Uxellodunum is an

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly ...

hill fort A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post-Roma ...

, or ''

oppidum An ''oppidum'' (plural ''oppida'') is a large fortified Iron Age settlement or town. ''Oppida'' are primarily associated with the Celtic late La Tène culture, emerging during the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, spread across Europe, stretchi ...

'', located above the river

Dordogne Dordogne ( , or ; ; oc, Dordonha ) is a large rural department in Southwestern France, with its prefecture in Périgueux. Located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region roughly half-way between the Loire Valley and the Pyrenees, it is named ...

near the modern-day French village of Vayrac in the Lot department. This stronghold lay within the lands of the Cadurci

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to confl ...

. According to

Aulus Hirtius Aulus Hirtius (; – 43 BC) was consul of the Roman Republic in 43 BC and a writer on military subjects. He was killed during his consulship in battle against Mark Antony at the Battle of Mutina. Biography He was a legate of Julius Caesar's ...

in his addendum to

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, an ...

's ''

Commentaries on the Gallic War ''Commentarii de Bello Gallico'' (; en, Commentaries on the Gallic War, italic=yes), also ''Bellum Gallicum'' ( en, Gallic War, italic=yes), is Julius Caesar's firsthand account of the Gallic Wars, written as a third-person narrative. In it Ca ...

'', the last revolt against Rome's authority in

Gaul Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...

occurred here, and was brutally punished. The ''Commentaries on the Gallic War'' describe Uxellodunum as being strongly fortified by its natural position, with a river dividing the valley below that almost surrounded the steep craggy mountain on which the citadel was built. The name apparently means "high fort"; " dun" is a Celtic word for fort, which is to be found in many place-names.

Description of siege

The main source of information about the siege in 51 BC is Book 8 of the ''Commentaries on the Gallic War''. The siege is also mentioned briefly by the engineer

Sextus Julius Frontinus Sextus Julius Frontinus (c. 40 – 103 AD) was a prominent Roman civil engineer, author, soldier and senator of the late 1st century AD. He was a successful general under Domitian, commanding forces in Roman Britain, and on the Rhine and Danube ...

in his book '' Stratagems''. The siege began after Lucterius, the leader of the Cadurci, and Drapes from the Senones, prepared Uxellodunum against a Roman assault. Caesar's commander in the area, the

legate Legate may refer to: * Legatus, a higher ranking general officer of the Roman army drawn from among the senatorial class :*Legatus Augusti pro praetore, a provincial governor in the Roman Imperial period *A member of a legation *A representative, ...

Gaius Caninius Rebilus The gens Caninia was a plebeian family at ancient Rome during the later Republic. The first member of the gens who obtained any of the curule offices was Gaius Caninius Rebilus, praetor in 171 BC; but the first Caninius who was consul was h ...

, deployed his two

legion Legion may refer to: Military * Roman legion, the basic military unit of the ancient Roman army * Spanish Legion, an elite military unit within the Spanish Army * Legion of the United States, a reorganization of the United States Army from 179 ...

s. Informed by letter of the situation, Caesar decided to take personal charge of the siege.

''Commentaries'', Book 8

Caesar saw that his work could never be brought to a successful conclusion if similar revolts were allowed to break out constantly in different parts of the county and believed his "clemency" was so well known that no one would think him a cruel man if he took severe measures. He, therefore, decided to deter all others by making an example of the defenders of Uxellodunum. All who had borne arms had their hands cut off and were then let go so that everyone might see what punishment was meted evildoers.

Location and conservation of site

There has been long-running controversy as to the location of Uxellodunum.

Charles Athanase Walckenaer Baron Charles Athanase Walckenaer (25 December 1771 – 28 April 1852) was a French civil servant and scientist. Biography Walckenaer was born in Paris and studied at the universities of Oxford and Glasgow. In 1793 he was appointed head of t ...

asserted that Uxellodunum was to be identified with the village of Capdenac on the river Lot. The site of Cantayrac (Tarn-et-Garonne) was also proposed by Eloi Itard, André Noché and Fernand Réveille; in particular, this site corresponds much more than the others to the description made by Hirtius. Archaeological work has validated the theory that the ''oppidum'' in question was at Puy d'Issolud, Vayrac. Weapons have been found there and also features, which have been interpreted as relating to the water transfer described in the historical account of the siege. This site () was officially recognised by the

French Ministry of Culture The Ministry of Culture (french: Ministère de la Culture) is the ministry of the Government of France in charge of national museums and the . Its goal is to maintain the French identity through the promotion and protection of the arts (visua ...

in 2001.(2008-08-06)
Uxellodunum: une nouvelle bataille en perspective''
''

La Dépêche du Midi ''La Dépêche'', formally ''La Dépêche du Midi'', is a regional daily newspaper published in Toulouse in Southwestern France with seventeen editions for different areas of the Midi-Pyrénées region. The main local editions are for Toulouse, ...

'' (ladepeche.fr) Various finds from Puy d'Issolud are displayed in the town of

Martel Martel may refer to: People * Andre Martel (1946–2016), American politician and businessman * Anne-Marie Martel (1644–1673), founder of what is now the Congrégation des Sœurs de l’Enfant-Jésus. * James B. Aguayo-Martel, ophthalmologis ...

at the ''Musée d'Uxellodunum'', housed in a historic building, the Palais de la Raymondie.''Musée d'Uxellodunum''
/ref> There is also a ''Musée Uxellodunum'' in Vayrac. There have been proposals to develop "quality" tourism at the site itself, which as of 2008 lacked interpretative material for visitors.

References

CHAMPOLLION-FIGEAC ''Nouvelles recherches sur Uxellodunum''. Imprimerie Royale 1820. The most complete and serious work

External links

Uxellodunum website
{{Authority control Prehistoric sites in France Hill forts in France 51 BC Populated places in pre-Roman Gaul