Battle of the Arar

The Battle of the Arar was fought between the migrating tribes of the Helvetii, and three Roman legions, under the command of Gaius Julius Caesar, in 58 BC. This was the first major battle of the Gallic Wars.

The Helvetii were a tribe that originated from what is modern day Switzerland, who, prior to battle with Caesar, had been migrating through Roman Gaul.

At Geneva, the Romans destroyed the wooden bridge across the Rhone and constructed nineteen miles of fortifications. The Helvetii tribe tried to migrate by another route, and were crossing the river Arar (Saône) using rafts and boats. Caesar was informed by his scouts and proceeded to engage the Helvetii. Three parts of the Helvetii forces had crossed the river and Caesar routed the fourth part left on his side of the river, killing a great many and driving the rest into the woods.

The Helvetii Caesar defeated were part of the pagus (sub-tribe) of the Tigurini, which in 107 BC had slain the Consul Lucius Cassius Longinus, as well as the legate Lucius Calpurnius Piso, the grandfather of the Lucius Calpurnius Piso who was the father-in-law of Caesar.

Online Sources

 * "De Bello Gallico" and Other Commentaries at Project Gutenberg.