Diviciacus (Aedui)

Diviciacus or Divitiacus of the Aedui is the only druid from antiquity whose existence is attested by name. He should not be confused with the king of the Suessiones also known by the Latinised name Diviciacus; coins, possibly issued by the latter, give the Gaulish name in Greek lettering as Δειουικιιακος. The name may mean "avenger."^[1]

His date of birth is not known, but he was an adult during the late 60s BC, at which time he was a senator of the Aedui and escaped a massacre by the forces of the Sequani, Arverni and Germanic troops under the Suebian leader Ariovistus.^[2]

He supported the preexisting alliance the Aedui had with Rome, and in 63 BC spoke before the Roman senate to ask for military aid. While in Rome, he was a guest of Cicero, who spoke of his knowledge of divination, astronomy and natural philosophy, and names him as a druid.^[3] Julius Caesar, who knew him well, speaks of him several times in his Commentarii de Bello Gallico and noted his particular skills as a diplomat without calling him a druid.

Delamarre contends that, in addition to holding the religious office of druid, Diviciacus may have been the Uergobretos, the annually elected political leader or chief magistrate^[4] of the Aedui, one of the most powerful nations in Gaul. If true, his combination of military and religious office responsibilities in Aedua paralleled Caesar's duties among the Romans. For in Rome, Caesar was Pontifex Maximus in addition to being a magistrate and general.

Diviciacus had a brother, Dumnorix, who was aggressively anti-Roman. After defeating him in battle, Caesar spared his life so as to avoid antagonizing Diviciacus. Later, however, Dumnorix attempted to escape from Caesar's control and was killed in the attempt.

Diviciacus would have been Uergobretos sometime before 52 BC, when the election was contested between Convictolitavis and Cotos.^[5] The date of Diviciacus's death is not known; Cicero speaks of him in the past tense in 44 BC.

Sources

• Julius Caesar, Commentarii de Bello Gallico 1.3, 1.16-20, 1.31-32, 2.5, 2.14-15, 6.12, 7.39
• Cicero, De Divinatione 1.41
• Brunaux, Jean-Louis (2005) Les Gaulois. Paris, Les Belles Lettres. ISBN 2-251-41028-7
• Delamarre, X. (2003). Dictionnaire de la Langue Gauloise (2nd ed.). Paris: Editions Errance. ISBN 2-87772-237-6

Notes

1. ^ Delamarre, pp. 145–146.
2. ^ Brunaux, p. 282. In Caesar's Gallic War the word "senator" is used to refer to Gallic aristocrats who took part in their clans' decision-making.
3. ^ Cicero, De Divinatione I xli.
4. ^ Delamarre, p. 315.
5. ^ Brunaux, p. 283.