Early history The Arverni are known to have had the most powerful tribal hegemony in Gaul during the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC under their kings
Luernius and his son
Bituitus. Their power was based on strong metallurgic technologies and weapons, elaborated and rich agriculture and catering, mining, trade and military dominance over their neighbours with tributes paid to them. But when Arverni king Bituitus was defeated by the
Romans of
Quintus Fabius and
Gnaeus Ahenobarbus in 121 BC at the climactic
Battle of the Isère River, their ascendancy passed to the
Aedui and
Sequani. Unlike the
Allobroges, who were brought under direct Roman rule as a result of the Celtic wars of the 120s, the Arverni negotiated a treaty that preserved their independence, though their territory was diminished. No further Arvernian kings are mentioned in the historical record between 121 BC and 52 BC, and they may have adopted a constitutional
oligarchy at this time. However, there were at least two later attempts to re-establish rulership by
Celtillus and
Vercingetorix. The defeat of the Arverni under Bituitus led directly to the establishment of
Gallia Narbonensis as a
Roman province, referred to simply as the
Provincia so often that a part of the ancient region is today known as
Provence. The King Luernius was mentioned in writing by the Greek ethnographer
Posidonius. Luernius was known to have scattered gold and silver coins to his followers while riding in his chariot. Under Luernius, the Arverni were at the head of a formidable Gallic military hegemony which stretched from the Rhine to the Atlantic coast. They joined
Bellovesus' migrations towards Italy, together with the
Aedui,
Ambarri,
Aulerci,
Carnutes and
Senones.
Gallic Wars ,
Cabinet des Médailles. The Arverni later played an important role in the
Gallic Wars of
Julius Caesar from 58 BC to 51 BC. At first the Arvenian nobles tried to avoid confronting Caesar during his early incursions. They executed the leader
Celtillus, evidently for trying to gain sovereignty over all the Gauls. In 52 BC, Celtillus' son
Vercingetorix rallied his supporters to fight the Romans, but was expelled from Gergovia by the nobles, including his uncle Gobanitio. He then raised a great army in the country, and returned to the city where he ejected his opponents and was declared king.
Roman period In the aftermath of the Gallic Wars the Arverni soldiers were pardoned and its senate was restored to power. The Arverni and the majority of other Gaulish states were pulled into the Roman political hemisphere but retained full rights and home rule. According to
Gregory of Tours and his book
Historia Francorum ("History of the Franks") the Arverni senators were still active in the sixth century and were deeply involved in the politics of the nascent Frankish state. == List of Arverni rulers and other personalities ==