César génocidaire ? Le massacre des Usipètes et des Tenctères (55 av. J.-C.)

Abstract

In 55 B. C., during the Gallic Wars, Caesar slaughtered the Usipetes and Tencteri at the confluence of the Meuse river and the Rhine river. That offensive has long been seen as a war crime. More recently, it has increasingly been described as a genocide. However, after studying the criticisms expressed in ancient sources, that definition seems inappropriate : accusations are of a different kind. This article therefore aims at a better understanding of the very meaning of that violence and its features. A historical approach inspired by sociological methods renews former viewpoints. For instance, not only Caesar’s, but also Plutarch’s, Appian’s and Cassius Dio’s writings are detailed enough to examine the way violence progressively bursts. They also allow to assess the key-role of the cavalry. Consequently, one has to reassess Caesar’s part in ordering the slaughter initiative. There seems indeed to be a gap between the account of the facts, overestimated by the controversy, and Caesar’s real part.