June 58 BC · Central Gaul (Burgundy) Theater
June 58 BC
The Helvetii — a confederation of Swiss tribes numbering perhaps 360,000 people, including around 90,000 warriors — had abandoned their homeland and were migrating westward through Roman-allied Aeduan territory toward the Atlantic coast, displacing tribes as they went. Caesar, newly appointed governor of Gaul, refused to allow the migration and blocked it at the Arar (Saône) River, cutting off the Helvetian rear guard. The main battle came at Bibracte, the great Aeduan oppidum atop Mont Beuvray. The Helvetians attacked uphill but were broken by Roman pilum volleys and the legions' disciplined countercharge. A Helvetian reserve nearly turned Caesar's flank before being driven back. The survivors — perhaps a third of those who had set out — were ordered back to their Swiss homeland.
Commanders