Swiss Passport

Which people lived in the area of present-day Switzerland at the time of ancient Rome?

Welches Volk lebte zur Zeit des alten Roms im Gebiet der heutigen Schweiz?

Correct answer: A

  1. A HelvetiiHelvetier
  2. B Confederates (Eidgenossen)Eidgenossen
  3. C EtruscansEtrusker
  4. D IllyriansIllyrier

Why

The Helvetii were a Celtic people in the Plateau. The Romans conquered them after 58 BC, and Switzerland still bears their name today: Helvetia.

Common mistakes

B: Confederates (Eidgenossen)
People only speak of Confederates (Eidgenossen) from the Middle Ages, more than 1000 years later.
C: Etruscans
The Etruscans lived in central Italy, not north of the Alps.

Topic

Helvetii and Romans

More than 2000 years ago, Celtic peoples lived in the area of present-day Switzerland. The most important people were the Helvetii. They lived mainly in the Plateau between the Jura, the Alps and the Rhine. Switzerland is still named after them today: in Latin it is called «Helvetia». The CH on car number plates also comes from this. It stands for «Confoederatio Helvetica», in other words the Helvetic Confederation.

Timeline of Swiss history
  1. 58 BCHelvetii and Romans
  2. 1291The Rütli and William Tell
  3. 1515Marignano
  4. 1523The Reformation
  5. 1798The French and Napoleon
  6. 1815Neutrality
  7. 1848Sonderbund War and the federal state
  8. 19th c.From agrarian state to industrial state
  9. 1918National general strike
  10. 1939–1945Second World War
  11. 1948Prosperity and AHV
  12. 1970Immigration and the Schwarzenbach initiative
  13. 1971Women's suffrage and equal rights
  14. 1979The youngest canton: Jura

History of Switzerland
Beginnings and the Old Swiss Confederacy

Sources

Last checked: September 2026

Question 227 of the official question list of the Canton of Zurich (Gemeindeamt, May 2025). Translation and explanation: Swiss Passport.

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