Blog / History & Finds
The Knowledge Archive

The Bituriges: The Fall of Avaricum

History & Finds The Bituriges: The Fall of Avaricum placeholder

The Bituriges were a mighty Celtic people in central Gaul, around today's Bourges. Their capital was Avaricum.

The scorched-earth policy

In the great revolt of 52 BC Vercingetorix ordered all towns burned to deny Caesar supplies. The Bituriges begged that their beautiful Avaricum be spared – and the Gauls gave in.

The siege of Avaricum

Caesar besieged the city despite hunger and rain with enormous siege works. When it fell, the Romans carried out a massacre: of around 40,000 people, only a few hundred are said to have escaped. Avaricum became a symbol of the harshness of this war.

"They held Avaricum to be the fairest city of almost all Gaul."after Caesar, The Gallic War VII (public domain, own translation)
What is documented: Bituriges and Avaricum, the sparing of the city against the scorched-earth tactic, and the siege with massacre in 52 BC (Caesar, The Gallic War VII).
What is interpretation: Caesar's casualty figure (only ~800 survivors of 40,000) is a one-sided claim for effect. How fair Avaricum really was is Caesar's judgement – archaeology shows an important but not fully graspable city.

The Bituriges show the high price of the Gallic fight for freedom. Continue with the Arverni and Cadurci.

Glanz & Gravur
From our workshop: Celtic-Germanic motifs on natural slate, laser-engraved. To the shop →

Read more with us

The Arverni · The Aedui · The Senones · The Carnutes · The Celtic Warriors.

Sources & literature

Visit the Shop More posts

More from History & Finds

All History & Finds articles →

The Warrior Woman of Birka (Bj 581)

Since 1878, Birka’s grave Bj 581 had been the textbook example of a high-status Viking warrior – the „ultimate Viking" …

Read more →

The Boii: The People Who Named Bohemia

Read more →

Borgring – the fifth ring fortress, found by laser scan

Sometimes history is found not with the spade but with the computer. For a long time four of Harald Bluetooth's famous …

Read more →

Horned helmets – yes, but not among the Vikings

„So did they wear horned helmets or not?" The honest answer is a double no and yes: the Vikings did not. But the North …

Read more →