victories Pomp and crus helped Caesar um in his quest to obtain this great command um because the three together had formed an informal political alliance that we know as Caesar's first transvert as conso was in a position to benefit Pompe and Crus quite a bit and he did so through the legislation he passed and in exchange Pompe and Crus were going to help Caesar obtain command.

Rome had a long history of conflict with the Celtic tribes, although they were ultimately successful, they had suffered more disastrous Roman defeats in 387 BC. C., when Rome itself was sacked, but as recently as 107 BC. C. the Helvetians had defeated a consular army. The Celts were formidable warriors and most tribes possessed good cavalry and were equipped with long oval shields. cutting swords Spears and javelins the wealthiest Celts wore shirts and helmets made of men's armor or chain mail. The first onslaught of a Celtic army was a truly terrifying experience and when launched against a disorganized or frightened enemy it could drag them to bloody ruin.

It is difficult to argue that the independent Celtic tribes were a serious threat to the security of Rome because they were far from Rome, disorganized and fragmented, competing with each other. The potential military threat of the Celts is quite difficult to assess. He was once very tempted to say that they were no threat at all, but Des ignored the fact that the Celtic armies had actually previously been serious threats to Rome, although the Cults were ferocious warriors, they had some significant military weaknesses, it seemed to them. difficult to keep an army in the field for a long time.

For more than a few weeks, the command and control of a Celtic army was very ad hoc and they had no equivalent of the Roman centurion. A genuinely professional officer. The Celts fought in formation but lacked the discip

line

and training of a Roman army. These military weaknesses were compounded by political problems, as there was little sense of unity, powerful elements within a tribe often taking opposing signs. Celtic warriors came from the wealthiest members of the tribe. In contrast, the Roman army in the 1st century BC. C. recruited its soldiers from ordinary Roman citizens and in times of non-citizen emergency, the state equipped its troops although it deducted the costs from their salary and all Roman soldiers fought in chain mail and helmets.

Their main weapon was the short sword that could stab and thrust, but they also carried two javelins and a greatsword. oval shield a recruit could expect to serve for at least 6 years and was trained to fight as part of a permanent military formation the legion the roman legion dominated warfare for over half a millennium in the time of

caesar

the core of a legion was made up of 4,800 Roman infantry organized into 10 equal cohorts of six centuries the legion became the extended family of soldiers a loyalty given a physical focus on banners with a semi-religious status Signa flags for individual centuries and of course the legions Aquila the officers The aristocracy and senior legates were personal appointments of the general, but it was the centurions, the long-serving officers of the Roman army, who played the crucial role in training, organizing and inspiring the Romans. soldiers.

Discover the past with exclusive ancient history documentaries and adree podcasts presented by world-renowned historians of history watch on your smart TV or on the go with your mobile device. Download the app now to explore everything from the wonders of Pompeii to the Buddika Rebellion and the mysteries of prehistoric Scotland. Immerse yourself in the captivating stories. of this notable era by registering through the link in the description. The key moment in the development of the Roman army was the professionalization that took place towards the end of the 2nd century BC. during the 1st century BC and which was caused by Dire military necessity they resorted to what was known as headcount, citizens who were so poor that they had no material wealth could not provide their own military equipment and therefore if you recruited them you had to equip them and pay them yourself, another factor in the professionalism of the Roman army was the quality of the centurions, their non-commissioned officers, these people were the backbone of the army, they made sure that the units fought well, that the units were discip

line

d, they maintained the training standards that were passed down from one generation of recruits to the next. then the traditions of unity, the knowledge of how to fight, the knowledge of how to survive, ancient Gul divided into four distinct regions in the transalpine south of Gul, a Roman province since 121 BC.

C. to the north of the Roman province in Gaul Kamata, the Celtic tribes were independent but in the sphere of influence of Rome the Belgian tribes of the northeast and the Aquatan of the southwest were also independent, the tribe was the basic unit of government and, although Intertribal ties and alliances were the norm, rarely extending across southern and central regional divisions. The goal was to be richer, had important urban centers, often formidably defended fortresses, and was strongly influenced by the Roman world. However, Caesar considered the northern Celts and the Belgae to be braver than the rest.

It was the Helvetians, a formidable tribe living in the area of ​​modern Switzerland, who gave Caesar the pretext to begin his galactic conquests. The tribe attempted to migrate, but unfortunately their route was through the Roman transalpine province when, um heck , began to move, its purpose seems to have genuinely been to move from what was a rather unpleasant part of the world to a more FAL and more pleasant part of the world and tribal movements of this type of migrations are not so unusual after all, They only ended up in what we now call Switzerland, due to pressure from the moving North German tribes involved. or the easiest way to get around involved crossing a bit of Roman territory, so be it, but they weren't really interested in settling within Roman territory, they weren't interested in attacking Rome, they wanted to stay out of the Roman way, Of course, Julius Caesar did. other ideas moved at lightning speed 720 miles in 8 days Caesar arrived in Geneva in early April and proceeded to fortify the 16 miles between Ran and the Jor mountains by building a 16-ton high wall despite his 5-ton advantage. to 1, this intimidated the Helveti, who stopped and decided to avoid Roman territory, but Caesar was determined to avoid any migration and after another whirlwind trip to Italy he returned with five more legions while the Helveti marched north into the Oui tribe territory Rome's closest allies in Gaul kamata followed weeks of maneuvers and when Caesar retreated in bti in search of supplies, the Helvetians misinterpreted this treatment as a lack of courage, they rushed after the Roman army sought the battle that Caesar himself wanted.

Caesar deployed his four veteran legions on a hill in three lines in the middle of the hill, the two newly raised legions with the auxiliaries. At the top of the hill, the Helveti drove off Caesar's cavalry, mainly Uy, and then blocked the advanced shields on the waiting legionaries. A hail of javelins descended on the Helveti, killing hundreds and rendering many shields useless as their ranks They were disorganized, the Roman infantry charged mercilessly, the Helvetians were repulsed at that moment. unexpectedly a new force of several thousand attacked Caesar's right flank with a larger third line of Plum Caesar turned to drive back this new enemy and complete the victory emphatically defeated the Helvetians agreed to return home the extent of Matanza when the Romans won a Romans in general were extremely good at taking advantage of a victory, taking advantage of the physical advantage, but also the psychological advantage by dismembering their opposition, ensuring that when an enemy came to bury their dead, the sight of corpses was very demoralizing, as it was now.

The turn of the Sui, a German tribe recently established west of the Rhine. The large and growing German presence in gold was a very serious matter. In the year 105 BC. C. they crushed a Roman army of 80,000 men and for a time seemed to be an unstoppable force in vono. Caesar's army, which had been fed terrifying stories of huge, ferocious German warriors, refused to advance any further; However, Caesar, in a moving speech, inspired the army to continue now that the Germans were a serious threat to Rome, and popular history tends to make you think that the Germans. appear on the scenelate and that they are part of what destroys the Roman Empire two or 300 years after Caesar, but the reality is that that Rome had already had a very, very deep threat from the Germans and a threat that had led to a series of battle defeats, one of which they lost more troops than the much better known battle of canai um, the Battle of Arius, the Romans lost almost 85,000 lives on the battlefield, so the Germans were a truly terrifying force .

The two armies clashed near the Rind, the Roman infantry formed in three lines and the Germans in tribal order formed a phalanx behind the German battle line. The wagons were formed in a long ridge to discourage wagon retreat. The Suway women tearfully implored their warriors. To not allow them to be enslaved, Caesar led the Roman right into action, first defeating the German left, however the Roman left was hard-pressed until the legot puus Rus, son of Caesar's ally, brought the third Roman line in their support, the slaughter now began with thousands of Germans. Warriors trapped by their own chariots, many of those who managed to escape from the battlefield drowned crossing the Rind.

Caesar had won his second great battle and had established his six legions in winter quarters in the country of the Sequani, the main Celtic beneficiaries of the victory. The far north sent an ominous message Rome was here to stay the conquest of Gul involved the death in war or starvation of tens of thousands hundreds of thousands of GS whether this counts as Roman genocide is another question it was not the preferred option of the Romans Caesar wants to dominate the GS he wants to conquer them but once conquered he hopes that the tribal leaders of Gul will ally with him they will be his men in Gul if that agreement does not work then harsher measures were taken and the harshest measures involved the massacre of the defenders of the GIC strongholds the enslavement of entire populations the mutilation of the survivors it was the Belgic tribes of the northeast who masked a large army to expel this threatening Roman military presence Caesar returned to central Gaul in the spring of 57 BC.

With two more legions on the move he quickly overtook a Belgic tribe, the Ry, who became firm allies, the Belgae could not keep an army in the field for long and once dispersed, Caesar was able to deal with the tribes individually, forcing them to submit, then pushed the North quickly eager to preempt a The New York were a fearful and bold tribe who even banned merchants because their luxury goods would turn their warriors Soft, however this lack of sophistication did not prevent them from surprising Caesar's army. They hid most of their forces in thick forests overlooking the Som River in a subtly deceptive move.

They allowed the Romans to see and drive away their cavalry by showing great restraint. Belgian infantry. He waited while the Romans began to build a camp and fanned out to collect building materials only when the Roman baggage train appeared Nerves struck This was the nightmare of every Roman general trapped by a larger barbarian army and unable to maneuver or form in couple of minutes. From the attack, the Roman cavalry fled and the nervous infantry crossed the river and approached very quickly with the Romans unprepared, in several cases they cut the Roman line, many legionaries went into battle under the first banner they could find, making matters worse nature The terrain made it difficult for Caesar to coordinate his forces.

Some Roman units were forced to fight the battle in isolation. The fighting was desperate and the NVI was on the verge of breaking the Roman army on the left. The Roman 9th and 10th legions did well to drive back their opponents. They crossed the river and captured their camp, but around the half-built camp and the nearby 7th and 12th legions, the Romans faced most of the Nervi, the 12 were so close together that they could not use their weapons properly, the warriors nervously opened a gap. between them and the 7th legion, the legion's centurions suffered greatly, one cohort losing all of their officers while trying to rally the troops once the situation with the 12th was a little more stable.

Caesar joined the nearby 7th Legion and ordered them to join the 12th. Lavenus Caesar led the 10th legion back into battle and simultaneously the two legions arrived with the baggage train. the nerves collapsed the thick forests and their heroic culture made a disciplined retreat impossible and the nerves died in their tens of thousands the battle in the Shadow um in which Caesar was attacked by the nerves was something quite close um Caesar's army was attacked while he was entrenching um that is a very dangerous time for any army because the soldiers were not really focused on what was happening around them they were digging um their weapons and equipment M were not immediately at hand um and the nerve um attacked and repelled to the Roman cavalry and then went up the hill towards Caesar's army, however, even when you look at this battle where Caesar had some problems, most of the battle goes by quite quickly in the path of Caesar, his favorite legion, the Tenth Legion, for example, quite a bit.

He quickly gets underway, forms a proper formation, and actually drives the enemy back across the river and takes their camp, so even in this battle where Caesar has some trouble, it's hard to see him losing catastrophically, although We must remember that it is so. Caesar, who tells us that it is a matter of Clos, Caesar is telling his Roman contemporaries, look how good I am, look how difficult it is to defeat these people, probably a matter of close range, but Caesar, looking back , perhaps could overemphasize the closeness for literary and political reasons, this was Caesar's third major battlefield victory and was the closest he ever came to a military disaster.

So dramatic was the victory that most of the Celtic and Belian tribes were surprised and quickly submitted to Rome. The triumph at Gul brought Caesar wealth and glory and the Roman senate voted for an unprecedented 15-day celebration. Gul was conquered, or so the Romans thought, it took another 6 years and some terrible defeats to persuade Gaul that it had indeed been conquered. Resentment at Caesar's presence ensured that there was a Pan-Celtic dimension. to these uprisings, but even at their most unified moments, the Celtic tribes never acted in unison; However, the individuality of the Celtic tribes also explains why Gul was difficult to subdue.

The only sure way to obtain a tribe's submission was to defeat each one in battle. years to pacify Gaul in part because Gaul was a huge area that Caesar is pacifying with a relatively small army. The problem is that each individual Celtic tribe in Gul has their own agenda and it is very difficult for us that you have defeated that individual tribe. In reality, he imposed peace and to some extent Caesar was forced to continue defeating individual tribes and when he defeated those tribes he hoped to assert some kind of general peace. The campaign season of 56 BC.

C. saw a great challenge from the Veniti tribe and their allies if they had their way in their challenge to Rome, the revolt would undoubtedly spread. Caesar took steps to discourage uprisings elsewhere by sending lanus to the northeast and pus crus to aquitaine before heading with his main force to Britain, the veniti, unusually among the tribes of Gul, were an important naval power Caesar had ordered the construction of a fleet when he first heard about the uprising, but Roman ships were relatively fragile vessels, while the Vti were excellent sailors. However, another talented Roman leot, Decimus Brutus, solved this problem by equipping his ships with hooks in Long. with the poles, the Romans were able to ruin the sails of the veniti, making them easy targets for the Romans or the ships with their fleet destroyed the veniti, they surrendered.

Caesar decided to send a strong signal to other tribes and executed the entire ruling council of vti, the population was sold into slavery. Cal appears to have returned when the Roman troops dispersed into winter quarters throughout the newly pacified territories between Sen and the lair. Caesar returned to northern Italy during the winter to focus his attention on Rome's internal political maneuverings; However, he was forced to return to Gaul early that year. 55 a. C. to confront two Germanic tribes, the Yipes and Ttteri, who had crossed the R, the assault on the German camp took place there and what would become more of a massacre than a battle took place.

There were no large-scale revolts in Gaul, and Caesar felt capable of both. 55 and 54 a. C. to invade Britain, neither expedition achieved much, although it was good public relations for Caesar in Rome. Caesar himself, unlike previous winters, remained in Gaul during the winter of 5453 BC. C., was aware that there were problems between the Trevys and the Carnutes, but it was in the Belgian lands that the Ambiorix revolt broke out, the leader of the Abones tribe persuaded the Romans to abandon their fortified camp north of the modern liage, The Romans were ambushed while they were in march formation and the 15 cohorts, more than 7,000 soldiers, were killed, as expected, this Belgian victory encouraged The Revolt to spread the nerve besieged the Roman camp in their area but here Quintus Cicero led to put up a very effective defense and Caesar broke the siege in just over a month the Trevys also joined the Revolt but were defeated by Lanus Caesar was surprised on several occasions by Gall's Revolt I don't think it really should have been um the revolts didn't they were so unusual many of the conquests um that Caesar had made in ghoul had not been that complete um and many of the tribes had surrendered to Caesar almost as soon as he had marched into his territory, so they had not really been defeated by him in battle, then perhaps it was inevitable that once they began to realize that their independence was being taken away, they would rebel against it, Caesar recruited an additional 30 Cohorts which raised his army to 10 legions.

His main objective now was to crush the Airona and Trevy tribes, vowing not to cut his hair or shave until he had avenged Ed. His lost legion. Labienus lured the Trevys into battle on very unfavorable terrain and completely defeated them. them working their way north Caesar razed the lands of Abiron effectively erasing the tribe from history Rome had emphatically reasserted its power, but the events of 53 BC. C. were just a prologue to Gul's last and greatest attempt to break Rome's control: the Revolt. from 52 BC C. was the best organized of the many revolts Caesar faced before he began any fighting.

The main figures of the revolt gained the participation of most of Galia Kamata. A large federal army was raised and Verkin G, an inspiring leader of the Aeni tribe, was created. Chosen as supreme commander, the Adoui, supposedly faithful allies of Rome, were involved in planning the revolt and intended to join when it had greater impact. The leaders of the revolt were aware that Caesar was facing a growing political crisis in Rome and timed their uprising for when he was back in Italy engaged in internal politics. When Caesar returned they expected to have liberated Gaul they defeated the Roman garrison's peace meal. and invaded G transalpina with Caesar safely beyond the Alps to spend the winter the conspirators attacked the Roman merchants and the commissary officers were killed and wavering The tribes were intimidated into rebellion.

Most of the Roman army at Gul was garrisoned in Senones country, but with supplies severely affected by a Senones guerrilla campaign, they were unable to take effective action in February 52 BC. C., most of Galia Kamata was in the hands of. Verkin GIS and his confederates and a large GIC force were ready to attack Narbo in the transalpine Gul. The first goric was the closest thing the GS produced to a great leader. He was young, he was charismatic. He did something that made him unusual. he managed to reach beyond tribal barriers not just one or two allied tribes but many tribes and that suggests a degree of diplomatic finesse, let's say some earlier Celtic leaders had lacked to begin with. falling apart um when he starts to suffer defeats um he is unable to maintain the coherence of um the unity um between all the tribes and then um inevitably um once he starts to be defeated by the Romans thatCoherence simply dissipates once again Caesar astonished his enemies By the rapid and decisive way in which he responded to a crisis, he crossed the Alps in February, arriving in Naau in time to organize his defense and having launched a program of Emergency conscription that eventually brought together more than 10,000 legionnaires, moved north avoiding a major army blockade.

As he passed through the south, Caesar led his army through the snow-covered mountains of Sven and met his troops in the central ghoul. Roman forces went on the offensive, quickly taking several important fortified towns, including Kabam, the automobile capital. Vering G decided to avoid battles and wear down the Romans by denying them supplies. a strategy that exploited the superior G Cavalry, food reserves were burned and the ghouls destroyed their own cities to deny the Romans supplies. Unfortunately, the lowers who had already burned 20 of their cities refused to destroy Aarum which, despite being well defended, fell after a desperate siege.

The Romans were in no mood to show mercy to 40,000 inhabitants Barely 800 survived the sack The Gallic cause was boosted by their successful defense of Geovia The Romans lost 700 legionaries and 46 centurions forcing Caesar to retreat with Caesar looking vulnerable The Oui judged this moment to reveal their colors, they attacked the Romans and, taking nood dunam, freed all of Caesar's GIC hostages. However, this was the high water mark of Gish's success. Caesar successfully joined forces with Lavenus, who had defeated a large GIC army a few days before the Romans advanced south towards modern. Dion and Verking G decided to attack.

It could be that he believed Caesar was fleeing. The Romans were on the march. The March formation seemed vulnerable to the GIC Cavalry. The Roman infantry quickly formed defensive squares that enemy horses could no worse penetrate. Caesar's Cavalry, outnumbered, mainly loyal. Ry and the Germans overcame the despondent GS in defeat. Verkin G retreated to Alice's Fortress. This was a fatal mistake due to Verin's delicate political position. His problems in maintaining the cohesion of his confederation of supporters made it difficult for him to fight a war. of attrition to fight a guerrilla war to fight while he retreated, he felt it necessary to confront the Romans to resist and challenge Caesar to a head-to-head confrontation.

Furthermore, it was a walled city on the eastern half of a diamond-shaped plateau with very steep slopes. On the slopes, the GIC army was camped on the western edge protected by a wall that tore around the lip. Rivers protected the north and south side and steep hills surrounded Alysia, except to the east, with a very large army according to Caesar, 990,000 men and supplies for at least 30 days. It must have seemed to Verkin G that this was a safe haven to recover, however, what Caesar saw was an opportunity to end the war that dogged the defeated GS to the end, and he immediately began investing in The.La Fortress Burkin GK declined the opportunity to escape, but sent his cavalry with orders to return with a relief army.

What followed was a ruthless display of Roman military engineering beginning with 23 forts on the hills around the plateau; the Romans later linked them to three separate 15 forts. 1.2 meter deep ditches The soil from the ditches provided the raw material to build a 12T high wall complete with parapets and battlements, as well as a tower every 400 feet to block any relief attempt. Caesar covered the flatter terrain beneath the plateau with ingenious but horrific booby traps. The first obstacles an Alisia Sally would discover were buried logs bristling with iron hooks, then eight rows of hidden pits filled with sharp stakes that the troops knew were lies.

Even if you reached this far, the trench in front of the Roman wall was bristling with five close rows. of fallen trees stripped of their leaves and with their main branches cut off and sharpened, Roman soldiers aptly called these obstacles sippy, that is, tombstones. Caesar's 45,000 men had every reason to be confident that they had at least 30 days' supplies and no GIC force had ever surpassed something so formidable. field fortifications there were only two potential weaknesses: the relatively flat terrain that ran to the narrow eastern edge of Alysia and it was here that booby traps were most seriously constructed north of Alice the LIE of the terrain meant that the fortifications were placed unfavorably in a position descending slope the GIC tribes made a supreme effort to relieve Alicia the relief army carried out three massive assaults supported by departures from Alicia two from the east by day and then at night the third from the north these first two attempts were repulsed with relative ease but the third caused Caesar some moments of anxiety. 60,000 of the G's best troops launched a surprise attack against the weakest sector of the defenses.

The Roman lines facing north were dominated by a hill and it was relatively easy to

fire

on the defenders and cross the Wall as the relief army tried to fight their way towards Alysia, they raised a loud shout to encourage the besieged to Sally Forth. A force attacked from Alicia but could not coordinate with the relief army. Roman slingers and heavy siege lances

fire

d from catapults inflicted heavy casualties on the GS. Meanwhile, other sections of the Roman defenses were attacked creating maximum confusion and Verking G attacked again from outside the Fortress after having piled up Earth against the walls.

Wave after wave of new Gallic troops exhausted the defenders in this sector, but Caesar, seeing that collapse was imminent, sent reinforcements and then Caesar himself, once again recognizing with lightning speed where the danger was greatest, They arrived with more fresh troops and regained the initiative by launching an attack when the Roman cavalry appeared in their rear, the GS fled Alysia and the fate of the G was sealed the next day. He left Alysia to surrender, fell on his knees before his conqueror, but Caesar was unmoved because there would be no forgiveness for this rebel. The 20,000 IDI and Arini were luckier: they were freed and sent home and their tribes were once again granted Roman status. the allies abandoned the national cause the other defenders of Alysia were less fortunate because they were all enslaved the great Gallic revolt was defeated but the fighting was not yet over Caesar remained in Gul during the winter of 52-51 BC.

The act of war took place in the summer, when the fortress of Aelod Donam on the Doin was forced to surrender. Caesar was determined to send a clear message that Rome would not tolerate revolt. All who had taken up arms against him had their hands amputated over the In the previous 9 years of fighting, a third of all GS capable of bearing arms had been killed and an equally large number of enslaved Gul would remain Roman for over 400 years Caesar had gone to Gaul an ambitious and unorthodox politician returned to Rome a conquering general immensely rich and with an absolutely devoted army behind him, Caesar's Roman enemies, now united by his former pomp, were determined to crush him, but Backed by his GIC veterans, Caesar emerged from the Civil War as the victor;

It was his victories in Gaul that laid the foundations for his triumphant domination of the Roman world.