Horrors Of War

[longbow]

In Caesars Gaul conquest he did something what i've never understood,why did he massacre the inhabitants of Aviricum?what was the point in doing this?

I can understand him selling everyone into slavery because of the profit involved but killing everyone makes no sence to me.If he did it to make an example and to scare the Gauls it had the opposite effect with even more tribes flocking to Vercingetorex.But vercingetorex did something i dont understand either,when he sent his non combatants out of Gergovia because he didnt have enougth food to feed them, he must have known Caesar didnt have the food for them either, and after what Caesar had done at Aviricum did he really think Caesar would look after his enemy's people?

Do you think these leaders made the right decisions?or should Caesar have sold the city instaed of Killing it?should Vercingetorex have attacked the Romans when he realised he coldnt feed everyone in the city?

 

Any thoughts?

[Germanicus]

With regard to Aviricum, I don't think Caesar necassarily had total control over his troops in terms of the slaughter. It was a difficult seige, at many stages without corn. Forage had cost lives due to Vercingetorix followers camped nearby ambushing the foragers, the Romans were opposed in their seige works at every stage by the besieged. Caesar himself mentions the fatigue of the Seige as a catalyst for the slaughter.

 

"Thus, being excited by the massacre at Genabum and the fatigue of the siege, they spared neither those worn out with years, women, or children"

 

With regard to Alesia, the non-combatants were just expendable, and Vercingetorix needed all food for his soldiers, not wanting to launch a major assault when the relief army was yet to arrive, at least I don't think they'd arrived ?

[FLavius Valerius Constantinus]

Pretty sure I'm wrong, but I think its because when the inhabitants surrendered, they promised to comply to the conditions with turning in all their arms(swords) and so they did, but with the exception that a 1/3 of them kept their weapons.They then went back inside and fought with Caesar. In the end Caesar won and he because he was so piss, he allowed the slaughtering of them and their bondage into slavery.

[Princeps]

Vercengetorix hoped Caesar would enslave the women and children. The only other option would be "the old way", i.e the inhabitants eat the old and lame (according to one source I've seen).