• Home

The Complete Pilgrim - Religious Travel Sites

Howard Kramer's, The Complete Pilgrim, Religious Travel Site

  • AMERICAN RELIGIOUS SITES
  • CHRISTIAN SITES
  • JEWISH SITES
  • CATHOLIC SITES
  • ISLAMIC SITES
  • INDIAN/HINDU SITES
  • HOLIDAY SITES
  • CASTLES
  • BATTLEFIELDS
  • MOUNTAINS
  • NATURE
  • WILDLIFE SITES
  • PHOTO GALLERIES
  • ARCHIVES
  • ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

BATTLE OF AQUAE SEXTIAE (AQUAE SEXTIAE BATTLEFIELD)

December 7, 2015 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Aix-En-Provence, France (102 BC)

The Battle of Aquae Sextiae was the last major engagement of the Cimbrian War, a conflict caused by the migration of several Germanic tribes from Central Europe into Roman territory.  This campaign (of sorts) was essentially more of an aggressive relocation of the Teutons and Cimbri tribes through the Alps, but was viewed as a major military threat by the Roman Republic.  The clash at Aquae Sextiae was a decisive victory for the Romans, and represented the last major attempt at German encroachment into Roman territory until the 4th century.

History

During the 2nd century BC, Germanic tribes began arriving in large numbers on the frontiers of the Roman Empire.  These nomadic warriors, coming from Scandinavia and Eastern Europe, posed one of the greatest threats to the early Roman Republic and foreshadowed the much larger Germanic invasions that took place in the later years of the empire.  The conflict, known as the Cimbrian War, was named for the Cimbri tribe who, along with their allies the Teutons and others, were the primary antagonists of the Romans.

The Germanic invasions were probably little more than an aggressive migration at the outset as the Cimbri and Teutons sought more temperate homes in the lands of the south and west.  Concerned that this posed a threat to the republic, the Romans sent a force north to intercept the Cimbri.  Interestingly, the initial meeting was peaceful, with the numerically superior Germans agreeing to go elsewhere.  However, a Roman plot to ambush the unsuspecting Cimbri was discovered, and the Roman army was massacred in 109 BC.  What followed was seven years of chaos as the Germans horde proceeded to ravage Western Europe.

In 102 BC, the Romans marched a newly organized, trained and equipped army northwards consisting of perhaps as many as a hundred thousand men, the largest force yet fielded by Rome.  They established a fortified camp on a hilltop at Aquae Sextiae, where they awaited a horde of Teutons and Ambrones who had been raiding throughout Gaul.

Although they outnumbered the Romans, the Germans were completely unprepared for the new Roman training and tactics.  The Romans drew the enemy in to attacking their positions frontally, then ambushed them from behind with a second force.  What resulted was a complete massacre of the Germans, who lost about ninety thousand men to about a thousand Romans.  This was the beginning of the end of the Cimbri migrations, which were completely finished off a year later at the Battle of Vercellae.  As a famous footnote to the battle, many of the women who accompanied the Germans committed suicide rather than be taken as war prizes by the Romans.

Visiting

The field where the Battle of Aquae Sextiae was fought is still extent in the foothills of south-central France.  The site is dominated by Mount Sainte Victoire, where the Romans made their fortified camp, and where artifacts of the battle are still being discovered to the present day.  Also of interest is the Arc de Triomphe de Marius, a Roman monument erected in memory of the victory.  The monument is now destroyed, but the base can still be seen.

The Battlefield of Aquae Sextiae is located in the large open area at the base of Mount Sainte Victoire just south of the village of Vauvanargues approximately seven miles east of Aix-En-Provence and 24 miles northeast of Marseilles.  It is an open site.  There is no cost of admission.  Web: http://en.aixenprovencetourism.com (official tourism website of Aix-En-Provence).

Filed Under: Battlefield Tagged With: France

Where would you like to go?

Africa (North) Africa (Sub-Sahara) Arabia Armenia/Azerbaijan/Georgia Australia/Pacific Austria/Switzerland Balkans Belgium/Netherlands British Isles Canada Caribbean Central Asia China Czech Republic Egypt France Germany Greece Hungary/Romania/Bulgaria India (NE)/Nepal India (NW) India (South)/Sri Lanka Iran/Iraq Israel Italy/Malta Japan/Korea Latin America Mexico Palestine Poland/Lithuania Russia Scandinavia Southeast Asia Spain/Portugal Syria/Jordan/Lebanon Turkey/Cyprus Ukraine US-California US-Mid Atlantic US-Midwest US-New England US-New York US-Pacific Northwest US-South US-Southwest

About Howard Kramer

Howard Kramer is the creator and author of The Complete Pilgrim. He first took an interest in religious sites in his early twenties when traveling through Italy after college. In the two decades since he has traveled to more than two dozen countries and almost every state, visiting and photographing hundreds of the world’s greatest churches, synagogues and other places of religious interest. Howard has been writing about religious sites for the better part of the last decade, and The Complete Pilgrim is a culmination of years of his work and passion.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

THE COMPLETE AMERICAN PILGRIM – NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON

THE COMPLETE PILGRIM

Welcome to The Complete Pilgrim(TM)! This site, created by Howard Kramer, is a combination travel blog and online guide to the world's greatest sites of religious interest (with some historic and recreational places thrown in for good measure). All written content has been originally researched and produced and is provided free for public research and enjoyment. Thank you for visiting!

Site of the Week

WITTENBERG CASTLE CHURCH

WITTENBERG CASTLE CHURCH

Wittenberg, Germany The … [Read More...]

Friends of TCP Spotlight

5 PLACES TO VISIT IN HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA – MUSLIM TRAVEL ROCKS

5 PLACES TO VISIT IN HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA – MUSLIM TRAVEL ROCKS

by Glory Ali The City of Brotherly Love offers tons to see and do and get this, it’s FREE. That’s right you heard it right it’s FREE. Click here for complete article  

MOVING THE U.S. EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM – FAITH IN FAITHS

MOVING THE U.S. EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM – FAITH IN FAITHS

by Mary Neuhauser President Trump recently announced his intentions to move the United States Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, thereby recognizing Jerusalem as the official capital of Israel. The purpose of this article is to give you a brief overview of what this decision means and why it matters. Click here for […]

Photo of the Week

BASILICA OF ST. DENIS

Last month, I visited one of the most fascinating churches I have ever been to, the almost completely ignored Basilica of St. Denis in the northern suburbs of Paris.  Almost every French monarch is buried here, and almost nobody goes here.  Here are some pics I took:

Basilica of St. Denis

Tomb of Clovis

Tomb of Clovis

Tombs of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

Tombs of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

Tomb of Louis XIV The Sun King

Tomb of Louis XIV The Sun King

Royal Tombs

Royal Tombs

The Crypt

The Crypt

 

 

 

 

Follow us!

Where would you like to go?

Africa (North) Africa (Sub-Sahara) Arabia Armenia/Azerbaijan/Georgia Australia/Pacific Austria/Switzerland Balkans Belgium/Netherlands British Isles Canada Caribbean Central Asia China Czech Republic Egypt France Germany Greece Hungary/Romania/Bulgaria India (NE)/Nepal India (NW) India (South)/Sri Lanka Iran/Iraq Israel Italy/Malta Japan/Korea Latin America Mexico Palestine Poland/Lithuania Russia Scandinavia Southeast Asia Spain/Portugal Syria/Jordan/Lebanon Turkey/Cyprus Ukraine US-California US-Mid Atlantic US-Midwest US-New England US-New York US-Pacific Northwest US-South US-Southwest

Contact Us

Have a comment, a great photo or a religious site you'd like to nominate for the weekly spotlight? We would love to hear from you. Email us at hkramer@thecompletepilgrim.com.

About the Author

Howard Kramer is the creator and author of The Complete Pilgrim. He first took an interest in religious sites in his early twenties when traveling through Italy after college. In the two decades since he has traveled to more than two dozen countries and almost every state, visiting and photographing hundreds of the world’s greatest churches, synagogues and other places of religious interest. Howard has been writing about religious sites for the better part of the last decade, and The Complete Pilgrim is the culmination of years of his work and passion.

Return to top of page
Copyright © 2023 The Complete Pilgrim, LLC || Marietta, GA 30068 || Legal Disclaimers

Website by: Kristina McInerny, Notes From Kris, Inc.