Vannes is a town and commune located in the Morbihan département, in Brittany, in the west of France. In ancient times, the people of Vannes resisted the Roman invasion under Julius Caesar quite successfully. In fact, these Armoricans were a model for the fractious tribe of the Astérix comic book series.[citation needed] They were great sailors, and whenever they were threatened, they took to the sea. Caesar saw that he would have to dominate the water if he was ever to subdue them. He allied himself with the neighboring Namnete tribe (which gives its name to the city of Nantes) in order to gain the advantage. Under Roman rule, Vannes was known as Darioritum.