The Treveri tribe of Gaul inhabited the lower valley of the Moselle, within the southern fringes of the vast Arduenna Silva (Ardennes Forest). They were bordered on the north, west and south by the Belgic tribes the Tungri, the Remi and the Mediomatrici , respectively, who were friendly to Rome, while to the east were the Germanic Vangiones. Their tribal capital Colonia Augusta Treverorum (Trier, Germany) was also the site of a Roman colony, and the provincial capital of Belgica itself.

The Treveri provided Julius Caesar with his best cavalry. After Caesar's successful campaigns in Gaul, the Treveri were forcefully integrated into the Roman Empire, thereby losing not only their political independence but their cultural identity as well. Following the failure of the uprising of 54/53 B.C. the leading families of the Treveri are reported to have crossed the Rhine, to settle among the Germanic tribes.