Battle of the Sabis 57 BC
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Year | 57 BC | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
|---|---|---|
| Era | Ancient (before 500) | derived from year |
| Location | France | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Europe | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Gallic War | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | Ancient Rome | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 50.2333, 3.4417 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of the Sabis also (arguably erroneously) known as the Battle of the Sambre or the Battle against the Nervians (or Nervii) was fought in 57 BC near modern Saulzoir in Northern France. At the River Sabis a Roman army under the command of Gaius Julius Caesar fought an association of Belgae tribes, principally the Nervii. Caesar was surprised and nearly defeated by a Belgae surprise attack. According to Caesar's commentaries, a combination of determined defence, skilled generalship, and the timely arrival of reinforcements allowed the Romans to turn the Belgae ambush into a Roman victory. Few primary sources describe the battle in detail, with most information coming from Caesar's own report on the battle from his book, Commentarii de Bello Gallico. Little is therefore known about the Nervii perspective on the battle.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of the Sabis (revision 1378284313), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
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Other battles of the Gallic War
- Battle of Magetobriga 63 BC
- Battle of Bibracte 58 BC
- Battle of Vosges (58 BC) 58 BC
- Battle of the Arar 58 BC
- Battle of Octodurus 57 BC
- Battle of the Axona 57 BC
- Siege of the Atuatuci 57 BC
- Battle of Morbihan 56 BC
- Ambiorix's revolt 54 BC
- Battle of Alesia 52 BC
All 15 battles of the Gallic War →
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