Battles and Campaigns
Battle of Alesia
52 BC, Gallic Wars
Citation Formats
General Reference
APA Style
BibTeX
The Battle of Alesia (September 52 BC) was the climactic engagement of the Gallic Wars, fought when Julius Caesar's army of roughly 10 to 11 legions besieged the Gallic chieftain Vercingetorix and his confederation of tribes inside the fortified hill town of Alesia. Caesar's troops built a double line of fortification, an inner wall to blockade the town and an outer wall to hold off a large relieving Gallic army, and defeated both the besieged garrison and the relief force. Alesia proved to be the end of generalized and organized resistance against Caesar's conquest of Gaul.
Facts
Battle TypeSiege, with a pitched battle against a relieving army 1 LocationAlesia, a fortified Gallic hill town in what is now France 1 OutcomeDecisive Roman victory; Vercingetorix surrendered, ending organized Gallic resistance to Caesar's conquest 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Battle of Alesia
WikipediaLead and Siege sectionsQuote, Lead and Siege sections
The Battle of Alesia or Siege of Alesia (September 52 BC) was the climactic military engagement of the Gallic Wars...Alesia proved to be the end of generalized and organized resistance against Caesar's invasion of Gaul.
1. Wikipedia: Battle of Alesia
WikipediaLead sectionQuote, Lead section
fought around the Gallic oppidum (fortified settlement) of Alesia in modern France
1. Wikipedia: Battle of Alesia
WikipediaInfobox and Aftermath sectionQuote, Infobox and Aftermath section
With the revolt crushed, Caesar set his legions to winter across the lands of the defeated tribes to prevent further rebellion.
1. Wikipedia: Battle of Alesia
WikipediaSiege sectionQuote, Siege section
Over the span of a month, some 25 miles of fortifications were built. They included a trench for soldiers, an anti-cavalry moat, towers at regular intervals, and booby traps in front of the trenches.
1. Wikipedia: Battle of Alesia
Wikipedia: Gallic Wars
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Caesar build two walls around Alesia instead of one?
One wall blockaded the besieged town; the other, facing outward, held off the Gallic relief army marching to break the siege.
Caesar's army besieging Alesia was itself outnumbered by the combined forces inside the town and the Gallic army marching to relieve it. A single wall facing the town would have left his own troops exposed to attack from behind once the relief army arrived, so he built an inner wall (contravallation) to blockade Vercingetorix's Gauls and a second, outer wall (circumvallation) facing away from the town to hold off the relief force, letting his smaller Roman army fight both without being caught between them.
Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.
View At A Past Year
The atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.