Atlas of Battles

battle, major, ancient

Battle of Aquae Sextiae

Battle of Aquae Sextiae was a battle fought in 102 BC at Aquae Sextiae, in what is now France. It was part of the Cimbrian War, which ran from 113 BC to 101 BC. The recorded result: Roman victory.

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John Harris Valda - The Battle of Aquae Sextiae in 102 BC (illustration from Hutchinsons History of the Nations, 1915)
John Harris Valda - The Battle of Aquae Sextiae in 102 BC (illustration from Hutchinsons History of the Nations, 1915). John Harris Valda, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought102 BC
WhereAquae Sextiae, France43.531N, 5.454E
OutcomeRoman victory
BelligerentsRoman RepublicagainstTeutons; Ambrones
Casualties and lossesUnknownand100,000-120,000 dead
Part ofCimbrian War113 BC to 101 BC

Where it sits in the Cimbrian War

Battle of Noreia, 112 BCBattle of Burdigala, 107 BCBattle of Arausio, 105 BCBattle of Aquae Sextiae, 102 BCBattle of Vercellae, 101 BC112 BC101 BCBattle of Aquae Sextiae, 102 BC
5 placed engagements of the Cimbrian War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date102 BC (year precision)
PlaceAquae Sextiae, France
43.531N, 5.454E
KindBattle, ancient
StrengthThe Battle against the Ambrones; 32,000–40,000 (six legions + auxiliaries); The Battle of Aquae Sextiae; 32,000–40,000 (six legions + auxiliaries)The Battle against the Ambrones; 30,000 (the warriors of the Ambrones); The Battle of Aquae Sextiae; 100,000–200,000 (the warriors of the entire tribal coalition)
Casualties and lossesUnknown100,000-120,000 dead
Commanders
  • Teutobod
Battle of Aquae SextiaeBattle of Aquae SextiaeBattle of MarseilleSiege of MassiliaSiege of MarseilleSiege of MassiliaSiege of MénerbesBattle of MarseilleSiege of MassiliaSiege of MarseilleSiege of MénerbesNiceMontpellierNîmesBéziers100 km43.531N, 5.454E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Aquae Sextiae
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 25 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Aquae Sextiae today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2023-08-02. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2023.

The recorded site stands at about 200 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 112 to 453 m, 342 m of relief, hilly country and today it is 52% tree cover, 36% built-up, 8% grassland.

tree cover: 52%built-up: 36%grassland: 8%shrubland: 3%tree cover 52%built-up 36%grassland 8%shrubland 3%
west to east, 10.0 km175 to 351 mnorth to south, 10.0 km137 to 326 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Battle of Aquae Sextiae is one of 91 engagements of the 2nd century BC in the atlas and one of 1,383 in present-day France.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q774487, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Aquae Sextiae, revision 1378114910, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.