Lucterios_médaille_du_monétaire_Sasserna

Lucterius (

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic p ...

: Λυκτεριoς) was a leader of the Cadurci, a Celtic people whose territory was located around

Cahors Cahors (; oc, Caors ) is a commune in the western part of Southern France. It is the smallest prefecture among the 13 departments that constitute the Occitanie Region. The main city of the Lot department and the historical center of the Que ...

in the modern

French department In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level ("territorial collectivity, territorial collectivities"), between the regions of France, admin ...

of Lot. In the 50s BC, the Cadurci were under the rule of the Arverni, the '' civitas'' of

Vercingetorix Vercingetorix (; Greek: Οὐερκιγγετόριξ; – 46 BC) was a Gallic king and chieftain of the Arverni tribe who united the Gauls in a failed revolt against Roman forces during the last phase of Julius Caesar's Gallic Wars. Despite ha ...

, under whom Lucterius served during the last stages of the

Gallic Wars 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, Germany and Switzerland). Gallic, Germanic, and British tribes fought to defend their homel ...

. In his memoirs,

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 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 a civil war, ...

calls him a man of unsurpassed boldness. During the Gallic rebellion of 52 BC, Vercingetorix placed part of his forces under the command of Lucterius and sent him to secure the allegiance of the

Ruteni The Ruteni were a Gallic tribe dwelling in the southern part of the Massif Central, around present-day Rodez, during the Iron Age and the Roman period. Name They are mentioned as ''Rutenos'' by Caesar (mid-1st c. BC), ''R̔outēnoì'' (Ῥου ...

, a border people. Advancing through the territory of the Nitiobriges and

Gabali The Gabali (Gaulish: *''Gabli'') were a Gallic tribe dwelling in the later Gévaudan region during the Iron Age and the Roman period. Name They are mentioned as ''Gabalos'' or ''Gabalis'' by Caesar (mid-1st c. BC), as ''Gabalei͂s'' (Γαβα� ...

, he amassed an impressive number of troops and was on the point of invading the

Narbonensis Gallia Narbonensis (Latin for "Gaul of Narbonne", from its chief settlement) was a Roman province located in what is now Languedoc and Provence, in Southern France. It was also known as Provincia Nostra ("Our Province"), because it was the ...

, the

Roman province The Roman provinces (Latin: ''provincia'', pl. ''provinciae'') were the administrative regions of Ancient Rome outside Roman Italy that were controlled by the Romans under the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire. Each province was rule ...

of Mediterranean Gaul, when the arrival of Caesar and his army forced him to withdraw. Lucterius remained at large after the surrender of Vercingetorix at Alesia and continued the resistance the following year in an alliance with Drappes, a Senonian under whom motley contingents of Gallic rebels had gathered. They attempted another invasion of the Narbonensis, but were blocked by Gaius Caninius Rebilus. They temporarily withdrew to the ''

oppidum An ''oppidum'' (plural ''oppida'') is a large fortified Iron Age settlement or town. ''Oppida'' are primarily associated with the Celtic late La Tène culture, emerging during the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, spread across Europe, stretchi ...

'' of

Uxellodunum Uxellodunum is an Iron Age hill fort, or ''oppidum'', located above the river Dordogne near the modern-day French village of Vayrac in the Lot department. This stronghold lay within the lands of the Cadurci tribe. According to Aulus Hirtiu ...

, in the French province of " le Quercy", though its exact location is still a matter of debate. Mindful of the fate of Vercingetorix under siege at Alesia, they found it imprudent to remain within walls, and encamped about 10 miles away. For a time they were able to keep the town provisioned with grain despite the Roman presence. Despite the capture of Vercingetorix, Lucterius continued rebellion and guerrilla warfare in Gaul, coupled with the political situation in Rome, had put increasing pressure on Caesar as he neared the end of his legal term as

proconsul A proconsul was an official of ancient Rome who acted on behalf of a consul. A proconsul was typically a former consul. The term is also used in recent history for officials with delegated authority. In the Roman Republic, military command, or ...

. He thus joined the siege with the intention of making Uxellodunum an example of the consequences of resistance. When the town fell, Caesar spared the lives of those who had fought, but had their hands cut off as a visible reminder of the penalty for what he considered betrayal. Lucterius, having fled before the surrender, sought refuge among the Arverni, but was betrayed and turned over to the Romans.''Bellum Gallicum'' 8.44.3. Lucterius was the basis of the character Vitalstatistix from

Asterix and Obelix ''Asterix'' or ''The Adventures of Asterix'' (french: Astérix or , "Asterix the Gaul") is a ''bande dessinée'' comic book series about a village of indomitable Gaulish warriors who adventure around the world and fight the Roman Republic, wi ...

References

{{Authority control 1st-century BC rulers in Europe Celts Gaulish rulers