Afflicted for this long interruption in my stations but of the personal obligations held out of my keyboard! Hoped I that one of you will have left in a similar work to the mine which I would not be the only one to ridicule me thus ; -)

We see in this chapter a perfect illustration of the strategic principles of Caesar to know "to divide to reign".

But let us speak a little geography. The Saone is a river of the east of France. It takes its source with Vioménil (the Vosges, 88), and is thrown in the Rhone in Lyon (the Rhone, 69). Its length is of 480 km for a catchment area of 29 950 km2 and a medium flow of 410 m3/s. The helvetii l?ont probably crossed in the neighbourhoods of Châlon-sur-Saône.

The river has indeed a court slow but the river is broad and deep returning the crossed difficult one.

Caesar waits until the three quarter of the Helvète forces passed to attack. Considering qu?il a camp probably located on the hill of Fourvières constituted the Roman forces in pedita i.e. are held by it of combat their equipment of remaining voyage with the camp whereas the forces helvètes are encumbered the their civil ones and probably not on their guards (after any César has been present for several days).

If we base ourselves on my César estimates already a strong numerical supremacy who had accentuates even more while attacking with large its forces (three legions out of four plus an unspecified number of auxiliairies and forces allied) the arriere garde og the Helvetii.

Even if we base ourselves on the estimates of R. van Royen and S. van der Vegt, is a migration of 368 000 helvètes. Known these 368 000 Helvètes approximately 55 % are women but the Celtic majority of the women do not fight (and if that had been the case Caesar specified it) it thus remains approximately 165 000 men. By supposing a distribution by traditional model of age’s class on these 182 000 only approximately 30 % are in age (between 16 years and 50 years) to carry the weapons is 50 000 men. Still let us remove say 5 % of slaves (thus not had the right due the weapons) and another 5 % of druids and bards, the Celtic forces would represent approximately 45 000 men. From the world of Caesar it faces a quarter of these forces is 10 000 men who face the 18 000 Roman légionaries and their allies!

Personally I find these figures very exaggerated mainly because of the judgment of Orgétorix by the Helvetii. But even with these figures the numerical superiority of the Romans is explicit years speech of the “effet of surprise”

. The victory of Caesar is thus not very astonishing. It will be noticed that Caesar site not figure of losses neither with dimensions Roman (which have tiny being) nor with Helvetti ones. We just knows that he in put a great number in part and that the others are escaped in the forests (how many women, children and old men and how much combatants?)

As by chance the losses were supported by Tigures right the canton which had made undergo heavy defeats with the Romans like what the chance makes the things well