tribal confederation · France and the Low Countries

Sequani

300 BCE – 51 BCE (approx.) · capital Vesontio

Gallic people of Franche-Comté whose rivalry with the Aedui led them to invite the German Ariovistus into Gaul.

Origins

The Sequani lived between the Saône, the Jura and the Rhine, around their great oppidum of Vesontio (Besançon) in a loop of the Doubs. Their land was famous for salted pork exported to Rome.

Rule and society

They contested with the Aedui for control of tolls on the Saône and for leadership of Gaul. Caesar names Catamantaloedes as a former king who held the title of friend of the Roman people, and his son Casticus as a would-be king.

Decline and legacy

To defeat the Aedui they hired the German leader Ariovistus, who then seized a third of their land, until Caesar drove him out in 58 BCE. The Sequani joined the revolt of 52 BCE. Under Rome Vesontio became an important town, and their land later formed the province of Maxima Sequanorum.

Connections (1)

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

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻