In
general terms, the Romans
coined the name 'Gaul' to describe the
Celtic tribes of what is now
central, northern and eastern
France. The Gauls were
divided from the
Belgae to the north
by the Marne and the Seine, and from the Aquitani to the south by the River
Garonne. By the middle of the first century BC, the Helvii were a minor
confederation that was located on the west bank of the Rhone, in the modern
Lozère département of south-eastern France. They were neighboured across the
Alps to the north by the
Vellavi, to the east by the
Allobroges,
Segovellauni,
and Caturiges,
to the south along the banks of the Rhodanus (the modern River Rhine) by the
Vocontii, to the south-west
by the Volcae Arecomisci, and
to the west by the Ruteni.
The Helvii were a polity rather than a tribe (and certainly not a sub-tribe,
according to Julius Caesar). Also known as the Elui, their name is a little
tricky to break down. The word *selwā means 'possessions' in conjectural
proto-Celtic, and appears in at least two other tribal names - the
Helvetii
and the
Helveconae.
The 's' of 'selwa' would be pronounced as 'sh', and was reduced to an 'h'.
It gives the sense that all three tribes were in some way known as the 'owners'.
Given the similarity of the names for the Helvetii and Helveconae, they
could well be branches of the same original tribe, despite the distance
between them in the first century BC. The '-et' in Helvetii could be a
diminutive, making them the 'little owners'. Although it would seem from
this that the Helvii could once have been the dominant part of a greater
confederation, they appear to have arrived at the Alps at least a generation
earlier than the Helvetii.
An alternative meaning behind the name of all three tribes mentioned above
is 'yellow' (ie. blond). Pokorny has discussed the origins of the Latin word
'helvus', which derives from a root that means 'yellow sun' (as in 'hot,
bitter, burning'). This appears to develop into a word that means
'honey-yellow, golden', and it is this meaning that could equally apply in
Celtic to refer to blond Celts. These tribes could have been the
'honey-yellow [people]' in reference to their blond hair.
The Helvii polity was based in the southern area of the modern Ardeche,
with a principal settlement at Alba (modern Aps until 1904, and now known
as Alba-la-Romaine). Following the Roman campaign of 123-121 BC they formed
the transition between Roman-controlled territory and the rest of Gaul.
Apparently highly accepting of such a position (in all but one known
instance), they became Romanised in name and probably benefited greatly from
Roman imports. Once their important border status was ended by the conquest
of the rest of Gaul, they largely passed out of the historical record, but
continued to inhabit a rich and fertile region.
(Information by Peter Kessler and Edward Dawson, with additional information
from Geography, Ptolemy, from Roman History, Cassius Dio, from
Research into the Physical History of Mankind, James Cowles Pritchard,
from Geography, Strabo, translated by H C Hamilton Esq & W Falconer,
M A, Ed (George Bell & Sons, London, 1903), and from External Links:
The
Works of Julius Caesar: Gallic Wars, and the
Indo-European
Etymological Dictionary, J Pokorny.)
123 - 121 BC
The
Allobroges
come into direct conflict with
Rome
following the latter's defeat of the Salluvii. That tribe's king, Tuto-Motulus,
flees northwards and seeks shelter with the Allobroges. They welcome him in,
and when Rome demands that he is handed over, they refuse. Having declared
war, Rome sends Quintus Fabius Maximus to attack them in 121 BC. He is the
son of Quintus Fabius Maximus Aemilianus, consul of 145 BC, and is consul
himself during this year. He campaigns in Gallia Transalpina (the modern
Auvergne and Rhône-Alpes regions) with Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus,
fighting the Allobroges,
Arverni,
and Helvii. They are defeated and the consul is awarded the honour of a
triumph which is famous for its spectacle, with the Arverni ruler,
Bituitus, being displayed in his silver battle armour. The
Ruteni,
Segovellauni,
Vocontii, and
Volcae Arecomisci are
subjugated at the same time.
The Celtic tribes of the Western Alps were relatively small and
fairly fragmented, but they made up for that with a level of
belligerence and fighting ability that often stunned their major
opponents, including the Romans
83 BC
Unlike many of their Gaulish counterparts, the Helvii seem
especially to welcome
Rome,
forming an alliance with what most other
Celts view as invaders.
A leader of the polity, Caburus, is now granted Roman citizenship by Gaius
Valerius Flaccus, governor of Gaul. This is an extraordinarily rare honour
at this point in time, suggesting that he has rendered some unique and invaluable
service to Rome, possibly during the city's civil wars of this period.
The Sertorian War in Hispania causes the
Celts of
Mediterranean Gaul to be subjected to troop levies and forced requisitions
in order to support the military efforts of Metellus Pius, Pompeius, and
other Roman commanders
against the rebels. However, some Celtic polities, including, remarkably,
the Helvii, support Sertorius and they pay the price for their support after
his assassination. The Helvii and
Volcae Arecomici are forced
to cede a portion of their territory to the Greek city state of Messalina.
Caesar mentions this land forfeiture but does not provide any details of the
Helvii actions against Rome.
58 - 56 BC
Led by Caburus, the Helvii have formed an alliance with
Rome.
During the campaigns of Julius Caesar in Gaul, they supply
auxiliaries to his forces. Caburus also supplies his sons, with Caius
Valerius Donotaurus (Domnotaurus or Donnotarvos) being killed in action in
52 BC and Gaius Valerius Troucillas serving Julius Caesar as an aide-de-camp
in a diplomatic capacity in 58 BC.
? - 52 BC
Caius Valerius Donotaurus
Son. 'Principle man of the state'. Killed in battle.
fl 58 BC
Troucillas / Procillus
Brother. ADC on Caesar's staff in 58 BC.
52 BC
While Caesar is tied down in
Rome,
the Gauls begin their revolt, resolving to die in freedom rather than be
suppressed by the invaders. The
Carnutes take the lead
under Cotuatus and Conetodunus when they kill the Roman traders who have
settled in Genabum. News of the event reaches the
Arverni that
morning, and Vercingetorix summons his people to arms. He sends Lucterius of
the Cadurci into the territory
of the Ruteni to gain their
support, and marches in person to the
Bituriges.
Lucterius continues to the
Gabali and
Nitiobroges and wins their
support, collecting together a large force ahead of an advance into the province
of Narbonensis. Caesar gets there first and rallies the garrisons among the
Ruteni and Volcae Arecomisci,
and Lucterius is forced to retreat. From there Caesar circles through the
territory of the generally pro-Roman Helvii (who again provide auxiliaries)
to reach that of the Arverni, despite deep winter snows in the mountains.
The Gabali and the easternmost Arverni cantons are subsequently sent to fight
the Helvii, and the Cadurci and Ruteni are told to lay waste the territories
of the Volcae Arecomisci. The Helvii are defeated and their leaders slain,
including Caius Valerius Donotaurus, the son of Caburus (and perhaps Caburus
too, as he is not mentioned again in the historical record). The Allobroges
manage to defend their frontiers successfully. Vercingetorix is eventually
forced to withdraw in good order to Alesia, a major fort belonging to the
Mandubii. Caesar begins a
siege of the town, aiming on starving out the inhabitants.
The site of Alesia, a major fort belonging to the Mandubii tribe
of Celts, was the scene of the final desperate stand-off between
Rome and the Gauls in 52 BC
Four relief forces amounting to a considerable number of
men and horses are assembled in the territory of the
Aeduii by the council
of the Gaulish nobility. Among those demanded from the tribes of Gaul are
eight thousand men each from the Helvii (despite the tribe's pro-Roman
standing which has perhaps been terminated by the apparent death of its
long-lived leader),
Parisii,
Pictones,
and Turones.
Together they attempt to relieve Vercingetorix at the siege of Alesia, but
the combined relief force is soundly repulsed by Julius Caesar. Seeing that
all is lost, Vercingetorix surrenders to Caesar. The garrison is taken
prisoner, as are the survivors from the relief army. They are either sold
into slavery or given as booty to Caesar's legionaries, apart from the Aeduii
and Arverni warriors who are released and pardoned in order to secure the
allegiance of these important and powerful tribes.
With this action, all of Gaul has been brought under
Roman domination, and
the history of its population of
Celts is tied to
that of the empire.
40s BC
During the
Roman
civil wars of this decade, the Greek city state of Messalina elects to
maintain its long-standing relationship with Pompeius even though it is
isolated in this desire. The
Celts of the
Narbonensis continue to support Caesar in opposition. As a result, the Massalians
are besieged and defeated by Caesar, and they lose their independence, and
possibly also the Helvii land that they had formerly been granted.
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