Long march. Stone road. Old city. Know the land.
Definition/Summary:
Tongeren
- A city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg, in the southeastern corner of the Flemish region of Belgium
- Oldest town in Belgium, as the only Roman administrative capital within the country’s borders
- As a Roman city, it was inhabited by the Tungri, and known as Atuatuca Tungrorum, it was the administrative centre of the Civitas Tungrorum district
Expanded info:
Ambiorix’s revolt
- During the Gallic Wars between 54 and 53 BC in which the Eburones tribe, under its leader, Ambiorix, rebelled against the Roman Republic
- Discontent among the subjugated Gauls prompted a major uprising amongst the Belgae against Julius Caesar
- Fifteen Roman cohorts were wiped out at Atuatuca Tungrorum and a garrison narrowly survived after being relieved by Caesar in the nick of time. The rest of 53 BC was occupied with a punitive campaign against the Eburones and their allies, who were said to have been all but exterminated by the Romans