Ambiorix Ambiorix was , together with Cativolcus , prince of the Eburones , leader of a Belgic tribe of north - eastern Gaul ( Gallia Belgica ) , where modern Belgium is located . In the 19th century Ambiorix became a Belgian national hero because of his resistance against Julius Caesar , as written in Caesar ' s " Commentarii de Bello Gallico " . Early history . In 57 BC Julius Caesar conquered Gaul and also Belgica ( modern day Northern France , Belgium and a southern section of the Netherlands to the Rhine River ; and the north - western portion of North Rhine - Westfalia , Germany . ) There were several tribes in the country who fought against each other regularly . The Eburones were ruled by Ambiorix and Catuvolcus . In 54 BC Caesar ' s troops urgently needed more food and thereby the local tribes were forced to give up part of their harvest , which had not been good that year . Understandably the starving Eburones were reluctant to do so and Caesar ordered that camps be built near the Eburones ' villages . Each centurion was ordered to make sure the food supplies were delivered to the Roman soldiers . This created resentment among the Eburones . Although Julius Caesar had freed him from paying tribute to the Atuatuci , Ambiorix joined Catuvolcus in the winter of 54 BC in an uprising against the Roman forces under Quintus Titurius Sabinus and Lucius Aurunculeius Cotta . Resisting the Romans . Because a drought had disrupted his grain supply , Caesar was forced to winter his legions among the rebellious Belgic tribes . Roman troops , led by Q . Titurius Sabinus and L . Aurunculeius Cotta were wintering among the Eburones when they are attacked by the Eburones , led by Ambiorix and Cativolcus . Ambiorix deceived the Romans , telling them the attack was made without his consent , and further advised them to flee as large Germanic force was preparing to cross the Rhine . Trusting Ambiorix , Sabinus and Cotta ' s troops leave the next morning . A short distance from their camp , the Roman troops were ambushed by the Eburones and massacred . Elsewhere , another Roman force under Quintus Tullius Cicero , brother of Marcus , were wintering amongst the Nervii . Leading a coalition of rebellious Belgic tribes , Ambiorix surrounded Cicero ' s camp . After a long while , a Roman messenger was finally able to slip through the Belgic lines and get word of the uprising to Caesar . Mobilizing his legions , Caesar immediately marched to Cicero ' s aid . As they approached the besieged Roman camp , the Belgae moved to engage Caesar ' s troops . Vastly outnumbered , Caeser ordered his troops to appear confused and frightened , and they successfully lured the Belgae to attack them on ground favourable to the Romans . Caesar ' s forces launched a fierce counterattack , and soon put the Belgae to flight . Later , Caesar ’ s troops entered Cicero ' s camp to find most of the men wounded . Meanwhile , Indutiomarus , a leader of the Treveri , began to harass the camp of Labienus on a daily basis , eventually provoking Labienus to send out his cavalry with specific orders to kill Indutiomarus . They do so , and rout the remnants of the late Indutiomarus ' s army . Caesar personally remained in Gaul for the remainder of winter due to the renewed Gallic threat . Caesar ' s revenge . When the Roman Senate heard what happened , Caesar swore to put down all the Belgic tribes . It was very important that the other Roman provinces know that the almighty Roman republic couldn ' t be beaten so easily . After all , Ambiorix had killed a whole Roman legion and five cohorts . A Belgic attack on Quintus Cicero ( brother of the orator ) , then stationed with a legion in the Nervii ' s territory , failed due to the timely appearance of Caesar . The Roman campaigns against the Belgae took a few years , but eventually the Belgae were no match against 50 , 000 trained Roman soldiers . The tribes were slaughtered or driven out and their fields burned . The Eburones were history from that point . According to the writer Florus , Ambiorix and his men managed to cross the Rhine and disappear without a trace . Legacy . Caesar wrote about Ambiorix in his commentary about his battles against the Gauls : " De Bello Gallico " . In this text he also wrote the famous line : " Of these [ three regions ] , the Belgae are the bravest . " ( " . . . Horum omnium fortissimi sunt Belgae . . . " ) . Ambiorix remained forgotten until the 19th century . When Belgium became independent in 1830 the national government started searching through their historical archives for persons who could serve as national heroes . In Caesar ' s " De Bello Gallico " they discovered Ambiorix and his deeds . In 1841 the Belgian poet Joannes Nolet de Brauwere van Steeland wrote a lyric al epic about Ambiorix and on September 5 , 1866 a statue of Ambiorix was erected on the Great Market of Tongeren in Belgium . There is no proof he ever lived there , but since Tongeren is Belgium ' s oldest city and Caesar referenced Atuatuca ( Tongeren ' s original name was " Atuatuca Tongorum " ) it was placed there . Nowadays Ambiorix is one of the most famous characters in Belgian history . Many companies , bars and French fry stands have named themselves after him and in many Belgian comics such as Suske en Wiske and Jommeke he has played a guest role . There was also a short lived comic called " Ambionix " , which features a scientist teleporting a Belgae chief , loosely based on Ambiorix , to modern day Belgium . In the French comic Asterix in the album Asterix in Belgium , Asterix , Obelix , Dogmatix and Vitalstatistix go to Belgium because they are angry with Caesar about his remark that the Belgians are the bravest of all the Gauls . In 2005 Ambiorix was nominated for the title De Grootste Belg ( The Greatest Belgian ) . In the Flemish edition he ended in fourth place . In the Walloon edition he ended in 50th place .