Helvetii

The Helvetii (in Latin) were the Celtic inhabitants of modern Switzerland. They were described by Julius Caesar in his De Bello Gallico.

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Under pressure from Germanic tribes in their home territory, they were planning to migrate into Gaul with their entire tribe under the command of Orgetorix. Caesar was called upon by the Gauls of the province of Gallia Narbonensis, which had already been conquered and organized, to defend them from the invading Helvetii.

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Caesar, at the time, commanded six legions comprised of nearly 29,000 men. The Helvetii, according to Caesar's writings, had 370,000 people (including children and women), but only 110,000 men-at-arms. Caesar hastily recruited two more fresh legions in preparation.

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By the time the tribe began its march, Orgetorix had died. Before leaving, the Helvetii burned their villages and destroyed what foodstuff and other commodities they could not take with them so that they could not turn back.

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Lured to a disadvantageous position with the Romans taking the high ground near the Aedui capital of Bibracte, the Helvetii were attacked by the superior Roman forces, who managed to kill nearly 60 percent of the tribe and capture another 20 percent as slaves. The remainder of the Helvetii were driven back into their old lands, Helvetia.

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In 52 BC, 10,000 Helvetii joined Vercingetorix's forces in his attempt to liberate Gaul.

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Latin: Latin is an Indo-European language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. It gained great importance as the formal language of the Roman Empire. All Romance languages are descended from Latin, and many words based on Latin are found in other modern languages such as English. The ...

Celt: :This article is about the European people. For the tool, see celt (tool)....

Switzerland: The Swiss Confederation or Switzerland (Latin: Confoederatio Helvetica) is a landlocked federal republic in Europe, bordering Germany, France, Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein. The country has a strong tradition of political and military neutrality, but also of international co-operation, and is hom...