Conserved at the musée d'Archéologie nationale, La question d'Alésia is a compilation of documents including scientific articles, press articles, manuscripts and maps. Collected together in eight volumes, they form a documentary review (1856-1867) devoted to the debate that roused scholars concerning the location of Alesia, at Alise-Sainte-Reine (Côte-d'Or) or Alaise (Doubs).
Among its authors are members of the Commission de Topographie des Gaules (CTG), including Raymond de Coynart and Alfred Jacobs, and scholars such as Claude Rossignol, who believed Alesia was at Alise-Sainte-Reine. The hypothesis that the location was Alaise was defended by Alphonse Delacroix, Jules Quicherat and Ernest Desjardins. Outside of this group, the heated controversy attracted the interest of many scholarly societies and press.
