The Eburones were a Gallic tribe in what is now Belgium and parts of the Netherlands. They figure largely in Julius Caesar’s “Gallic Wars” around 54BC. They were also called “Belgae” or “Germani”. Ambiorix and the Eburones were the tribe which decided to finally kick back against the Romans. Ambiorix was able to kill a large contingent (about 6000) of Roman soldiers before trying to get other Gauls involved. In the end Caesar used competing tribes to try to wipe out the Eburones. His history says that he succeeded.
The city of Tongeren, called Atuatuca Tongrorum by the Romans, was the capital of the Roman province in what became Belgian Limburg. Its importance for the region lay in its being a Roman capital for the province and being settled on a major highway (literally, the roads the Romans built which were higher than a simple road). The city came under Saint Servatius (who was buried in Maastricht) in the 4th century. In the 17th century the city was burnt to the ground by Luis XIV’s troops and was not really rebuilt until 1830.
When the major roads also moved away from Tongeren, the city languished and died, in comparison to the cities of Maastricht and Liege. But it is still a major tourist destination and boasts a lively antiques market every Sunday. The most important part of the city for us is that several of the members of the congregation live there. Our young Ukrainian couple live right downtown. Another Belgian family live in a small village considered part of greater Tongeren.
From the time of Julius Caesar (think of the opening scene of the movie “Gladiator”) to the present, Tongeren remains an intriguing city.
(The picture is of the wedding at the beginning of this year of a young Ukrainian couple which took place in a restored old building in Tongeren).
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