0:00:04 > 0:00:082,000 years ago, this small plateau in a rural corner of France
0:00:08 > 0:00:12was the front line between two very different cultures.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18The ordered, civilising presence of the Roman Empire...
0:00:20 > 0:00:24..facing off against an ancient Iron Age tribal people...
0:00:26 > 0:00:27..the Celts.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39In Britain, we're never far from our Celtic past.
0:00:39 > 0:00:44The Celts seem to belong to a shadowy, wilder, more primal time
0:00:44 > 0:00:47than anything in more recent history.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53But much about their origins, beliefs, and ultimate fate
0:00:53 > 0:00:55remains a mystery.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02But a story etched in vivid colour
0:01:02 > 0:01:08is how these powerful, tribal people battled for survival
0:01:08 > 0:01:11against their arch-enemy, the Roman Empire.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15From the first Celtic raiding parties
0:01:15 > 0:01:17that rampaged through ancient Italy
0:01:17 > 0:01:20to Julius Caesar's campaign in Gaul
0:01:20 > 0:01:26and the Celts' last stand under the warrior queen Boudicca.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28One of the greatest cultural conflicts
0:01:28 > 0:01:31that still defines our world today...
0:01:31 > 0:01:35and reveals Europe's most enigmatic ancient people.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09By the 4th century BC,
0:02:09 > 0:02:13the Celts were at the peak of their military and cultural powers.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20They were establishing themselves far beyond their homeland,
0:02:20 > 0:02:22aggressive in their pursuit of new territory.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27In 387 BC,
0:02:27 > 0:02:30they burned the city of Rome to the ground.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35This marked a new era for the Celts,
0:02:35 > 0:02:39when conflict and war became a means of gaining social status.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43An era when the warrior was king.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51But the Celts weren't alone as a military force.
0:02:51 > 0:02:55After the destruction of Rome, the city had been rebuilt
0:02:55 > 0:02:57and the Romans were flexing their muscle
0:02:57 > 0:02:59right across the Mediterranean world...
0:03:01 > 0:03:03..forging a new empire
0:03:03 > 0:03:06that would become the model for all empires to come.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11But the Roman Army had yet to conquer
0:03:11 > 0:03:16the Celtic heartlands of Central and Western Europe.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19And the Celts presented a formidable obstacle
0:03:19 > 0:03:22to Rome's expansionist plans.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27What was at stake was the future of Europe
0:03:27 > 0:03:30and the civilisation that would shape it.
0:03:30 > 0:03:34On the one hand, centralised, modern Rome -
0:03:34 > 0:03:36on the other, an Iron Age culture
0:03:36 > 0:03:38that had its roots deep in prehistory.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45Two vast armies, and a brutal conflict
0:03:45 > 0:03:48fought between two of the age's greatest generals.
0:03:57 > 0:04:02The Celts' new era will forever be associated with a tiny village
0:04:02 > 0:04:07that lies on the shores of Lake Neuchatel, in Switzerland.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11It's now perhaps the most famous name in Celtic history.
0:04:14 > 0:04:16"La Tene".
0:04:16 > 0:04:21Those are words writ large in every book about the Celts.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24For many archaeologists, they're a kind of shorthand
0:04:24 > 0:04:27for that period when the Celts were at the peak of their power
0:04:27 > 0:04:29and of their artistic achievement.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32There are objects, artefacts of La Tene culture
0:04:32 > 0:04:35scattered across Europe, from Britain to the Balkans.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38It was their golden hour.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45This golden age is epitomised
0:04:45 > 0:04:48by intricate Celtic art and craftsmanship.
0:04:50 > 0:04:54It's this art that has come to be seen as quintessentially Celtic.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03But beneath that romance and beauty,
0:05:03 > 0:05:08there appears to be a much darker underbelly to Celtic culture -
0:05:08 > 0:05:12savage customs and bloody brutality.
0:05:15 > 0:05:20In 1857, archaeologists excavating an ancient riverbed
0:05:20 > 0:05:22on the shores of Lake Neuchatel
0:05:22 > 0:05:25discovered the remains of an Iron Age wooden bridge.
0:05:28 > 0:05:29Surrounding the structure,
0:05:29 > 0:05:33they found an enormous hoard of Celtic artefacts,
0:05:33 > 0:05:37including swords, scabbards and spearheads.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43In total, over 3,000 objects,
0:05:43 > 0:05:45all beautifully preserved in the mud.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51What they'd stumbled upon is believed by some archaeologists
0:05:51 > 0:05:53to have been a wooden platform
0:05:53 > 0:05:58used by Celtic warriors as a sacrificial altar to their gods,
0:05:58 > 0:06:01one where the victims of bloody conflict
0:06:01 > 0:06:03might have been ritually displayed.
0:06:08 > 0:06:12The finds from the lake are now held in the Latenium museum,
0:06:12 > 0:06:16under the watchful eye of Marc-Antoine Kaeser.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22What do you think happened here at La Tene?
0:06:22 > 0:06:25Why do we have this huge collection of material here?
0:06:26 > 0:06:29I think first, La Tene is an important place -
0:06:29 > 0:06:36a passage place, with these bridges on the water, on the river.
0:06:36 > 0:06:40And probably, after a big battle,
0:06:40 > 0:06:43the people put all those weapons
0:06:43 > 0:06:47and other kinds of objects on display,
0:06:47 > 0:06:51as a show commemorating the battle.
0:06:51 > 0:06:55These were obviously kinds of offerings to the gods,
0:06:55 > 0:06:59and it was discovered 2,000 years later.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02In addition to all the weaponry,
0:07:02 > 0:07:04we have this human skull,
0:07:04 > 0:07:07and you see the marks on the forehead?
0:07:07 > 0:07:10Slices... Is that from a sword?
0:07:10 > 0:07:13Yes, but the main interesting thing is that these are not
0:07:13 > 0:07:18marks of wounds which you would have received in battle.
0:07:18 > 0:07:23So, we think these are marks of sacrifice.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25- Ah, so it's a trophy?- Exactly.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28We have many skulls of horses, like this one.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31If you look at the inside here,
0:07:31 > 0:07:35you see the palate has been smashed through.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38You see here?
0:07:38 > 0:07:40The small hole.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42From the point of something, a spear or something?
0:07:42 > 0:07:45No, not a spear - a pike.
0:07:45 > 0:07:51So, the horse's head was on display like that, on a pike.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55So, you've got, possibly, the whole bodies of dead men, or their heads,
0:07:55 > 0:07:59accompanied by horses' heads as well. Gosh.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03It's a very grisly tableau.
0:08:03 > 0:08:07It's not just a spectacular display of beautiful weapons,
0:08:07 > 0:08:11it's also the bloodied and ultimately rotting corpses.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16It's almost... Well, it is theatrical.
0:08:20 > 0:08:24La Tene exposed a culture where war was a way of life,
0:08:24 > 0:08:26and where the tools of battle -
0:08:26 > 0:08:28beautifully crafted weapons -
0:08:28 > 0:08:31became a means of displaying a warrior's status.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37When you handle and look at these objects, what are the details
0:08:37 > 0:08:41that leap out at you and say, "This is something special.
0:08:41 > 0:08:43"This is not just a tool"?
0:08:45 > 0:08:48If you take a look at the objects, and especially here,
0:08:48 > 0:08:51when you see the surface here,
0:08:51 > 0:08:54the treatment of the surface, which is quite particular.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57And then, you have the decor...
0:08:59 > 0:09:01..the figures, which you see here.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04Every object, every sword, is unique.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08And this was different, then, to see weapons,
0:09:08 > 0:09:12but weapons that were also works of art?
0:09:12 > 0:09:16Yes - since it's a way of life, you have to show all the art,
0:09:16 > 0:09:24all the beauty which you invest into your warlike occupation.
0:09:24 > 0:09:29So, as well as being a tool of his trade, it shows his status -
0:09:29 > 0:09:31and the fact that the way in which he makes his living
0:09:31 > 0:09:34is almost an art.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46The finds at La Tene revealed a very different Celtic world -
0:09:46 > 0:09:49one that was aggressive and warlike.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53It was also a world of stark contrasts,
0:09:53 > 0:09:56in which beauty and creativity
0:09:56 > 0:10:00were entwined with cruelty and extreme violence.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06This double edge of beauty and beast
0:10:06 > 0:10:12is epitomised by one extraordinary and apparently sacred object -
0:10:12 > 0:10:13the Gundestrup Cauldron.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23Beaten into the silver are images of Celtic gods,
0:10:23 > 0:10:25strange beasts and rituals.
0:10:27 > 0:10:32But even this exquisite object points to a preoccupation with war.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36Warriors are depicted being dipped into
0:10:36 > 0:10:38what some believe to be sacred liquid,
0:10:38 > 0:10:41to improve their military rank in the afterlife.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44It's thought the cauldron was used ceremonially at feasts,
0:10:44 > 0:10:47where soldiers would drink from it before battle,
0:10:47 > 0:10:50in the belief that it bestowed immortality.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58Although the silverwork is rich in their imagery,
0:10:58 > 0:11:01it was not the work of Celts,
0:11:01 > 0:11:05but probably crafted by a people known as the Thracians,
0:11:05 > 0:11:07and believed to be a gift of friendship
0:11:07 > 0:11:09to their neighbours, the Celts.
0:11:10 > 0:11:15The cauldron was made, not in the Celtic heartland of central Europe,
0:11:15 > 0:11:19but over 1,000 miles further east, in the Balkans.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25So, as well as embodying the beauty and violence of La Tene culture,
0:11:25 > 0:11:29the cauldron shows a civilisation seeking power and land
0:11:29 > 0:11:31more forcefully than ever before.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43Where they had previously negotiated through trade,
0:11:43 > 0:11:45Celtic warriors and their raiding parties
0:11:45 > 0:11:49now seized slaves and luxury goods with the blade of a sword.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55And by the early 3rd century BC,
0:11:55 > 0:11:58Celts could be found as far south as Delphi in Greece.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05Their skill and bravery on the battlefield were legendary.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09As a result, they became hired guns,
0:12:09 > 0:12:12willing to kill for whoever was willing to pay.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14BATTLE CRIES
0:12:14 > 0:12:17This was the La Tene Celt in full flow.
0:12:35 > 0:12:37We think of the Celts as European people,
0:12:37 > 0:12:41traditionally originating in Central Europe during the Iron Age,
0:12:41 > 0:12:44but with new theories suggesting that they might have originated
0:12:44 > 0:12:46much earlier, in Western Europe.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49But by the 3rd century BC,
0:12:49 > 0:12:51we know that they were here
0:12:51 > 0:12:53in what is now Turkey.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01Alexander the Great once ruled these lands,
0:13:01 > 0:13:04but when he died in 323 BC,
0:13:04 > 0:13:07his empire started to crumble, leaving a power vacuum.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14Celtic raiding parties crossed from Europe into this part of Asia...
0:13:17 > 0:13:19..and they came to the heart of Turkey,
0:13:19 > 0:13:21just south of modern-day Ankara.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25This was once Galatia,
0:13:25 > 0:13:27and its capital was Gordion.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30This is what I'm interested in.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34That flat-topped hill over there.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37That is the remains of ancient Gordion -
0:13:37 > 0:13:40the city that's famous for Alexander the Great
0:13:40 > 0:13:43having come and cut the Gordian knot there.
0:13:43 > 0:13:45But that's not why I'm here.
0:13:45 > 0:13:49I'm here because the Celts also settled in Gordion.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54And we know this from the Roman historian Livy.
0:13:56 > 0:13:58Gareth Darbyshire is an archaeologist
0:13:58 > 0:14:02who has been working at Gordion since 1998.
0:14:02 > 0:14:06So, Gareth, when did the Celts arrive here in Gordion?
0:14:06 > 0:14:08Well, we don't know precisely when,
0:14:08 > 0:14:13but it would have been some time in the mid to late 3rd century BC.
0:14:13 > 0:14:15And what were they doing here?
0:14:17 > 0:14:21We know from written sources that they were serving as mercenaries
0:14:21 > 0:14:25in various Hellenistic-period armies.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27They were probably also looking for land for settlement,
0:14:27 > 0:14:29either taken by force,
0:14:29 > 0:14:33or the same kind of thing through diplomatic negotiations.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36So, they were given free rein to come here and settle
0:14:36 > 0:14:40- and then to raid around Asia Minor? - That's the picture we get.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43What kind of evidence are you finding of their material culture?
0:14:43 > 0:14:47We're finding items that are new to this region,
0:14:47 > 0:14:50and which are comparable in various ways
0:14:50 > 0:14:53with areas further west in Celtic Europe.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56For example, in the lower town, very dramatically,
0:14:56 > 0:15:00we're finding human and animal remains mixed together
0:15:00 > 0:15:04with signs of violence - broken necks, beheadings, et cetera, which
0:15:04 > 0:15:09again, you know, they're attested in various forms in areas to the west,
0:15:09 > 0:15:12areas that are known to have been Celtic-speaking.
0:15:14 > 0:15:18Classical historians associated the Celts with violent death rituals.
0:15:18 > 0:15:22And at Gordion, archaeologists think they've found evidence
0:15:22 > 0:15:25of gruesome, possibly Celtic practices.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30The skeletons here are some of the human remains
0:15:30 > 0:15:32from the site at Gordion.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34But they're a bit odd.
0:15:34 > 0:15:38This woman is about 30-45 years old.
0:15:38 > 0:15:42If we look at the back of the skull here, the side of the skull,
0:15:42 > 0:15:45you can see this depression.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48So that is a blunt injury.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50She's been struck on the head.
0:15:50 > 0:15:54And we can imagine that this probably was the cause of death.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57So, somebody who died a violent death.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06And her body was placed on top of that of a younger woman.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09She was laid out like this.
0:16:09 > 0:16:14I've got the actual photograph of the excavation back in the '90s,
0:16:14 > 0:16:17but rather strangely,
0:16:17 > 0:16:22she's got these two quern stones buried just on top of her.
0:16:22 > 0:16:26Now, the Roman authors tell us about all sorts of what seem to us
0:16:26 > 0:16:31very bizarre and even gruesome rituals that the Celts indulged in -
0:16:31 > 0:16:34human sacrifice, decapitation -
0:16:34 > 0:16:35and some experts have suggested
0:16:35 > 0:16:39that we've got something like this happening at Gordion.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42There's certainly evidence of strange rituals.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44I mean, just look at this.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46And there's evidence of violent death.
0:16:46 > 0:16:51But when it comes to decapitation and human sacrifice,
0:16:51 > 0:16:53I'm not sure.
0:16:56 > 0:17:00Some of the bones at Gordion were found alongside animal bones -
0:17:00 > 0:17:04possibly as part of the burial ritual.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06Archaeologists have come across similar practices
0:17:06 > 0:17:11as far afield as Yorkshire and Northern France.
0:17:11 > 0:17:12Celtic graves have been discovered
0:17:12 > 0:17:16containing disarticulated bones of pigs and horses
0:17:16 > 0:17:18mixed with human remains,
0:17:18 > 0:17:22and sometimes entire chariots,
0:17:22 > 0:17:26perhaps providing the deceased with transport into the afterlife.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37Death rituals played a central part in Celtic civilisation...
0:17:39 > 0:17:41..but these ancient people were now being confronted
0:17:41 > 0:17:43by a very different power.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48A structured, ordered culture,
0:17:48 > 0:17:52with a conflicting idea of what civilisation meant.
0:17:56 > 0:18:00Galatia represents the easternmost extent of the Celtic world,
0:18:00 > 0:18:02but by the 2nd century BC,
0:18:02 > 0:18:04the Celts here were coming under pressure
0:18:04 > 0:18:06from the expanding Roman Empire.
0:18:06 > 0:18:10And we learn from Livy that in 189 BC,
0:18:10 > 0:18:13a Roman army came to attack Gordion,
0:18:13 > 0:18:16and ended up fighting the Galatians in the mountains.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20And within a century, Galatia would be subsumed into the Roman Empire.
0:18:24 > 0:18:28Since their defeat at the hands of the Celts in 387 BC...
0:18:29 > 0:18:31..Rome had been rebuilt
0:18:31 > 0:18:34and was now the fastest developing power in Europe.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39By the middle of the 1st century BC,
0:18:39 > 0:18:44the Roman Empire dominated the Mediterranean region,
0:18:44 > 0:18:45from Syria to Spain.
0:18:46 > 0:18:51But standing in the way of further expansion to the north and west
0:18:51 > 0:18:54was the Celtic heartland of Gaul.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00Southern Gaul had long been under the influence
0:19:00 > 0:19:01of the Classical world.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06As long ago as 600 BC,
0:19:06 > 0:19:10a port had developed on the south coast of France called Masallia,
0:19:10 > 0:19:11now Marseilles.
0:19:14 > 0:19:16It became a trading hub for ships
0:19:16 > 0:19:20importing exotic luxuries from Italy and Greece.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26Celtic tribes were only too happy
0:19:26 > 0:19:29to barter with their Mediterranean neighbours...
0:19:30 > 0:19:33..offering grain, leather and slaves
0:19:33 > 0:19:35in exchange for Roman wine.
0:19:40 > 0:19:44But these two very different worlds of the Celts and Romans
0:19:44 > 0:19:47were now about to collide.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56In 58 BC, the job of subjugating Gaul
0:19:56 > 0:20:00was assumed by the most famous Roman of all time,
0:20:00 > 0:20:05the seasoned general Gaius Julius Caesar.
0:20:05 > 0:20:06Hail Caesar!
0:20:07 > 0:20:10Caesar was an inspirational leader.
0:20:10 > 0:20:11He was a fighting man.
0:20:11 > 0:20:15His cunning and daring had earned him the respect of his men.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17He was confident of his own decisions,
0:20:17 > 0:20:21while at the same time able to take advice from his centurions.
0:20:21 > 0:20:23But he had plenty of enemies back in Rome,
0:20:23 > 0:20:27where he faced allegations of political corruption.
0:20:27 > 0:20:29A stunning victory here in Gaul
0:20:29 > 0:20:31would enable him to go home a war hero.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36But Gaul was a treacherous land,
0:20:36 > 0:20:40populated with warring and infighting Celtic tribes.
0:20:42 > 0:20:46Caesar set about crushing those hostile to him,
0:20:46 > 0:20:48whilst cementing alliances
0:20:48 > 0:20:51with others more accepting of Roman control.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57The Roman Empire had forged trading connections
0:20:57 > 0:20:59with Celtic tribes for some time.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05One tribe in Gaul in particular had
0:21:05 > 0:21:09had a lucrative formal arrangement with them for almost 100 years.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15This is Bibracte in Burgundy,
0:21:15 > 0:21:18nearly 200 miles southeast of Paris.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23It was once the territorial capital
0:21:23 > 0:21:26of one of the most powerful Celtic tribes in Gaul -
0:21:26 > 0:21:27the Aedui.
0:21:32 > 0:21:36Bibracte's chief archaeologist is Vincent Guichard.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41What was the relationship between the Aedui and the Romans
0:21:41 > 0:21:42before the conquest?
0:21:42 > 0:21:49We've got trace of a military treaty between the Aedui and Rome.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51And why would the Romans take that step?
0:21:51 > 0:21:54Why would they sign a document with a neighbour?
0:21:54 > 0:21:57The territory of the Aedui - modern-day Burgundy -
0:21:57 > 0:22:00is just midway between the Mediterranean and the North Sea,
0:22:00 > 0:22:03so it's a really key location along two main rivers,
0:22:03 > 0:22:06which are the Saone River and the Loire River.
0:22:06 > 0:22:13And, of course, the Romans wanted to have this route free for trading,
0:22:13 > 0:22:17and especially for metal ores of any sort, like tin, for example.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19But on the reverse side,
0:22:19 > 0:22:24what was brought from Italy to Gaul was Italian wine.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27It's that traditional model of alcohol, of all things,
0:22:27 > 0:22:31greasing the wheels of commerce and bringing people together.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34The Gauls were trapped by their taste for Roman wine.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37And I suppose it's easier, from the Roman point of view -
0:22:37 > 0:22:40rather than go in and fight and conquer,
0:22:40 > 0:22:43if you can just softly get involved with the people
0:22:43 > 0:22:45who have the things that you want,
0:22:45 > 0:22:48- then it's less effort and less expense.- Yes. Make business.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51Business can make a lot, and that's what they did, actually.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57And yet, with his invasion of Gaul,
0:22:57 > 0:23:00Caesar effectively tore up the treaty.
0:23:02 > 0:23:06His aim was to bring the more troublesome Gallic tribes,
0:23:06 > 0:23:10with their barbaric rituals, under control,
0:23:10 > 0:23:13to assimilate them into the civilised Roman Empire.
0:23:16 > 0:23:18By 53 BC,
0:23:18 > 0:23:21five years into his campaign,
0:23:21 > 0:23:23he believed the job was almost done.
0:23:24 > 0:23:28The savage Celt, he boasted, had been tamed.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40But Caesar couldn't have been more wrong.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43In the early months of 52 BC,
0:23:43 > 0:23:45when he returned to complete his Gallic campaign,
0:23:45 > 0:23:47he found his progress challenged
0:23:47 > 0:23:50by a young Celtic warrior named Vercingetorix,
0:23:50 > 0:23:53son of Celtillus, leader of the Arverni tribe,
0:23:53 > 0:23:55a man Caesar himself described as having
0:23:55 > 0:23:57boundless energy and iron discipline.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02The legendary challenge of Vercingetorix
0:24:02 > 0:24:07has meant that he's been elevated to French national hero,
0:24:07 > 0:24:12and he's celebrated with a 19th-century romantic statue.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16At only 30 years of age,
0:24:16 > 0:24:20this warrior king was a brilliant military tactician.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27For months, his band of rebels had used guerrilla tactics
0:24:27 > 0:24:31to provoke and harry Caesar at every turn.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38Vercingetorix persuaded his fellow chiefs
0:24:38 > 0:24:41that victory depended upon disrupting the supply lines
0:24:41 > 0:24:44that Caesar needed to keep his men fed and watered.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48So they adopted a scorched-earth policy.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53Every main settlement on Caesar's path of advance
0:24:53 > 0:24:54was burned to the ground.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57Every field of standing crops was cleared,
0:24:57 > 0:24:59not a stalk was left standing.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03Vercingetorix reminded his people that if they didn't do as he said,
0:25:03 > 0:25:05their fate was inevitable -
0:25:05 > 0:25:06slavery or death.
0:25:10 > 0:25:12Two great armies,
0:25:12 > 0:25:15led by two charismatic leaders,
0:25:15 > 0:25:17would soon go head-to-head
0:25:17 > 0:25:20in a battle that would shape the future of Europe.
0:25:27 > 0:25:32Vercingetorix was a warrior from the Celtic golden age of La Tene.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36Yet almost everything we know about him
0:25:36 > 0:25:39comes from the campaign diaries of his arch-enemy, Caesar.
0:25:42 > 0:25:46But there's one place, 25 miles north-east of Frankfurt,
0:25:46 > 0:25:49that gives us a sense of how the Celts themselves
0:25:49 > 0:25:50depicted their leaders.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56We have plenty of images of Julius Caesar,
0:25:56 > 0:25:59but we don't know what Vercingetorix looked like.
0:25:59 > 0:26:03The most famous image of him is a 19th-century statue,
0:26:03 > 0:26:06but it's more romantic than accurate, I think.
0:26:06 > 0:26:08But in 1996,
0:26:08 > 0:26:11an incredible discovery was made in a field
0:26:11 > 0:26:14just here in Glauberg in Germany.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34And here it is - or perhaps I should say "he".
0:26:37 > 0:26:39The Glauberg warrior.
0:26:44 > 0:26:45Isn't that wonderful?
0:26:49 > 0:26:51I'm going to get up here...
0:26:53 > 0:26:55..and get a better look.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59I'm looking right into his face.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02He's got this astonishing headgear.
0:27:02 > 0:27:06Some people have suggested that this is a mistletoe leaf.
0:27:06 > 0:27:10I'm not sure. It's just an odd-looking helmet.
0:27:10 > 0:27:15And round his neck, he's wearing something very Celtic indeed.
0:27:15 > 0:27:19He's got this fantastic neck ring.
0:27:19 > 0:27:20So, this is a torc.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23These are the neck rings which we know were worn
0:27:23 > 0:27:25by rich and powerful people.
0:27:25 > 0:27:29And we've also got Celtic imagery showing gods wearing torcs as well,
0:27:29 > 0:27:32so they're symbols of power,
0:27:32 > 0:27:36and perhaps even offered some kind of protection to their wearers.
0:27:36 > 0:27:40This statue dates to about 400 BC,
0:27:40 > 0:27:43so he is 2,500 years old.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48He's a little bit early for Vercingetorix.
0:27:48 > 0:27:50This statue was carved
0:27:50 > 0:27:53a few centuries before Vercingetorix was born.
0:27:53 > 0:27:58But what we're seeing here is this fantastic representation,
0:27:58 > 0:28:04made by Celts, of what a Celtic warrior looked like.
0:28:05 > 0:28:10The person who carved this knew these warriors.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16This statue is one of four that surrounded a burial mound
0:28:16 > 0:28:18close to the Glauberg hillfort.
0:28:21 > 0:28:25Inside it lay the body of a real Celtic warrior.
0:28:31 > 0:28:36And these are the remains of the person buried underneath that mound.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39We can tell quite a bit about this individual,
0:28:39 > 0:28:42from analysis carried out on the bones and the teeth.
0:28:42 > 0:28:44And in particular, looking at his teeth,
0:28:44 > 0:28:47we can see that there's some wear on those.
0:28:47 > 0:28:49You can tell that this is quite a young individual,
0:28:49 > 0:28:52perhaps in his twenties when he died.
0:28:52 > 0:28:54But really, it's what was buried with him
0:28:54 > 0:28:58that is absolutely astonishing.
0:28:58 > 0:29:02This is quite clearly the grave of somebody who was very high-status,
0:29:02 > 0:29:05essentially Glauberg royalty.
0:29:10 > 0:29:14This beautiful piece of jewellery, which is a brooch or a fibula.
0:29:14 > 0:29:19There's a fantastical horse-like creature here, perhaps with wings,
0:29:19 > 0:29:24and then, a little human head, with a face looking back at the horse.
0:29:24 > 0:29:26This is classic - this playfulness,
0:29:26 > 0:29:31this combination of animals and humans.
0:29:31 > 0:29:35And here is the incredible gold torc
0:29:35 > 0:29:38that was lying around the neck of this individual in the grave.
0:29:38 > 0:29:41And you can see that you've got this plain band
0:29:41 > 0:29:46around the back of his neck and then here, a lot of detail.
0:29:49 > 0:29:54And here is the sword of the warrior that lay at his right side.
0:29:54 > 0:29:57And then the scabbard is absolutely beautiful.
0:29:57 > 0:30:02It's made of bronze, but it has iron overlaying it as well.
0:30:02 > 0:30:06And then even a piece of textile. Can you see that, there?
0:30:06 > 0:30:10And you can see the weave of that material, where it's been lying close
0:30:10 > 0:30:14to this sword and it's been preserved because it's close to the metal.
0:30:14 > 0:30:17And there's something else, as well, that provides a connection
0:30:17 > 0:30:18with that statue outside the grave.
0:30:18 > 0:30:23There was the wire frame and even the remnants of some leather
0:30:23 > 0:30:26of his headgear. And it was the same helmet,
0:30:26 > 0:30:30with those strange projections on each side.
0:30:39 > 0:30:43The lavish grave goods buried with this young man,
0:30:43 > 0:30:48his stunning jewellery and that beautifully decorated sword,
0:30:48 > 0:30:52tell us that he was a person of extremely high social standing.
0:30:52 > 0:30:57And being a warrior was inextricably bound up with that status.
0:30:57 > 0:31:02He lived and died at a time when the Celtic world was evolving,
0:31:02 > 0:31:04and amongst those changes
0:31:04 > 0:31:08was the emergence of a new type of leader, the warrior king.
0:31:12 > 0:31:15The ritual burial of the Glauberg warrior, complete with lavish
0:31:15 > 0:31:19grave goods, was part of a rich and ancient culture.
0:31:21 > 0:31:25Hundreds of years later, it would fall to Vercingetorix
0:31:25 > 0:31:27to defend that shared heritage.
0:31:30 > 0:31:34In the spring of 52 BC, leaders of the Celtic tribes convened
0:31:34 > 0:31:38to agree a strategy for the survival of Gaul.
0:31:39 > 0:31:42Their tactics now required a much larger offensive
0:31:42 > 0:31:44if they were to defeat the forces of Rome.
0:31:44 > 0:31:48WARRIORS JEER
0:31:48 > 0:31:52The only option was to overcome tribal rivalries, combine forces,
0:31:52 > 0:31:56and elect Vercingetorix the supreme commander
0:31:56 > 0:31:58of the allied army of Gaul.
0:31:58 > 0:32:02WARRIORS CHEER
0:32:02 > 0:32:06An arc of resistance formed from the River Seine in the northeast
0:32:06 > 0:32:09to the Garonne in the southwest.
0:32:09 > 0:32:16United, Gaul's Celts were now a more formidable force than ever.
0:32:16 > 0:32:2052 BC was shaping up to be a decisive year
0:32:20 > 0:32:25for Rome, for the Celts, and the entire future of Europe.
0:32:33 > 0:32:37By the summer of 52 BC, Vercingetorix and his army
0:32:37 > 0:32:40of 80,000 men and 15,000 cavalry
0:32:40 > 0:32:44were in position on top of a huge Celtic hillfort, or oppidum,
0:32:44 > 0:32:46called Alesia, in the heart of Gaul.
0:32:48 > 0:32:52After a bloody skirmish with the Roman army, Vercingetorix
0:32:52 > 0:32:57commandeered the heartland fortress, home of the Mandubii tribe.
0:32:59 > 0:33:03Caesar had pursued him and was now positioned on the plain below.
0:33:05 > 0:33:09But Alesia provided Vercingetorix with an ideal vantage point.
0:33:11 > 0:33:14Vercingetorix had every confidence in his decision.
0:33:14 > 0:33:18The plateau at the top is fully 400 feet above the plain below.
0:33:18 > 0:33:21There are sheer cliffs at one end.
0:33:21 > 0:33:25By the standards of the day, Alesia was all but impregnable.
0:33:30 > 0:33:33While the Celts were here, they would have kept this place
0:33:33 > 0:33:36clear of trees, so anyone on the high ground would have had
0:33:36 > 0:33:39a perfect panorama of the surrounding low ground.
0:33:39 > 0:33:44The hill is further cut off from its surroundings by two gorges,
0:33:44 > 0:33:47two valleys running either side, cut by rivers.
0:33:47 > 0:33:51Across the gentler slope of Alesia, Vercingetorix ordered his men
0:33:51 > 0:33:55to dig a deep ditch and build a six-foot-high stone wall.
0:34:00 > 0:34:04Now safely inside this apparently impregnable fortress,
0:34:04 > 0:34:08Vercingetorix must have believed he held the upper hand.
0:34:10 > 0:34:15But Caesar saw it as the perfect opportunity for siege warfare,
0:34:15 > 0:34:19a favoured tactic of the Roman general, who had many more years
0:34:19 > 0:34:22of battle experience than his younger opponent.
0:34:23 > 0:34:27By surrounding Alesia, he could trap the Celtic rebel army
0:34:27 > 0:34:31and their Mandubii inside the stronghold,
0:34:31 > 0:34:35cutting them off from vital communication and provisions.
0:34:35 > 0:34:39He now had Vercingetorix exactly where he wanted him.
0:34:42 > 0:34:44The area was cleared.
0:34:44 > 0:34:46The trees logged.
0:34:48 > 0:34:513.5m-high palisade walls were erected,
0:34:51 > 0:34:54and studded with observation watchtowers.
0:34:57 > 0:34:59Caesar's plan was for the fortifications
0:34:59 > 0:35:03to eventually run 11 miles around the entire plateau.
0:35:09 > 0:35:10To protect his army from attack,
0:35:10 > 0:35:14he also included a deadly system of defences.
0:35:16 > 0:35:20Mike Loades, an expert in ancient military strategy,
0:35:20 > 0:35:22has been researching the battle tactics.
0:35:22 > 0:35:25How did the Romans prepare the ground, Mike?
0:35:25 > 0:35:30Well, what we're doing here is we're digging a minefield.
0:35:30 > 0:35:33That's what they did. In front of these great earthworks,
0:35:33 > 0:35:38they dug a really elaborate minefield with spikes and stakes
0:35:38 > 0:35:41and ditches and moats and mounds and palisades.
0:35:41 > 0:35:44It's a good reminder of what an old word "minefield" is, isn't it?
0:35:44 > 0:35:46We think of the explosive,
0:35:46 > 0:35:48but it's a field that has been mined,
0:35:48 > 0:35:50that people have dug traps in.
0:35:50 > 0:35:52Exactly that.
0:35:52 > 0:35:57So what we're digging here is a hole for a stimuli, one of these.
0:35:57 > 0:36:00It's set in a bit of wood to hold it in place,
0:36:00 > 0:36:04but you've got this iron shank coming up with that barb.
0:36:04 > 0:36:06You step on... And if it's hidden,
0:36:06 > 0:36:09you just do not see that in the ground.
0:36:09 > 0:36:14So whether you're a horse or a human foot stamping down on there,
0:36:14 > 0:36:16it shoots right through your foot!
0:36:16 > 0:36:19And see that barb, it will not pull out easily.
0:36:19 > 0:36:22So they're a terrible, terrible ugly thing.
0:36:22 > 0:36:24It would stimulate you, wouldn't it?
0:36:24 > 0:36:27If you stood on that, you'd be squealing like a stuck pig.
0:36:31 > 0:36:34Inside this defensive line were moats and ditches
0:36:34 > 0:36:37that the Celts would first have to cross.
0:36:39 > 0:36:42And after the water-filled ditches,
0:36:42 > 0:36:46the booby traps, you run onto this forest of sharpened stakes.
0:36:46 > 0:36:48Yeah, they're very simple. They're called cippi,
0:36:48 > 0:36:51and they're kind of groin-height for a man and chest-height for a horse.
0:36:51 > 0:36:55So the men would come with shields, protecting men,
0:36:55 > 0:36:59while they cleared a path through here. So they'd be slowed.
0:36:59 > 0:37:02But slowed is important, because up there you've got archers,
0:37:02 > 0:37:05you've got slingers, you've got javelin men.
0:37:05 > 0:37:08Up there you've got ballista, catapulta, scorpion,
0:37:08 > 0:37:10all these great throwing engines.
0:37:10 > 0:37:13And these guys would be bombarded with missiles.
0:37:15 > 0:37:17Another problem, I suppose, for the Celts,
0:37:17 > 0:37:19up there far away on their hilltop,
0:37:19 > 0:37:23is to even begin to conceive of the connected scale
0:37:23 > 0:37:26- of what Caesar's got in mind down here.- Absolutely.
0:37:26 > 0:37:29And that's one of the interesting things about coming to the place,
0:37:29 > 0:37:31is you see the scale of it.
0:37:36 > 0:37:38In the hillfort of Alesia,
0:37:38 > 0:37:42Vercingetorix witnessed Roman progress.
0:37:42 > 0:37:45It was clear he needed more troops.
0:37:52 > 0:37:53Under cover of night,
0:37:53 > 0:37:57he released a group of riders to summon help from across Gaul
0:37:57 > 0:38:00before Caesar's defences were finished.
0:38:02 > 0:38:05On their arrival, the Celtic relief force
0:38:05 > 0:38:07would attack the Roman army from behind.
0:38:12 > 0:38:17Only days later, the Roman fortifications were completed.
0:38:17 > 0:38:19The siege had begun.
0:38:19 > 0:38:23And Caesar had already predicted Vercingetorix's next move.
0:38:25 > 0:38:29It's all very well digging that to keep Vercingetorix and his men in,
0:38:29 > 0:38:31but how do you protect your rear?
0:38:31 > 0:38:35Cos you are, after all, outside something, in open space.
0:38:35 > 0:38:38That's exactly right. And Caesar knew that
0:38:38 > 0:38:41and he knew that there were reinforcements. By his account,
0:38:41 > 0:38:44hundreds of thousands of reinforcements on their way.
0:38:44 > 0:38:49So what he did, having sealed him in, having contained Vercingetorix,
0:38:49 > 0:38:53is he says to his men, "Build another wall. Another wall.
0:38:53 > 0:38:55"A bigger, longer wall
0:38:55 > 0:38:58"all around that first wall to protect my flank."
0:38:58 > 0:39:01Such a feat of ambition
0:39:01 > 0:39:04to even think that you could. And you put them both together
0:39:04 > 0:39:08and you've got something like 35km of wall,
0:39:08 > 0:39:10done in about five weeks.
0:39:14 > 0:39:17To throw up these fortifications so quickly
0:39:17 > 0:39:20involved almost superhuman effort.
0:39:22 > 0:39:28Caesar had contained Vercingetorix's troops within his inner line,
0:39:28 > 0:39:31and had now defended his rear against attack
0:39:31 > 0:39:33from the approaching Celtic relief army.
0:39:37 > 0:39:40But even Caesar's plan had a flaw.
0:39:40 > 0:39:45By sealing himself inside that double line of walls and ditches,
0:39:45 > 0:39:49Caesar had effectively caught himself in his own trap.
0:39:49 > 0:39:52The would-be besieger was now besieged.
0:39:57 > 0:40:01Vercingetorix, also trapped in his hillfort,
0:40:01 > 0:40:06had to wait for the arrival of the relief force before he could attack.
0:40:06 > 0:40:10The question was, would his food and water last?
0:40:15 > 0:40:19After weeks of siege, with still no sign of the relief force,
0:40:19 > 0:40:23rations inside Alesia were running dangerously low,
0:40:23 > 0:40:26and the morale of Vercingetorix's men was waning.
0:40:30 > 0:40:31He was left with no choice
0:40:31 > 0:40:35but to expel all non-combatants from the hillfort,
0:40:35 > 0:40:39in the hope that Caesar would let the Mandubii women and children
0:40:39 > 0:40:41cross the lines to safety.
0:40:43 > 0:40:47But Caesar showed no mercy.
0:40:47 > 0:40:52The refugees, pushed out by Vercingetorix and ignored by Caesar,
0:40:52 > 0:40:55were trapped in no-man's-land.
0:40:59 > 0:41:03Imagine Vercingetorix up on the ramparts of Alesia,
0:41:03 > 0:41:05looking out and down onto his own people
0:41:05 > 0:41:08starving to death in the valley below him.
0:41:08 > 0:41:10He was becoming increasingly determined.
0:41:10 > 0:41:15He wasn't just defending a hillfort, but something much more important.
0:41:15 > 0:41:18This was a fight between centralised, modern Rome
0:41:18 > 0:41:20and an ancient Iron Age culture
0:41:20 > 0:41:23that had roots stretching deep into pre-history.
0:41:23 > 0:41:26What was at stake was an entire way of life
0:41:26 > 0:41:31that the Celtic tribes had carried with them into the Classical age.
0:41:37 > 0:41:41For centuries, the Celts had developed and prospered.
0:41:41 > 0:41:46They were technologically advanced and respected as warriors.
0:41:47 > 0:41:51They had migrated, and their ideas had spread
0:41:51 > 0:41:54right across Europe and beyond.
0:41:54 > 0:41:58They'd established trading links with the Mediterranean world of the south
0:41:58 > 0:42:01and with the temperate lands of the north.
0:42:02 > 0:42:07Now this great world was under threat.
0:42:17 > 0:42:21By October 52 BC, after months of stand-off,
0:42:21 > 0:42:24a vast Celtic army was seen
0:42:24 > 0:42:28massing on that string of hills rising in the west.
0:42:28 > 0:42:33A quarter of a million men had gathered from every corner of Gaul.
0:42:33 > 0:42:37Surely just the thought of them, far less the sight of them,
0:42:37 > 0:42:40would have been enough to make the Romans turn and run.
0:42:45 > 0:42:49Vercingetorix had a numbers advantage over Caesar,
0:42:49 > 0:42:51but he also had a psychological weapon.
0:42:53 > 0:42:56Roman garrison camps were rife with rumours
0:42:56 > 0:42:59of the grisly fate awaiting them if they lost.
0:43:02 > 0:43:05To understand what Caesar was up against in Gaul,
0:43:05 > 0:43:07I've come to Northern France,
0:43:07 > 0:43:10to an area just a few miles outside of Amiens,
0:43:10 > 0:43:14which is famous for the Battle of the Somme,
0:43:14 > 0:43:16and the spectre of that terrible period in history
0:43:16 > 0:43:19still haunts these woods.
0:43:19 > 0:43:22But 2,000 years before the First World War,
0:43:22 > 0:43:25another mass slaughter took place here.
0:43:25 > 0:43:28One that shows us some evidence
0:43:28 > 0:43:31of particularly gruesome Celtic practices.
0:43:33 > 0:43:35In the 1960s,
0:43:35 > 0:43:39archaeologists excavating near the village of Ribemont-sur-Ancre
0:43:39 > 0:43:43unearthed the dismembered bones of 200 people.
0:43:51 > 0:43:53They believed that the bodies were the result
0:43:53 > 0:43:55of an intertribal conflict,
0:43:55 > 0:43:59and their treatment bore the signs of Celtic ritual.
0:44:01 > 0:44:05These are just a few of the thousands of bones
0:44:05 > 0:44:09discovered at this Celtic sanctuary site at Ribemont.
0:44:09 > 0:44:14And many of these bones bear evidence of violent injuries.
0:44:14 > 0:44:19Here's a pelvis. And you can see here that...something,
0:44:19 > 0:44:23probably the point of a spear, has made several holes in this bone.
0:44:23 > 0:44:26There are other cut marks.
0:44:26 > 0:44:30This is a humerus, an arm bone, and here's another blade injury
0:44:30 > 0:44:32right at the top, just under the shoulder.
0:44:32 > 0:44:35And here's a collarbone.
0:44:35 > 0:44:37And you can see quite clearly along that
0:44:37 > 0:44:42where a blade has come down on that surface leaving marks on it.
0:44:42 > 0:44:45But what is conspicuously missing
0:44:45 > 0:44:51is ANY evidence of heads, of skulls.
0:44:51 > 0:44:55And we see the reason for that in the bones themselves.
0:44:55 > 0:44:59This is the skeleton of a young man who died in his twenties.
0:44:59 > 0:45:01And if we come up his spine here,
0:45:01 > 0:45:05we get to a point where it stops abruptly.
0:45:05 > 0:45:07And if we then look at that vertebra,
0:45:07 > 0:45:10we can see that it has been cleanly sliced.
0:45:10 > 0:45:12A blade has come through the front of his neck,
0:45:12 > 0:45:14and his head was removed.
0:45:14 > 0:45:16He was decapitated.
0:45:16 > 0:45:19So then we wonder what happened to those heads.
0:45:19 > 0:45:23And we might get a clue if we turn to the classical writers.
0:45:23 > 0:45:25The Greek writer Strabo,
0:45:25 > 0:45:30who lived from the 1st century BC into the 1st century AD, writes,
0:45:30 > 0:45:31"There is among the Celts
0:45:31 > 0:45:35"the barbaric and highly unusual custom of hanging the heads
0:45:35 > 0:45:38"of their enemies from the necks of their horses
0:45:38 > 0:45:40"when departing from battle.
0:45:40 > 0:45:43"The heads of those enemies that were held in high esteem,
0:45:43 > 0:45:47"they would embalm in cedar oil and display them to their guests."
0:45:48 > 0:45:52Now, we'll never know exactly what happened to the heads
0:45:52 > 0:45:55of all these decapitated and possibly beheaded people,
0:45:55 > 0:45:58but I think to us it seems very bizarre.
0:45:58 > 0:46:02And to the Romans coming into Gaul,
0:46:02 > 0:46:07it must have seemed very strange and very barbaric.
0:46:16 > 0:46:19At Alesia, Caesar knew he would need
0:46:19 > 0:46:23a combination of tactics and luck if he was to avoid ending up
0:46:23 > 0:46:26with his own head hanging from a Celtic horse.
0:46:29 > 0:46:35250,000 Celtic warriors were gathered overlooking the Roman army,
0:46:35 > 0:46:37waiting to launch their attack.
0:46:42 > 0:46:45In spite of sacrificing the women and children,
0:46:45 > 0:46:48Vercingetorix's troops were at breaking point
0:46:48 > 0:46:50and close to starvation.
0:46:51 > 0:46:55But even with reinforcements on the hills opposite him,
0:46:55 > 0:46:57Vercingetorix still had a problem.
0:47:01 > 0:47:05Besieged up there on his hilltop, Vercingetorix had no way
0:47:05 > 0:47:08of communicating directly with the Celtic relief army.
0:47:08 > 0:47:11So he was dependent upon tribal leaders,
0:47:11 > 0:47:14who didn't necessarily have his military skill.
0:47:16 > 0:47:18But the relief army had seen
0:47:18 > 0:47:22that there was a vulnerable spot in the Roman fortifications.
0:47:22 > 0:47:25And on October 2nd, 52 BC,
0:47:25 > 0:47:27they decided to strike.
0:47:27 > 0:47:29MEN ROAR
0:47:33 > 0:47:38Around noon, 60,000 Celtic warriors launched an attack.
0:47:38 > 0:47:42Their target was a Roman garrison up here on Mount Rea,
0:47:42 > 0:47:45the northwest corner of Caesar's defences.
0:47:45 > 0:47:48The steep slopes here had prevented the Romans
0:47:48 > 0:47:51from digging proper ramparts and ditches.
0:47:51 > 0:47:53It was a weak point in their defences.
0:47:53 > 0:47:57The Celts knew that and closed in for the kill.
0:47:58 > 0:48:00MEN ROAR
0:48:03 > 0:48:05In an attempt to coordinate the attack,
0:48:05 > 0:48:08Vercingetorix led his troops downslope
0:48:08 > 0:48:12to try punch a hole through the inner Roman fortifications.
0:48:12 > 0:48:14MEN ROAR
0:48:23 > 0:48:26His thinking was that such a move would leave the Roman troops
0:48:26 > 0:48:30no alternative but to fight in both the front and in the rear.
0:48:31 > 0:48:33So wave after wave of Celtic warriors
0:48:33 > 0:48:36smashed against the Roman defences.
0:48:38 > 0:48:41The stakes could not have been higher.
0:48:41 > 0:48:46For Caesar, this was his chance to secure the title "Conqueror of Gaul."
0:48:48 > 0:48:52Whereas Vercingetorix was fighting for his homeland.
0:48:56 > 0:49:00And there are new ideas about how the Celtic warriors
0:49:00 > 0:49:03might have fought this decisive battle.
0:49:03 > 0:49:05The Roman writers make a big deal
0:49:05 > 0:49:09about the Celts being an undisciplined, unruly, wild mob.
0:49:09 > 0:49:14- Is that right?- The Celts did go into battle with great cries and shouts,
0:49:14 > 0:49:17but once they're fighting, I think it would look more like this.
0:49:17 > 0:49:20Cos you wouldn't survive for two minutes on a battlefield
0:49:20 > 0:49:22unless you had some military discipline.
0:49:26 > 0:49:28So although it's not hundreds of men
0:49:28 > 0:49:31all working together to the beat of a drum in maybe the Roman fashion,
0:49:31 > 0:49:33it's, nonetheless, small tight units
0:49:33 > 0:49:37who are paying attention to one another and are working as a group.
0:49:37 > 0:49:39Exactly. That whole thing you said,
0:49:39 > 0:49:41that they're wild, slashing barbarians.
0:49:41 > 0:49:45Everyone talks about the Celtic sword being a slashing weapon -
0:49:45 > 0:49:49already you're playing into the hands of the Roman writers.
0:49:49 > 0:49:51Slashing is a pejorative term.
0:49:51 > 0:49:57It implies he just slashes like a clown in...in a wild sort of way.
0:49:57 > 0:49:59No. What the Celtic weapon is, it's a cutting weapon.
0:49:59 > 0:50:03It will do very precise cuts. It's a thrusting weapon.
0:50:03 > 0:50:05It will do both those jobs.
0:50:05 > 0:50:09And they're both deeply unpleasant, but it's not a wild slashing weapon.
0:50:11 > 0:50:15The spear, for instance. This was really the primary weapon.
0:50:15 > 0:50:17So rather than the sword?
0:50:17 > 0:50:20Yeah. I mean, swords were a relative rarity.
0:50:20 > 0:50:22They were high-status, but they were relatively rare.
0:50:22 > 0:50:25More people would have this, cos it's so versatile.
0:50:25 > 0:50:28It gives you reach in battle.
0:50:28 > 0:50:30It gives you an ability, look at that edge,
0:50:30 > 0:50:33it gives you the ability to cut and scythe at hamstrings and legs
0:50:33 > 0:50:36- and the backs of horses. - So, it's a martial art?
0:50:36 > 0:50:42It's a martial art. And the Celts were professional martial men.
0:50:42 > 0:50:43MEN ROAR
0:50:45 > 0:50:46As the fighting continued,
0:50:46 > 0:50:50the Romans desperately shored up their defences.
0:50:52 > 0:50:55But the Celtic relief army, attacking from the rear,
0:50:55 > 0:50:56was breaking through.
0:50:58 > 0:51:02Sensing victory, Vercingetorix's warriors on the other side
0:51:02 > 0:51:05pounded the Romans' inner defensive line.
0:51:09 > 0:51:12Caesar was on the brink of defeat.
0:51:15 > 0:51:18He had one last card to play,
0:51:18 > 0:51:22and it relied on his power as a charismatic leader.
0:51:25 > 0:51:27Draped in his distinctive red cloak,
0:51:27 > 0:51:30Caesar led 6,000 men, every last soldier he had,
0:51:30 > 0:51:33into a desperate do-or-die counteroffensive.
0:51:33 > 0:51:35MEN ROAR
0:51:41 > 0:51:44The sight of Caesar entering the fray re-energised the men,
0:51:44 > 0:51:46and a cheer erupted from the legionaries
0:51:46 > 0:51:49as they gave everything to one final push.
0:51:52 > 0:51:54With Caesar leading from the front,
0:51:54 > 0:51:57and with his men believing in victory,
0:51:57 > 0:51:59the battle began to turn in their favour.
0:52:01 > 0:52:03Caesar boasts in his memoirs
0:52:03 > 0:52:08how his troops forced the Celts to flee across the battlefield.
0:52:11 > 0:52:15Vercingetorix watched the final defeat from the hillfort.
0:52:15 > 0:52:20Still besieged, he was left with two options - to surrender, or die.
0:52:20 > 0:52:22He left the decision to his war council.
0:52:29 > 0:52:33The following day, together with his men and in full regalia,
0:52:33 > 0:52:35he rode down the slope.
0:52:43 > 0:52:47Legend has it that he leapt from his horse, threw down his arms,
0:52:47 > 0:52:53and said, "Here I am, a strong man defeated by an even stronger man."
0:52:56 > 0:52:59The freedom fighter had finally been outwitted
0:52:59 > 0:53:03by the wily old strategist.
0:53:03 > 0:53:06The Golden Age of the Celts was over.
0:53:26 > 0:53:31The Romans celebrated their victories in monumental architecture.
0:53:33 > 0:53:38This is the Triumphal Arch in Orange in the South of France.
0:53:43 > 0:53:47This archway tells a story all about the Roman conquest of Gaul.
0:53:47 > 0:53:50On the top, you can see Celtic warriors,
0:53:50 > 0:53:54naked warriors being trampled under the hooves of Roman cavalry.
0:53:54 > 0:53:58And on either side there are piles of the spoils of war.
0:54:00 > 0:54:04The archway straddles a road leading south towards Rome
0:54:04 > 0:54:08and heading north to the land of the dead. And that's just about right.
0:54:08 > 0:54:11Julius Caesar reckoned there were about three million Gauls.
0:54:11 > 0:54:15By the time he'd finished with them, one million lay dead.
0:54:15 > 0:54:18A second million had been sold into slavery.
0:54:18 > 0:54:21If that happened today, they'd call it genocide.
0:54:25 > 0:54:28As for Vercingetorix himself,
0:54:28 > 0:54:30Caesar showed no mercy.
0:54:30 > 0:54:34He had him taken to Rome, imprisoned for six years,
0:54:34 > 0:54:37and then killed in a public garrotting.
0:54:41 > 0:54:46Centuries later, he would re-emerge as a national hero
0:54:46 > 0:54:50who gave his life for the dream of a free Gaul.
0:54:58 > 0:55:02Caesar's victory at Alesia was a defining moment in European history.
0:55:02 > 0:55:07The Celts, an ancient and deep-rooted culture, lay crushed,
0:55:07 > 0:55:10not in some foreign field, but in their heartland.
0:55:10 > 0:55:13It was a defeat that would consign generations of Celts
0:55:13 > 0:55:16to Romanisation and servitude.
0:55:39 > 0:55:42This statue is known as the Vacheres warrior.
0:55:42 > 0:55:47It dates to around 28 BC, 24 years after the battle of Alesia.
0:55:47 > 0:55:51You take a passing glance at him and you see...Roman soldier.
0:55:51 > 0:55:55That's largely down to the clothes and the weapon.
0:55:55 > 0:55:59He's wearing a tunic, it's long, it comes down to his thighs.
0:55:59 > 0:56:01A shirt of chainmail.
0:56:01 > 0:56:05On his side here, on a belt is a gladius,
0:56:05 > 0:56:08that's the classic short sword of the Roman legionnaire.
0:56:08 > 0:56:11Everything about it seems to say Roman soldier.
0:56:11 > 0:56:14But appearances are deceptive.
0:56:14 > 0:56:19Take a closer look and you see around his neck he's wearing a torc.
0:56:19 > 0:56:24Now, that's the status symbol of the elite warrior of the Celts.
0:56:24 > 0:56:28He is Celtic. He's a typical Gallo-Roman soldier,
0:56:28 > 0:56:33that's to say a Celt employed by Rome as an auxiliary soldier.
0:56:33 > 0:56:37Vercingetorix would be turning in his grave.
0:56:37 > 0:56:40The infamous wild, long-haired barbarian is gone.
0:56:40 > 0:56:42He's been smartened up.
0:56:42 > 0:56:45He's been Romanised and tamed.
0:56:55 > 0:56:58It looked like the end for a great culture
0:56:58 > 0:57:01that had once stretched from Turkey to France,
0:57:01 > 0:57:04but the Celts weren't quite finished yet.
0:57:07 > 0:57:11By 51 BC, not long after the Battle of Alesia,
0:57:11 > 0:57:14Bibracte was sufficiently Romanised
0:57:14 > 0:57:16that Julius Caesar himself came to stay
0:57:16 > 0:57:20while he was writing The Conquest of Gaul -
0:57:20 > 0:57:22it's one of the great histories of the Roman Empire.
0:57:22 > 0:57:25He may even have written some of it in one of these rooms.
0:57:25 > 0:57:29In that book, as well as writing about the campaign,
0:57:29 > 0:57:33he also described two exploratory expeditions
0:57:33 > 0:57:36that he made in 55 and 54 BC
0:57:36 > 0:57:40to a mysterious island across the sea he called Britannia.
0:57:40 > 0:57:43It's the first detailed eyewitness account we have of Britain
0:57:43 > 0:57:45and the people who lived there.
0:57:50 > 0:57:55Next time: the Romans turn their attention further north,
0:57:55 > 0:58:00to one of the last bastions of Celtic culture - Britain.
0:58:01 > 0:58:03An island of rich resources...
0:58:04 > 0:58:06..powerful tribes...
0:58:07 > 0:58:10..advanced military equipment...
0:58:10 > 0:58:13and another great leader.
0:58:15 > 0:58:17A woman...
0:58:17 > 0:58:20the warrior queen Boudicca.