Bituitus ('' fl.'' 2nd century BCE) was a king of the

Arverni The Arverni (Gaulish: *''Aruernoi'') were a Gallic people dwelling in the modern Auvergne region during the Iron Age and the Roman period. They were one of the most powerful tribes of ancient Gaul, contesting primacy over the region with the ne ...

, a

Gaulish Gaulish was an ancient Celtic language spoken in parts of Continental Europe before and during the period of the Roman Empire. In the narrow sense, Gaulish was the language of the Celts of Gaul (now France, Luxembourg, Belgium, most of Switzerl ...

tribe living in what is now the

Auvergne Auvergne (; ; oc, label=Occitan, Auvèrnhe or ) is a former administrative region in central France, comprising the four departments of Allier, Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal and Haute-Loire. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region Auver ...

region of France. The Arverni were a powerful opponent of the Roman Republic during the 3rd and 2nd centuries under the leadership of Luernius, the father of Bituitus. In 121 BCE, Bituitus was defeated by the Roman general

Fabius Maximus Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus, surnamed Cunctator ( 280 – 203 BC), was a Roman statesman and general of the third century BC. He was consul five times (233, 228, 215, 214, and 209 BC) and was appointed dictator in 221 and 217 BC. He was ...

, ending the power of the Arverni in Mediterranean Gaul, or present-day southern France. The defeat of the Arverni resulted in the establishment of the Roman province of Gallia Narbonensis.

History

In 121 BC, the Roman proconsul Domitius Ahenobarbus undertook a war against the

Allobroges The Allobroges (Gaulish: *''Allobrogis'', 'foreigner, exiled'; grc, Ἀλλοβρίγων, Ἀλλόβριγες) were a Gallic people dwelling in a large territory between the Rhône river and the Alps during the Iron Age and the Roman period. ...

, who allied with the Arverni under Bituitus. These Gallic tribes were defeated near the town of Vindalium, the current French town of

Bédarrides Bédarrides (; Provençal: ''Bedarrida'') is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Name The settlement is attested as ''villa Betorrida'' in 814, ''Biturrita'' in 898, ''Bistu ...

. After this defeat, the Allobroges and Arverni made preparations to re-enter battle with the Romans. Bituitus again took the field with a large army. Where the Isère river meets the river Rhone near current-day Valence in the south of France, the consul

, the grandson of Paullus, met them in battle in the autumn of 121 BC. The Romans were greatly outnumbered, yet managed to gain a complete victory. It was estimated that 120,000 of Bituitus' army fell in the battle. Following his defeat, Bituitus was taken prisoner and sent to Rome, where he was sentenced by the senate to exile in

Alba Fucens Alba Fucens was an ancient Italic town occupying a lofty location (1,000 m) at the foot of the Monte Velino, c. 6.5 km north of Avezzano, Abruzzo, central Italy. Its remains are today in the ''comune'' of Massa d'Albe. History It was ...

, one of three foreign kings known to have been held there. Bituitus' son, Congonnetiacus, was also captured, and possibly held with him at

Alba ''Alba'' ( , ) is the Scottish Gaelic name for Scotland. It is also, in English language historiography, used to refer to the polity of Picts and Scots united in the ninth century as the Kingdom of Alba, until it developed into the Kin ...

. It was the last time that a foreign king was detained at Alba, and throughout the rest of the Late Republican period, kings are known to have been detained at Rome, often in the homes of high-ranking officials, and to have agitated actively in political affairs. Fabius was awarded the honour of a triumph and given the

agnomen An ''agnomen'' (; plural: ''agnomina''), in the Roman naming convention, was a nickname, just as the '' cognomen'' was initially. However, the ''cognomina'' eventually became family names, so ''agnomina'' were needed to distinguish between sim ...

''Allobrogicus''. Unlike the Arverni, who retained independence after the war, the

were brought under Roman rule at this time. Bituitus, wearing his silver ceremonial armor, was paraded at Fabius's triumph. From the plunder of the Auvergne, Fabius erected his

victory arch The Victory Arch ( ar, قوس النصر ''Qaws an-Naṣr''), officially known as the ''Swords of Qādisīyah''، and popularly called the ''Hands of Victory'' or the ''Crossed Swords'', are a pair of triumphal arches in central Baghdad, Iraq. ...

, the Fornix Fabianus along the

Via Sacra The Via Sacra (, "''Sacred Street''") was the main street of ancient Rome, leading from the top of the Capitoline Hill, through some of the most important religious sites of the Forum (where it is the widest street), to the Colosseum. The road ...

, and adorned it with a statue of himself.Authors, Various. "Fabius Q. Amelliani." ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology''. Ed. William Smith. Vol. 2. London: C.C. Little and J. Brown, 1861. 994-95. ''Google Books''. Web. 12 Oct. 2011

Bituitus is the last known king of the Arverni, and later sources, such as Julius Caesar's war commentaries, indicate that they were afterwards ruled by an oligarchy or council analogous to the Roman senate.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bituitus 2nd-century BC rulers in Europe Celts Gaulish rulers Arverni