Atlas of Battles

battle, major, ancient

Battle of the Axona

Battle of the Axona was a battle fought in 57 BC at Aisne, in what is now France. It was part of the Gallic War, which ran from 58 BC to 51 BC. The recorded result: Roman victory.

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Bataille de l'Aisne entre César et les Belges en 57 av. J.-C.
Bataille de l'Aisne entre César et les Belges en 57 av. J.-C.. Cristiano64 (Transferred by User:Coldeel/Originally uploaded by Cristiano64 (it)), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought57 BC
WhereAisne, France49.434N, 2.847E
OutcomeRoman victory
BelligerentsRoman RepublicagainstBelgae
Casualties and lossesLess than 1,000 killedandAbout 10,000 killed
Part ofGallic War58 BC to 51 BC

Where it sits in the Gallic War

Battle of Magetobria, 63 BCBattle of Bibracte, 58 BCBattle of the Arar, 58 BCBattle of Vosges, 58 BCBattle of Cavillonum, 58 BCBattle of Vesontio, 58 BCBattle of the Sabis, 57 BCBattle of the Axona, 57 BCBattle of Octodurus, 57 BCSiege of Bibrax, 57 BCSiege of the Atuatuci, 57 BCBattle of Morbihan, 56 BCBattle of Vernix, 56 BCBattle against the Aquitanians, 56 BCSiege of Namur, 54 BCBattle of the Sambre, 54 BCAmbiorix's Revolt, 54 BCBattle of the Semois River, 53 BCBattle of Gergovia, 52 BCBattle of Lutetia, 52 BCBattle of Noviodunum, 52 BCBattle of the Saône, 52 BCSiege of Avaricum, 52 BCBattle of Alesia, 52 BCBattle of Vingeanne, 52 BCSiege of Uxellodunum, 51 BC63 BC51 BCBattle of the Axona, 57 BC
26 placed engagements of the Gallic War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date57 BC (year precision)
PlaceAisne, France
49.434N, 2.847E
KindBattle, ancient
StrengthAbout 40,000–45,000 men (8 legions with cavalry and auxiliaries)At least 50,000 Suessiones, possibly up to the entire Belgic alliance of 288,000
Casualties and lossesLess than 1,000 killedAbout 10,000 killed
Commanders
  • Galba (Suessiones)
Battle of the AxonaBattle of the AxonaSiege of CompiègneFirst Battle of PicardyAction at NérySiege of MontépilloySiege of CreilFirst Battle of PicardyAction at NérySiege of MontépilloySiege of CreilRouenCharleroiAmiensVersaillesTroyesDieppeMelunArras100 km49.434N, 2.847E
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 the Axona
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 10 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of the Axona today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2023-09-07. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2023.

The recorded site stands at about 34 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 26 to 162 m, 136 m of relief, gently rolling country and today it is 49% tree cover, 22% built-up, 17% cropland.

tree cover: 49%built-up: 22%cropland: 17%grassland: 8%water: 3%tree cover 49%built-up 22%cropland 17%grassland 8%water 3%
west to east, 10.0 km29 to 95 mnorth to south, 10.0 km29 to 159 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 the Axona is one of 159 engagements of the 1st century BC in the atlas and one of 1,383 in present-day France.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q1260622, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of the Axona, revision 1370277590, 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.