Bituitus
Encyclopedia
Bituitus was a king of the Arverni
, a Gallic
tribe living in what is now the Auvergne
region of France
. The Arverni were a powerful opponent of the Roman Republic
during the 3rd and 2nd centuries under the leadership of Luernios, the father of Bituitus. In 121 BCE, Bituitus was defeated by the Roman general Fabius Maximus
, ending the power of the Arverni in Mediterranean Gaul, or present-day southern France
. The defeat of the Arverni resulted in the establishment of the Roman province
of Gallia Narbonensis
.
undertook a war against the Allobroges
, who allied with the Arverni under Bituitus. These Gallic tribes were defeated near the town of Vindalium, the current French town of Bédarrides
. After this defeat the Allobroges and Arverni made preparations to renter battle with the Romans. Bituitus again took the field with an large army. Where the Isar
meets the river Rhone
in the south of France, the consul Fabius Maximus, the grandson of Paullus
, met them in battle in the autumn of 121 BC. The Romans were greatly outnumbered yet managed to gain a complete victory. It was estimated that 120,000 of Bituitus' army fell in the battle.
Following his defeat, Bituitus was taken prisoner and sent to Rome, where he was sentenced by the senate to exile in Alba Fucens
, one of three foreign kings known to have been held there. Bituitus' son, Congonnetiacus, was also captured, and possibly held with him at Alba. It was the last time a foreign king was detained at Alba, and throughout the rest of the Late Republican period, kings are known to have been detained at Rome, often in the homes of high-ranking officials
, and to have agitated actively in political affairs.
Fabius was awarded the honour of a triumph
and given the agnomen
Allobrogicus. Unlike the Arverni, who retained independence after the war, the Allobroges
were brought under Roman rule at this time. Bituitus, wearing his silver ceremonial armor, was paraded at Fabius's triumph. From the plunder of the Auvergne, Fabius erected his victory arch
, the Fornix Fabianus along the Via Sacra
, and adorned it with a statue of himself.
Bituitus is the last known king of the Arverni, and later sources such as Julius Caesar
's war commentaries
indicate that they were afterwards ruled by an oligarchy
or council analogous to the Roman senate
.
Arverni
The Arverni were a Gallic tribe living in what is now the Auvergne region of France during the last centuries BC. One of the most powerful tribes in ancient Gaul, they opposed the Romans on several occasions...
, a Gallic
Gauls
The Gauls were a Celtic people living in Gaul, the region roughly corresponding to what is now France, Belgium, Switzerland and Northern Italy, from the Iron Age through the Roman period. They mostly spoke the Continental Celtic language called Gaulish....
tribe living in what is now the Auvergne
Auvergne (région)
Auvergne is one of the 27 administrative regions of France. It comprises the 4 departments of Allier, Puy de Dome, Cantal and Haute Loire.The current administrative region of Auvergne is larger than the historical province of Auvergne, and includes provinces and areas that historically were not...
region of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. The Arverni were a powerful opponent of the Roman Republic
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
during the 3rd and 2nd centuries under the leadership of Luernios, the father of Bituitus. In 121 BCE, Bituitus was defeated by the Roman general Fabius Maximus
Quintus Fabius Maximus Allobrogicus
Quintus Fabius Maximus Allobrogicus, was a Roman statesman and general.Fabius Maximus Allobrogicus, a member of the patrician gens Fabia, was the son of Quintus Fabius Maximus Aemilianus, consul of 145 BC...
, ending the power of the Arverni in Mediterranean Gaul, or present-day southern France
Southern France
Southern France , colloquially known as le Midi is defined geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Gironde, Spain, the Mediterranean, and Italy...
. The defeat of the Arverni resulted in the establishment of the Roman province
Roman province
In Ancient Rome, a province was the basic, and, until the Tetrarchy , largest territorial and administrative unit of the empire's territorial possessions outside of Italy...
of Gallia Narbonensis
Gallia Narbonensis
Gallia Narbonensis was a Roman province located in what is now Languedoc and Provence, in southern France. It was also known as Gallia Transalpina , which was originally a designation for that part of Gaul lying across the Alps from Italia and it contained a western region known as Septimania...
.
History
In B.C 121 the Roman proconsul Domitius AhenobarbusGnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus (consul 122 BC)
Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus was consul of Rome in 122 BC. He was the son of the Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus who was consul in 162 BC....
undertook a war against the Allobroges
Allobroges
The Allobroges were a Celtic tribe of ancient Gaul, located between the Rhône River and the Lake of Geneva in what later became Savoy, Dauphiné, and Vivarais. Their cities were in the areas of modern-day Annecy, Chambéry and Grenoble, the modern of Isère, and modern Switzerland...
, who allied with the Arverni under Bituitus. These Gallic tribes were defeated near the town of Vindalium, the current French town of Bédarrides
Bédarrides
Bédarrides is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.-References:*...
. After this defeat the Allobroges and Arverni made preparations to renter battle with the Romans. Bituitus again took the field with an large army. Where the Isar
Isar
The Isar is a river in Tyrol, Austria and Bavaria, Germany. Its source is in the Karwendel range of the Alps in Tyrol; it enters Germany near Mittenwald, and flows through Bad Tölz, Munich, and Landshut before reaching the Danube near Deggendorf. At 295 km in length, it is the fourth largest river...
meets the river Rhone
Rhône
Rhone can refer to:* Rhone, one of the major rivers of Europe, running through Switzerland and France* Rhône Glacier, the source of the Rhone River and one of the primary contributors to Lake Geneva in the far eastern end of the canton of Valais in Switzerland...
in the south of France, the consul Fabius Maximus, the grandson of Paullus
Paullus
Paullus is a cognomen of ancient Rome, also appearing as an apparent praenomen of several Romans.* Marcus Aemilius L.f. Paullus, consul 302 BC* Marcus Aemilius M.f...
, met them in battle in the autumn of 121 BC. The Romans were greatly outnumbered yet managed to gain a complete victory. It was estimated that 120,000 of Bituitus' army fell in the battle.
Following his defeat, Bituitus was taken prisoner and sent to Rome, where he was sentenced by the senate to exile in Alba Fucens
Alba Fucens
Alba Fucens was an ancient Italic town occupying a lofty situation at the foot of the Monte Velino, c. 6.5 km north of Avezzano, Abruzzo, central Italy. Its remains are today in the comune of Massa d'Albe....
, one of three foreign kings known to have been held there. Bituitus' son, Congonnetiacus, was also captured, and possibly held with him at Alba. It was the last time a foreign king was detained at Alba, and throughout the rest of the Late Republican period, kings are known to have been detained at Rome, often in the homes of high-ranking officials
Roman Magistrates
The Roman Magistrates were elected officials in Ancient Rome. During the period of the Roman Kingdom, the King of Rome was the principal executive magistrate. His power, in practice, was absolute. He was the chief priest, lawgiver, judge, and the sole commander of the army...
, and to have agitated actively in political affairs.
Fabius was awarded the honour of a triumph
Roman triumph
The Roman triumph was a civil ceremony and religious rite of ancient Rome, held to publicly celebrate and sanctify the military achievement of an army commander who had won great military successes, or originally and traditionally, one who had successfully completed a foreign war. In Republican...
and given the agnomen
Agnomen
An agnomen , in the Roman naming convention, was a nickname, just as the cognomen was initially. However, the cognomina eventually became family names, so agnomina were needed to distinguish between similarly named persons...
Allobrogicus. Unlike the Arverni, who retained independence after the war, the Allobroges
Allobroges
The Allobroges were a Celtic tribe of ancient Gaul, located between the Rhône River and the Lake of Geneva in what later became Savoy, Dauphiné, and Vivarais. Their cities were in the areas of modern-day Annecy, Chambéry and Grenoble, the modern of Isère, and modern Switzerland...
were brought under Roman rule at this time. Bituitus, wearing his silver ceremonial armor, was paraded at Fabius's triumph. From the plunder of the Auvergne, Fabius erected his victory arch
Triumphal arch
A triumphal arch is a monumental structure in the shape of an archway with one or more arched passageways, often designed to span a road. In its simplest form a triumphal arch consists of two massive piers connected by an arch, crowned with a flat entablature or attic on which a statue might be...
, the Fornix Fabianus along the Via Sacra
Via Sacra
The Via Sacra was the main street of ancient Rome, leading from the top of the Capitoline Hill, through some of the most important religious sites of the Forum , to the Colosseum....
, and adorned it with a statue of himself.
Bituitus is the last known king of the Arverni, and later sources such as Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
's war commentaries
Commentarii de Bello Gallico
Commentarii de Bello Gallico is Julius Caesar's firsthand account of the Gallic Wars, written as a third-person narrative. In it Caesar describes the battles and intrigues that took place in the nine years he spent fighting local armies in Gaul that opposed Roman domination.The "Gaul" that Caesar...
indicate that they were afterwards ruled by an oligarchy
Oligarchy
Oligarchy is a form of power structure in which power effectively rests with an elite class distinguished by royalty, wealth, family ties, commercial, and/or military legitimacy...
or council analogous to the Roman senate
Roman Senate
The Senate of the Roman Republic was a political institution in the ancient Roman Republic, however, it was not an elected body, but one whose members were appointed by the consuls, and later by the censors. After a magistrate served his term in office, it usually was followed with automatic...
.