With Dr. Eireann Marshall

One of the greatest generals of his or any era, Caesar swept through Gaul at an astonishing rate, conquering the whole of it in less than 10 years. He was able to accomplish this through sheer ruthlessness and through exploiting the divisions between the Gauls. It was only at the bitter end that Vercingetorix, King of the Arverni, was able to unite Gauls in a revolt against Rome which resulted in a serious defeat for Rome in the Battle of Gergovia. The valiant standoff against Rome ended at the Battle of Alesia, in which Vercingetorix surrendered himself in order to spare the lives of his fellow countrymen. Six years later he paraded as an enemy of Rome in Caesar’s triumph and was ritually strangled near the Temple of Jupiter Capitolinus. Despite his end, he remained a symbol of freedom, admired for his military daring and political leadership.