Julius Caesar leads a siege against the hillfort city of Alesia, home to a tribe led by the Gaul warrior Verkan Getterich. After failing to break the siege, Getterich retreats to the city, blocking the entrance to the peninsula with his army and waits for Caesar to attack.
In this episode, Dan Carlin discusses Julius Caesar's military tactics during the Battle of Sabis in 57 BC, where Caesar's forces were ambushed by the Nervii tribe, but managed to turn the tide of the battle with their superior construction skills and terrain selection.
Caesar's conquest of Avaricum resulted in the death of nearly the entire population of 40,000 people, with only 800 survivors. It is unclear whether this was part of Caesar's plan, but he strategically chose who would be shown clemency and who would be decimated.
Caesar faces a critical battle against the Belgians and Nervians, where he risks losing his troops and the fate of the Roman Republic. He maximizes his chances of becoming a casualty by helping the units most threatened.
Caesar gives a long speech, written to demonstrate the extremities that people will go to during war. The people of Alesia, an entire pan-tribal group, are trapped inside a hillfort without the knowledge of any news or reinforcement, running low on food and having a hardcore debate amongst themselves, with some considering to resort to cannibalism as a last resort.
Historian Mike Duncan talks about the logistical challenges the Belgians faced during their revolution and how Julius Caesar was able to take advantage of the large, decentralized barbarian armies using his more centralized Roman logistical infrastructure in the Gallic Wars.