Ariovistus

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Ariovist (also Ariowist ; † around 54 BC ) was the name of a general of the Germanic Suebi in the 1st century BC. And opponent of Gaius Iulius Caesar in the Gallic War .

Life

Ariovist's origin is unknown. His Gallic (Celtic) language skills are said to have been unusually good for a German.

Around the year 71 BC In BC Ariovistus (who acted as king of the army) crossed the Upper Rhine with a retinue of about 15,000 men and invaded Gaul. Recruited by the Gallic Sequani and Arverni , his troops were supposed to support them in the dispute for supremacy in Gaul and in the fight against the Roman-friendly Haedu . 61 BC Ariovistus defeated the Gallic Haeduer in the battle of Magetobriga (today La-Moigte-de-Broie near Pontailler-sur-Saône and Heuilley-sur-Saône ) and made them tribute. At the same time he (according to Caesar's account, which is admittedly not objective) ruled over the Haeduer in an autocratic and cruel manner. The Haedu called the Roman Empire, allied with them, for help, but this remained passive because of internal political disputes. The Roman Senate even named Ariovistus a “ friend of the Roman people ”. The reason for this is unclear, but shows its importance even before Caesar's intervention in Gaul.

Probably Ariovistus was also looking for a new settlement area, because Caesar reported that he had more Germans brought across the Rhine until their number had supposedly increased to 120,000. These now occupied a third of the fertile area of ​​the Sequani and claimed another third. Ariovistus had members of the Germanic peoples of the Haruden , Vangionen , Triboker , Sedusier , Marcomanni and Nemeter settle in the newly acquired area in order to underpin his rule.

The Gauls now asked Caesar together for help. It was clear to him that a large number of Germanic tribes in Gaul would sooner or later threaten the Roman Empire and that he had to act. Caesar sent envoys to Ariovistus and asked him not to bring any more Germanic tribes across the Rhine, to release hostages of the Haedu and to leave the Haedu and their allies in peace. In return, Ariovistus confidently let it be known that the Romans would not allow themselves to be dictated how they should behave as victor. He does not avoid a military confrontation.

Caesar used this - as before his intervention against the Helvetii - as a pretext to intervene in "free Gaul" (the part of Gaul that was not part of the Roman province of Gallia Narbonensis or Gallia Transalpina ). He first occupied the Sequanian capital Vesontio , a strategically important goal due to its fortification, and supplied his troops. It was there that they heard for the first time of the enormous size and the terrifying look of their opponents, so that they were frightened. Only because of a fiery speech was Caesar able to keep his legions from mutiny. Like many others, this representation is undoubtedly exaggerated by Caesar. His descriptions in De Bello Gallico also pursued his own interests, which he tried to support through subjective descriptions.

In a battle near the Rhine , probably in what is now Alsace near Mulhouse , in which, according to completely exaggerated Roman propaganda, 80,000 Teutons were killed, Caesar defeated 58 BC. BC Ariovistus and his army of seven tribes. He fled with a few warriors across the Rhine back to Germania. After that it is only reported that in the year 54 BC The Germanic tribes would have mourned him. It was reported that his two wives (a Suebin from his homeland and the sister of the Norian king Voccio ) perished while escaping, and only one of his two daughters survived the events and was captured.

Ancient judgment

The main source on the person of Ariovist is the first book of Caesar's De Bello Gallico . The Roman senator and historian Cassius Dio , who wrote a comprehensive Roman history in the early 3rd century AD , also described the events, relying on older models and probably not following Caesar's description. Caesar described Ariovistus as a wild Germanic and reported his atrocities among the Gauls, but did not always convey the image of a stupid barbarian. The discussion that Ariovistus had with Caesar about ambassadors shows a confident attitude. Caesar calls him rex Germanorum (German king) and does not speak of a Suebi.

archeology

The war expeditions of the Suebi around Ariovistus belong, with those of the Marcomanni, to the beginnings of an archaeologically recognizable migration up the Rhine and Elbe, which came to an end in the Marcomanni empire in Bohemia . Graves with valuable grave goods from these Germanic warriors have also been found in the Thuringian region since the 1930s .

swell

literature

Remarks

  1. ↑ Caesar, "De bello Gallico" 1,53,4.
  2. ↑ Caesar, De bello Gallico 1,31,3-4.
  3. ↑ a b Caesar, De bello Gallico 1, 31, 10-13.
  4. ↑ See the article Germanen, Germania, Germanische Altertumskunde . In: Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde . 2nd Edition. Volume 11, Berlin 1998, p. 209.
  5. ↑ If Caesar wanted, he should attack; he will see what the [...] Germans, who have never been defeated, [...] are able to achieve with their bravery. Caesar, De bello Gallico 1,36,7.
  6. ↑ Klaus-Peter Johne: The Romans on the Elbe. The Elbe river basin in the geographical view of the world and in the political consciousness of Greco-Roman antiquity. Akademie Verlag, Berlin 2006, p. 66.
  7. ↑ Ariovistus came to Gaul earlier than the Roman people [...] What does Caesar want from him anyway? [...] This Gaul is his province like ours. Caesar, De bello Gallico 1,44,7.
  8. ↑ Caesar, De bello Gallico 1,31,10.
personal data
SURNAME Ariovistus
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Ariovistus
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Germanic prince
DATE OF BIRTH 2nd century BC BC or 1st century BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH around 54 BC Chr.