Editing Helvetii (section)

== Legacy ==
{{see|Gallo-Roman culture|Germania Superior|Switzerland in the Roman era|Alemanni}}
{{see|Ariovistus#Aftermath|Celtic_toponymy#Switzerland}}
Roman occupation in the aftermath of the [[Gallic Wars]] had pacified the Celtic-Germanic contact zone along the Rhine. The [[Suebi]] and [[Marcomanni]] who under [[Ariovistus]] had planned to invade Gaul were pushed back beyond the [[Black Forest]], where they amalgamated into the future [[Alemanni]].<ref>[[Theodor Mommsen]], W.P. Dickson (trans.), ''The History of Rome'' vol. 4 (1880), p. 232.</ref>
The Romans allowed Germanic tribes such as the [[Ubii]], [[Triboci]], [[Nemetes]] and [[Vangiones]] to settle in the deserted areas left of the Rhine. On the right bank of the Upper Rhine, which according to the testimony of [[Tacitus]]  (''Germania'' 28) had formerly also been occupied by the Helvetians, both the historical and archaeological records are sparse. 
[[Ptolemy]] (2.4.11) in the 2nd century uses the term ''Eremus Helvetiorum'' (also rendered ''Heremus Helvetiorum'') "desolation of the Helvetians" to refer to this area (largely corresponding to modern [[Baden]]). The term was adopted by [[Aegidius Tschudi]] in the 16th century,<ref>J.J. Gallati (ed.), ''Hauptschlüssel zu zerschiedenen Alterthumen: oder Beschreibung [...] Galliae Comatae'' (1767), [https://books.google.com/books?id=DmJEAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA238 p. 238].</ref>  and remains in use in modern historiography (German: ''[[:de:Helvetier-Einöde|Helvetier-Einöde]]'').
It has been proposed that the area inhabited by the Helvetians had extended beyond the Swiss plateau, far into what is now [[Baden-Württemberg]], but had been displaced in the course of the [[Cimbrian War]], some two generations prior to Caesar's invasion of Gaul.<ref>Franz Fischer, "Die Kelten und ihre Geschichte" in: 
Bittel, Kimmig, Schiek (eds.), ''Die Kelten in Baden-Württemberg'' (1981), p.&nbsp;72.</ref>

The Swiss plateau was gradually romanized during the 1st to 3rd centuries.
The principal Roman settlements were the cities of [[Iulia Equestris]] ([[Nyon]]), [[Aventicum]] ([[Avenches]]), [[Augusta Raurica]] ([[Augst]]) and [[Vindonissa]] ([[Windisch, Switzerland|Windisch]]). Evidence has also been found of almost twenty Roman villages (''[[Vicus (Rome)|vici]]'') and hundreds of [[Roman villa|villa]]s.<ref name="Ducrey 83" >Ducrey, p. 83.</ref>

In the course of Romanization, the [[Celtic polytheism]] of the Helvetians was [[Syncretism|syncretized]]  with [[Religion in ancient Rome|Roman religion]]. The Celtic deities came to be worshiped under the names of their Roman counterparts, and Roman gods acquired the names of local gods, such as  ''Mars [[Caturix]]'',  ''Mercurius [[Cissonius]]'' and  ''Jupiter [[Poeninus]]''.
A major cultic center of [[Gallo-Roman religion]], consisting of eight chapels or small temples, was found in [[Strättligen#Allmendingen|Allmendingen]] near [[Thun]]. Deities worshipped at the site included [[Mars (mythology)|Mars]] (presumably in lieu of [[Caturix]]) and [[Rosmerta]] as well as [[Mithras]].<ref>Prümm "zur kaiserzeitlichen Religionslage in der Schweiz", ''Religionsgeschichliches Handbuch'' (1954), [https://books.google.com/books?id=qc9SciD13jsC&pg=PA766 p. 766].</ref>

Although the [[Gaulish language]] had mostly been ousted by [[Vulgar Latin|Latin]] by the 3rd century, many [[Celtic toponymy|Celtic toponyms]] have survived in Switzerland. Of the ten largest present-day Swiss cities, at least six have Celtic placename etymologies,<ref>[[Zürich]] (''[[Turicum]]''), [[Geneva]] (''Genava''), [[Bern]] (''Berna'', see [[Bern zinc tablet]]), [[Lausanne]] (''Lausodunon''), [[Winterthur]] (''[[Vitudurum]]''), [[Biel/Bienne]] (''Belena'', derived from the theonym [[Belenos]]). 
Derivation of the names of [[Lucerne]] and [[Lugano]] are uncertain, the latter may contain the theonym [[Lugus]]. [[Basel]] is the site of a Celtic oppidum, but its name dates to the Roman era, derived from the personal name Basilius, while [[St. Gallen]] is an early medieval foundation.</ref>
and most major [[List of rivers of Switzerland|Swiss rivers]] have either Celtic or [[Old European hydronymy|pre-Celtic]] names.<ref>[[Rhine]] (''Renos''), [[Aare]] (see [[Berne zinc tablet]]), [[Rhône]] (''Rodonos''), [[Linth]]/[[Limmat]], [[Saane/Sarine]], [[Thur (Switzerland)|Thur]].
The name of the [[Reuss (river)|Reuss]] (formerly ''Silana'') is of Germanic origin.
</ref>

The order and prosperity of the ''[[Pax Romana]]'' ended with the [[Crisis of the Third Century]]. In 260, when the [[Gallic Empire]] briefly seceded from Rome, emperor [[Gallienus]] withdrew the legions from the Rhine to fight the usurper [[Ingenuus]], allowing the [[Alemanni]] to invade the Swiss plateau.  There, cities, villages and most ''villae'' were raided or sacked by marauding bands. The numerous caches of coins recovered from the period between 250 and 280 attest to the severity of the crisis.<ref name="Ducrey 101" >Ducrey, Pierre (2006). "Die ersten Kulturen zwischen Alpen und Jura". ''Geschichte der Schweiz und der Schweizer'' (4th ed.), Schwabe, p. 101.</ref>

The Helvetii were re-discovered as the forebears of the [[Swiss people|Swiss]] in the early [[historiography of Switzerland]], in the late 15th to early 16th century.<ref>The identification of  ''Suecia, alias Helvicia, inde Helvici, id est Suetones'' is found in a gloss from [[Reichenau Abbey|Reichenau]], dated to the late 15th century. Guy P. Marchal, "Die frommen Schweden in Schwyz: Das 'Herkommen der Schwyzer und Oberhasler' als Quelle zum schwyzerischen Selbstverständnis im 15. und 16. Jahrhundert", ''Basler Beiträge zur zur Geschichtswissenschaft'' Vol. 138), Basel/Stuttgart 1976, p. 65.<!--quote: "Die sog. Reichenauer Glosse (''Suecia alias Helvetia, inde Helvici, id est Suetones''), die als Beleg für den Anfang des 15. Jh. von Ernst Ludwig Rochholz, Tell und Gessler, Heilbronn 1877, S. 69, und Vetter, Sage, S.6, angeführt wurde, entstammt einer Papierhandschrift von Ende des 15. Jahrhundert; vgl. schon Franz Joseph Mone, Anzeiger für Kunde der teutschen Vorzeit 3 (1834), 346. QW III 2/2 S. 17 Anm. 35"--></ref> Their name was adopted as the [[Neo-Latin|Latin]] equivalent of the designation [[Name of Switzerland|''Switzer'']], and the [[early modern Switzerland|Swiss Confederacy]] was given the Latin name of ''Republica Helvetiorum''. The name of the national personification of [[Switzerland]], ''[[Helvetia]]'', and the country's contemporary [[Neo-Latin]] name, ''Confoederatio Helvetica'' (abbreviated CH), are derived from this tradition.

In 2015, the star [[51 Pegasi]], the first [[main sequence|main-sequence]] star found to have an [[exoplanet]],<ref>{{cite journal | last1=Mayor | first1=Michael | last2=Queloz | first2=Didier | title=A Jupiter-mass companion to a solar-type star | journal=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]] | date=1995 | volume=378 | issue=6555 | pages=355–359 | doi=10.1038/378355a0 | bibcode = 1995Natur.378..355M | s2cid=4339201 }}</ref> was named Helvetios after the Helvetii as part of the [[IAU]]'s [[NameExoWorlds]] contest.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://nameexoworlds.iau.org/names |title=NameExoWorlds The Approved Names |access-date=2016-07-28 |archive-date=2018-02-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180201043609/http://nameexoworlds.iau.org/names |url-status=dead }}</ref>