Alésia

Latitude:
47° 32' 14 N
Longitude:
4° 30' 1 E
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of Alésia (Ancient Village / Settlement / Misc. Earthwork) by Chance

Roman coin showing head Of Captive Gaul 48 BCE stuck after the Gallic Wars

As many as a million people (probably 1 in 4 of the Gauls) died, another million were enslaved, 300 tribes were subjugated and 800 cities were destroyed during the Gallic Wars.
The entire population of the city of Avaricum (Bourges) (40,000 in all) were slaughtered.
During Julius Caesar’s campaign against the Helvetii (present-day Switzerland) approximately 60% of the tribe was destroyed, and another 20% was taken into slavery.


see
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:RomanSilverDenariusWithHeadOfCaptiveGaul48BCE.JPG

Image credit: PHGCOM - photographed at the British Museum 2007
Chance
Chance May 16, 2009

Articles

Alésia

France to build biggest archaeological park in Europe

Chance
Chance May 16, 2009

The oppidum of Alésia is one of the most famous archaeological sites in France, but until recent years it was suffering from its lack of visibility and from the small surface of the museum in Alise-Sainte-Reine. A large part of the 7000 hectares (oppidum and Cesar’s fortifications) is covered by a forest that makes difficult to understand the site.

The council of the French department of Côte d’Or, to whom the site belongs, decided to change this situation in 2004 and launched a big programme to build an open air archaeological park
The Bernard Tschumi Architects Agency won the project with an ambitious plan: a synergy between History and Landscape will help visitors to understand successively the besieger and the besieged points of view and to discover the different cultures that occupied the site during the first centuries A.D. The future park is divided in two parts:
- The Besieger Interpretation Center and a partial reconstruction of the roman fortified lines will introduce the Gallic War.
- The museum of Gallic civilization, the « excavation area », and the base of archaeological operations will explain more generally the human occupation of the site.

With a gradual opening that should begin in 2010, Alésia’s Park will be the biggest archaeological park of Europe and will give back to the site the recognition it deserves.

To find out more, contact the society in charge :
SEM Alésia – 25 bis, rue du Rochon – 21150 ALISE-SAINTE-REINE / Tel : 0033 (0)3 80 96 96 23
Website : alesia.com/

(Camille Daval – ArchéoMédia, March 2008)

For animations of the Alésia MuséoParc see:
youtube.com/watch?v=fg9KvdzzjGg

Download the English translation pdf at alesia.com/ fic_bdd/pdf_fr_fichier/11990978440_anglais.pdf

Miscellaneous

Alésia
Ancient Village / Settlement / Misc. Earthwork
Chance
Chance May 16, 2009

Alésia – Where and What – en.wikipedia.org

Where is Alésia?

France, Bourgogne, départ. Côte-d’Or (21), Alise-Sainte-Reine

The uncertainty surrounding Alesia’s location is humorously parodied in the Asterix volume Asterix and the Chieftain’s Shield, in which, in this case because of Gaulish pride, characters repeatedly deny that they know its location (“I don’t know where Alesia is! No one knows where Alesia is!“).

There have been archeological excavations since the time of Napoléon III in Alise-Sainte-Reine in Côte d’Or near Dijon, which have claimed that the historical Alesia is located there.
New discoveries are constantly being made about this Gallo-Roman settlement on the plateau of Mont-Auxois.
As a result of the excavations, a find was presented to the museum there with the inscription: IN ALISIIA, which finally dispelled all doubts.

What was Alésia?

Alesia was the capital of the Mandubii, one of the Gaulish tribes allied with the mighty Aedui, and after Julius Caesar’s conquest it became a Roman town (Oppidum) in Gaul.

In September, 52 BC it became the legendary site of The Battle of Alesia or Siege of Alesia

This was fought by the army of the Roman Republic commanded by Julius Caesar, aided by cavalry commanders Mark Antony, Titus Labienus and Gaius Trebonius, against a confederation of Gallic tribes united under the leadership of Vercingetorix of the Averni, and was the last major engagement between Gauls and Romans, marking the turning point of the Gallic Wars in favour of Rome.

The siege of Alesia is considered one of Caesar’s greatest military achievements, and is still one of the classic examples of siege warfare and circumvallation.

As many as a million people (probably 1 in 4 of the Gauls) died, another million were enslaved, 300 tribes were subjugated and 800 cities were destroyed during the Gallic Wars.
The entire population of the city of Avaricum (Bourges) (40,000 in all) were slaughtered.
During Julius Caesar’s campaign against the Helvetii (present-day Switzerland) approximately 60% of the tribe was destroyed, and another 20% was taken into slavery.