The Suessiones were a Belgic tribe, dwelling in the modern Aisne and Oise regions during the La Tène and Roman periods. During the Gallic Wars (58–50 BC), their oppidum Noviodunum (Pommiers) was besieged and conquered by Caesar. Following their defeat by the Romans at the end of the campaign of 57 BC, they fell into dependence upon Rome and remained faithful to the Romans during the revolt of 51 BC. Name Attestations They are mentioned as Suessiones by Caesar (mid-1st c. BC) and Pliny (1st c. AD), as Souessíōnes (Σουεσσίωνες) and Ou̓essíōnas (Οὐεσσίωνας) by Strabo (early 1st c. AD), and as Ouéssones (Οὐέσσονες) by Ptolemy (2nd c. AD). Etymology The etymology of the Gaulish ethnonym Suessiones has been debated, but most scholars derive it from the word for 'six', (cf. Gaulish 'sixth', Irish , Welsh 'six'), after a Gallic custom of including numbers in tribal names (e.g. Vo-contii, Vo-corii, Tri-corii, Petru-corii). Other proposed etymologies include *su-ed-ti-ones ('rich in food'), or a formation from the root *swe- ('proper, to oneself'). The tribal name Suessetani and the place-name (), both attested in Iberia, are probably linguistically related. The city of Soissons, attested as Augusta Suessionum in the 4th c. AD (Suessio in 561, Soisson in 1288), and the region of Soissonnais, are named after the tribe. Geography Territory The territory of the Suessiones was bordered by the forest of the Oise valley to the west, and by wooded heights along the Marne river (near Épernay) to the southeast. They dwelt northeast of the smaller Meldi and Silvanectes, and west of the Remi. Settlements La Tène period The oppidum of Villeneuve-Saint-Germain, founded on a plain near the Aisne river in the middle of the 1st century BC, was the main settlement of the Suessiones before the Roman conquest. It was an important Gallic agglomeration, reaching 70ha at its height. From the period of the Gallic Wars (58–50 BC), their chief town became the oppidum of Pommiers, generally identified with the fortress of Noviodunum (Gaulish: 'new fortress') mentioned by Caesar. Pommiers was progressively abandoned and became unoccupied after the end of reign of Augustus (27 BC–14 AD), when their chief town became Augusta Suessionum. Smaller oppida were also located at Ambleny, Pont-Saint-Mard, or Epagny. Roman period Augusta Suessionum (modern Soissons), founded ca. 20 BC on an area more adapted to urbanization than Villeneuve-Saint-Germain and Pommiers, became the capital of the civitas Suessionum during the