tribal confederation · France and the Low Countries

Helvetii

300 BCE – 58 BCE (approx.)

Celtic confederation of the Swiss plateau whose attempted mass migration in 58 BCE triggered Caesar's conquest of Gaul.

Origins

Tacitus says the Helvetii once lived between the Rhine and the Main before moving to the Swiss plateau between the Jura and the Alps. They were divided into four cantons, and one of them, the Tigurini under Divico, joined the Cimbri and defeated a Roman army near Agen in 107 BCE.

Rule and society

They lived in fortified oppida and villages and were governed by a nobility. The site of La Tène on Lake Neuchâtel, with its weapons and offerings, has given its name to the late Iron Age culture of Celtic Europe.

Decline and legacy

Following a plan of the noble Orgetorix, who died before it began, they burned their towns and set off west in 58 BCE, but Caesar defeated them near Bibracte and sent the survivors home. Under Rome Aventicum (Avenches) became their capital, and modern Switzerland still calls itself Confoederatio Helvetica.

Connections (1)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Helvetii. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/helvetii
MLA
“Helvetii.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/helvetii. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Helvetii.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/helvetii.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Helvetii’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/helvetii (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻