d. 46 B.C.

Gallic chieftain who, because of his famous conflict with Julius Caesar (102-44 B.C.), became one of the first "barbarian" figures known to history. In 52 B.C. Caesar had nearly completed the conquest of Gaul when Vercingetorix, chief of the tribe called the Arverni, led an uprising in what is now east-central France. Through skillful guerilla tactics, Vercingetorix lured Caesar into fighting in a position disadvantageous to the Romans. However, Caesar destroyed Vercingetorix's reserve army and successfully besieged the fortress, capturing the chieftain and bringing him back to Rome. Six years after he was marched through the city as an exhibit in Caesar's triumphal procession, Vercingetorix was executed.