Antiquities Exhibits

Gallo-Roman remains of ancient Bavacum, once the capital for the Nervii tribe in Bavay, France. Local legends point to the city of Bavay's founding by a cousin of Priam fleeing the destruction of Troy in the 12th century BCE. But archaeologists have been unable to find remains dating that far into antiquity. However, the site served as a capital of the Nervii tribe, connecting their city to the capital cities of neighbouring  Amiens via Arras, Tongeren, Cassel, Trier in the east and Reims in the south, until their defeat by Julius Caesar during the Gallic Wars. The location then became known as Bavacum (or Bagacum) when it was designated a Roman civitas as the result of a reorganization by Augustus between 16 and 13 BCE. The town became an important commercial junction of seven roads on the trade routes between Germania and the naval port of Boulogne-sur-Mer. During the Claudian period through the dynasty of the Flavians, a forum, thermal baths fed by an aqueduct bringing water...

Artifacts from the last battle between the Gauls and Julius Caesar on display through August 31, 2019 at the Museum of Uxellodunum in Vayrac, France. This exhibition presents objects from archaeological excavations of the hilltop oppidum of Uxellodunum including weapons and reconstructed Roman armament. Additional materials can be viewed at the Gallo-Roman Museum located in the Palais de la Raymondie in nearby Martel. The Sieg e of Uxellodunum was one of the last battles of the Gallic Wars. Uxellodunum was heavily fortified, both by its natural position surrounded by a river and by its impressive fortifications built by the Carduci tribe. So, Julius Caesar decided to target the city's water supply, having noticed the difficulty the Gauls had climbing down a very steep slope to reach the riverbank. Caesar stationed archers and balista near the river to cover any attempt to gather water from this main source. When the Gauls resorted to a secondary spring, Caesar ordered his engin...

Reimagine the battle of Alesia at the Alesia Archaeological Park near Alise-Sainte-Reine, France.  Exhibits include weapons, films, maps and scale models displayed in a round interpretive center recalling the original fortified oppidum. Visitors can experience the various stages of the battle through augmented reality. Binoculars pointed at important battle sites near the oppidum enable visitors to get a close-up of the landscape that springs to life with animations depicting the unfolding siege and the battle.  Visitors can also explore a section of the reconstructed dual walls  with wooden parapets that Julius Caesar constructed to contain the Gauls in the hill fort and protect the Roman from Gallic relief forces numbering an estimated 250,000 men in total.  Historical reenactors also present demonstrations of life in 1st century BCE Gaul. Reconstructions of Julius Caesar's reconstruction at the site of the battle of Alesia