Caesar, Vercingetorix and the Battle of Alesia

 

Caesar, Vercingetorix and the Battle of Alesia

      Today marks the anniversary of the surrender in 52 b.c. of Vercingetorix to Julius Caesar, bringing to a close the Battle of Alesia.

      The story of the battle was well documented by Caesar in The Gallic Wars.   Caesar and the legions trapped the Gaul army in Alesia.  In order to enforce the blockade they built a wall around nearly the entire town (some geography kept the walls from being complete).  Fearing the arrival of a relieving army, the Romans then built another wall around their siege lines (again nearly complete except where limited by geography).     Hence the Romans were intentionally in the space between the two walls. 

      A relieving army did arrive, and the Romans had to fight both the army on the outside of the fence as well as the forces in Alesia that were trying to break out from the inner wall.  The battles were bloody, and the outcome was a Roman victory.  Vercingetorix was brought back to Rome to be paraded at a Triumph held for Caesar.  He was then killed (likely strangled).