imbri. In CaesarÆs time, it was feared that if the Gallic states did not become Roman, they would be overrun by Germans, who would go on to attack Italy. Caesar originally set out to conquer not Gaul, but Rumania, because of its abundance of precious metals. However, the migration of the Helvetians, a coalition of tribes in modern Switzerland, forced him to consider two campaigns in the north (Hanford 28-57). The Helvetians had migrated to southwest France, passing through Roman territories, which was unacceptable to Romans. Caesar saw an opportunity to impress the Senate and PeopleÆs Assembly by defeating the Germans who were attacking the Aedui, a Gallic tribe friendly to Rome.
CaesarÆs military base was the lower Rhone valley, and he destroyed the bridge at Geneva and blocked the road along the Rhone, slowing down the Helvetian advance (Hanford 28-57). He led his army across the Alps and recruited two extra legions. He defeated the helvetians when they tried to cross the Saone in July, and again in August near the capital of the Aedui at Bibracie. He then went on to help the Gauls push back the Suebians, a Germanic tribe in the region of modern Colmar, and he then wintered in moder
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