Readings on migrations and migration theory?

[Thomas Aagaard]

Even if there was a large deal of destruction I don't believe we can trust that we would find any sign of it.

I would guess that their villages moved every few generations?
So the buildings would be of wood. and former village sites would be uses for farmland later.
(my knowledge about the Helveii is what few lines I read in my ospreybooks, so Iam guessing here)

If the buildings are burned and everyone killed they would properly not be covered by man.
So even when they get covered by nature it will be after a very very long exposure til the elements.

And then later some medieval farmer destroy the layers with his plow.


Where if we have a fire in a town, the reminding buildingparts would be pulled down, and the area would quickly be build over. So the layers is protected. Unlike in a burned village.

[Marja]

First, much of the archaeological data on pre-Roman Switzerland comes from the towns. Unfortunately, these are usually also modern towns and cities, so the work will usually concern one small area at one one time. According to Oberholzer, Roman Switzerland, there is evidence for destruction at Lausanne [in Helvetic territory] and Basel [in Rauracic territory]. I don't have the book so I can't follow through her citations.

Second, Caesar's account of the Helvetic migration seems unlikely. How often do entire populations pick up and go? Certainly there is some kind of civil strife in the account, and in extreme cases civil strife can lead to out-migration. If this has escalated to civil war, it could also explain destruction layers at some sites. So one possibility is that the supporters of the late Orgetorix are leaving Helvetic territory and are claiming to represent all the Helvetii. Another possibility is that Caesar has interpreted this in light of legendary migrations.

[Marja]

It's unusual but not unknown for civil strife, up to and including civil war, to drive more than 5% to 10% of the population from their homes. And with population densities of 10 to 15 people per kilometer, I'm getting a best guess of about 125,000 Helvetii, about 110,000 Rauraci, and perhaps 45,000 Latobriges, with no direct way to estimate the number of Tulingi or Boiian refugees, although I suspect the migrating Helvetii outnumbered the migrating Tulingi and the migrating Boii or Caesar would have emphasized the Boii instead of the Helvetii.

All told, this implies 25,000 to 50,000 migrants/refugees, with no chance against a Roman army of 20,000 or 30,000 soldiers.

I'm thinking either we need to toss even more of Caesar's narrative, or we need to toss everything we know about migration. Neither appeals to me.