Former President Francois Mitterrand has chosen to be buried at a site steeped in the romance of ancient history: The place where rival Gaul chieftains first united nearly 2,000 years ago.

Mitterrand, 78 and ailing with prostate cancer, has purchased a plot on Mount Beuvray in eastern France, his wife confirmed Friday.

The site is where Gaul chiefs pledged to join forces and defend what would become France from Roman invaders.

“One might say that this is the first sign of French unity, and I love that symbol,” Mitterrand said in April, when he visited the area.