Diviciacus or Divitiacus was a

druid A druid was a member of the high-ranking priestly class in ancient Celtic cultures. The druids were religious leaders as well as legal authorities, adjudicators, lorekeepers, medical professionals and political advisors. Druids left no wr ...

of the

Aedui The Aedui or Haedui (Gaulish language, Gaulish: *''Aiduoi'', 'the Ardent'; ) were a Gauls, Gallic tribe dwelling in what is now the region of Burgundy during the La Tène culture, Iron Age and the Roman Empire, Roman period. The Aedui had an ambi ...

tribe who lived in

Gaul Gaul () was a region of Western Europe first clearly described by the Roman people, Romans, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, and Northern Italy. It covered an area of . Ac ...

during the 1st century BC. He is the only druid from antiquity whose existence is attested by name. The name may mean "avenger". His date of birth is unknown, though he was an adult during the late 60s BC, and an aristocrat who took part in the clans' decision-making, as described by

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 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 Caesar's civil wa ...

in Caesar's '' The Gallic War''. Diviciacus supported the Aedui's pre-existing alliance with Rome. He was a leader of the pro-Roman faction, and would ultimately aid

in his

conquest of Gaul The Gallic Wars were waged between 58 and 50 BC by the Roman general Julius Caesar against the peoples of Gaul (present-day France, Belgium, and Switzerland). Gallic, Germanic, and Brittonic tribes fought to defend their homelands ag ...

. However, his younger brother Dumnorix was a leader of the tribe’s anti-Roman faction; who “...thought it better to be dominated by their fellow Gauls... rather than the Romans.”. Dumnorix would secretly work to undermine Caesar’s and Diviciacus’ efforts in Gaul. Both brothers appear in Caesar’s Commentaries on the Gallic War.

Visit to Rome

In 63 BC, Diviciacus survived the

Battle of Magetobriga The Battle of Magetobriga (Amagetobria, Magetobria, Mageto'Bria, Admageto'Bria) was fought in 63 BC between rival tribes in Gaul. The Aedui tribe was defeated and massacred by the combined forces of their hereditary rivals, the Sequani ...

, where forces of the

Sequani The Sequani were a Gallic tribe dwelling in the upper river basin of the Arar river (Saône), the valley of the Doubs and the Jura Mountains during the Iron Age and the Roman period. Name They are mentioned as ''Sequanos'' by Caesar (mid-1 ...

and

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 n ...

, together with Germanic troops under the

Suebi file:1st century Germani.png, 300px, The approximate positions of some Germanic peoples reported by Graeco-Roman authors in the 1st century. Suebian peoples in red, and other Irminones in purple. The Suebi (also spelled Suavi, Suevi or Suebians ...

king

Ariovistus Ariovistus was a leader of the Suebi and other allied Germanic peoples in the second quarter of the 1st century BC, who name appears prominently in Julius Caesar's '' Commentarii de Bello Gallico''. Before their conflict with the Romans, Ariovis ...

, massacred the Aedui. Thereafter, the Aedui became tributary to the Sequani. Following the Aedui defeat, Diviciacus traveled to Rome and spoke before the

Roman Senate The Roman Senate () was the highest and constituting assembly of ancient Rome and its aristocracy. With different powers throughout its existence it lasted from the first days of the city of Rome (traditionally founded in 753 BC) as the Sena ...

to ask for military aid. While there he was a guest of

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, orator, writer and Academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises tha ...

, who wrote of his knowledge of

divination Divination () is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic ritual or practice. Using various methods throughout history, diviners ascertain their interpretations of how a should proceed by reading signs, ...

astronomy Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest includ ...

and

natural philosophy Natural philosophy or philosophy of nature (from Latin ''philosophia naturalis'') is the philosophical study of physics, that is, nature and the physical universe, while ignoring any supernatural influence. It was dominant before the develop ...

, and names him as a druid. Julius Caesar, who knew him well, noted Diviciacus' particular skills as a diplomat without calling him a druid.

Alliance with Caesar

Following Caesar's victory over the

Helvetii The Helvetii (, , Gaulish: *''Heluētī''), anglicized as Helvetians, were a Celtic tribe or tribal confederation occupying most of the Swiss plateau at the time of their contact with the Roman Republic in the 1st century BC. According to Ju ...

, Diviciacus was a prominent member of the Gallic delegation to Caesar, and was appointed as their chief spokesman. He brought the Gallic people's concerns to Caesar regarding Ariovistus, who had taken the lives and liberty of the Aedui, yet he also drew attention to the fact that the lands of the Sequani (ancient enemies of the Aedui) were also being hijacked by Ariovistus. The Gauls' request provided the catalyst for the next phase of Caesar's

Conquest of Gaul The Gallic Wars were waged between 58 and 50 BC by the Roman general Julius Caesar against the peoples of Gaul (present-day France, Belgium, and Switzerland). Gallic, Germanic, and Brittonic tribes fought to defend their homelands ag ...

, when Caesar went on to confront and defeat Ariovistus. Diviciacus had a brother, Dumnorix, who was aggressively anti-Roman. Throughout the Gallic Wars Dumnorix was able to actively sabotage Caesar's conquests many times thanks to his powerful position among the Aedui. Caesar asserts that Dumnorix conspired to take all of Gaul through his influence with the

, through the cunning statesman Orgetorix, and the Sequani. After defeating him in battle, Caesar spared his life so as to avoid antagonizing Diviciacus, who had begged Caesar not to punish his brother. Later, however, Dumnorix attempted to escape from Caesar's control and was killed in the attempt.

Social positions

Delamarre contends that, in addition to holding the religious office of druid, Diviciacus may have been the '' Uergobretos'', the annually elected political leader or chief magistrate of the Aedui, one of the most powerful nations in Gaul. If true, his combination of military and religious office responsibilities in Aedua paralleled Caesar's duties among the Romans (in Rome, Caesar was '' Pontifex Maximus'' in addition to being a

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judi ...

and general). Diviciacus would have been ''Uergobretos'' sometime before 52 BC, when the election was contested between Convictolitavis and Cotos. The date of Diviciacus' death is not known; Cicero speaks of him in the past tense in 44 BC.Cicero
''De Diviatione'' 1.90
/ref>

Popular culture

Diviciacus appears as a special Druid unit in the 2003 video game '' Praetorians'', part of which is set during the Gallic Wars. In the game, Diviciacus serves as a healer, frequently appearing on the side of Rome during the campaign. His name is spelled "Divitiacus". The lyrics to the

Eluveitie Eluveitie ( ; )Chrigel Glanzmann: "Eluveitie is a name in Gaulish language, which is an ancient Celtic language. Since it's not a living language anymore, nobody really knows how it's pronounced like. All we have today of this language is scient ...

song "(Do)minion" are written from the point of view of Diviciacus, addressed to his brother Dumnorix.

References

Bibliography

* *

, '' De Divinatione'' 1.41 * {{cite dictionary , last=Delamarre , first=Xavier , title=Dictionnaire de la langue gauloise: Une approche linguistique du vieux-celtique continental , year=2003 , dictionary=Dictionnaire de la Langue Gauloise , edition=2nd , location=Paris , publisher=Editions Errance , isbn=2-87772-237-6 , url=https://archive.org/details/dictionnairedelal00dela *

, ''

Commentarii de Bello Gallico ''Commentarii de Bello Gallico'' (; ), also ''Bellum Gallicum'' (), is Julius Caesar's first-hand account of the Gallic Wars, written as a third-person narrative. In it, Caesar describes the battles and intrigues that took place in the nine yea ...

'
1.31.16-201.31-322.52.14-156.127.39
Druids 1st-century BC Gaulish tribal chiefs Ambassadors to ancient Rome Aedui