Brigantia (ancient region)

Last updated

The size of Brigantia is shown in ancient Britain also showing the neighboring tribal borders Brigantes.png
The size of Brigantia is shown in ancient Britain also showing the neighboring tribal borders

Brigantia is the land inhabited by the Brigantes, [1] [2] [3] a British Celtic tribe which occupied the largest territory in ancient Britain. The territory of Brigantia which now forms Northern England and part of The Midlands covered the majority of the land between the River Tyne and the Humber estuary forming the largest Brythonic Kingdom in ancient Britain. [4] It was recorded by Ptolemy in the 2nd century AD to extend sea to sea, from the Irish Sea on the west coast to the North Sea in the east.

Contents

Etymology

It is unclear if the Celtic name Brigantia is derived from the highland topography of the area or from the Goddess Brigantia who was worshiped by the Brigantes themselves. In modern Welsh the word braint means 'privilege, prestige' and comes from the same root *brigantī. Other related forms from the modern Celtic languages are: Welsh brenin 'king' (< *brigantīnos); Welsh/Cornish/Breton bri 'prestige, reputation, honour, dignity', Scottish Gaelic brìgh 'pith, power', Irish brí 'energy, significance', Manx bree 'power, energy' (all < *brīg-/brigi-); and Welsh/Cornish/Breton bre 'hill' (< *brigā). The name Bridget from Old Irish Brigit (Modern Irish Bríd) also comes from Brigantī, as does the English river name Brent.

This mirrors the debate as to whether settlements named Brigantium (meaning 'settlement of the high ones') is in reference to nobility or the highlands they lived around, such as the Pennines. There are several ancient settlements named Brigantium around Europe, such as Berganza in Alava (Spain), Betanzos and Bergondo in Galicia (Spain), Bragança in Portugal and Briançon, [5] [6] Brigetio on the border of Slovakia and Hungary, [7] Brigobanne situated on the Breg river and near the Brigach river in south Germany (pre-Roman Vindelicia [8] ) [9] and Bregenz in the Alps. From the same origin also stems the name of the Italian sub-region of Brianza.

History

In the form of a loose confederation, Brigantia existed as the territory of a number of small tribes with the Pennines being described as composing the heart. [10] Extending from this, Brigantia was further formed by a number of sub-tribes whose territory is sometimes coined by some researchers as being part of Greater Brigantia [11] as it is often debated as to which tribes formed a sept of Brigantia and which may have been independent. Some of the sub-tribes often included are the Setantii who occupied western and southern Lancashire, Textoverdi in the upper valley of the River South Tyne and the Carvetii who occupied what is now Cumbria.

Isurium or Isurium of the Brigantes (Latin: Isurium Brigantum) the historical capital of the kingdom became a Roman regional capital (civitas) in the province of Britannia at the site of present-day Aldborough, North Yorkshire, England, in the United Kingdom. Its remains—the Aldborough Roman Site—are in the care of English Heritage. Bremetennacum Veteranorum (Ribchester) and Mamucium (Manchester) as well as Coccium (Wigan) were all Roman forts stationed in Brigantia.

Around 43 AD when the Brigantes were first recorded, Brigantia consisted of mossland, marshes and forests which they inhabited; such ancient forests include the Forest of Lyme and the Forest of Bowland. [12] At the time they would have been wild with fauna that were hunted, including: eurasian brown bear, wild boar, wolves, deer and eagles. [13] [14]

See also

Related Research Articles

Brigantia may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catuvellauni</span> Celtic tribe

The Catuvellauni were a Celtic tribe or state of southeastern Britain before the Roman conquest, attested by inscriptions into the 4th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cornovii (Midlands)</span> Celtic people of the Iron Age and Roman Britain

The Cornovīī were a Celtic people of the Iron Age and Roman Britain, who lived principally in the modern English counties of Cheshire, Shropshire, north Staffordshire, north Herefordshire and eastern parts of the Welsh counties of Flintshire, Powys and Wrexham. Their capital in pre-Roman times was probably a hillfort on the Wrekin. Ptolemy's 2nd-century Geography names two of their towns: Deva Victrix (Chester) and Viroconium Cornoviorum (Wroxeter), which became their capital under Roman rule.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ordovices</span>

The Ordovīcēs were one of the Celtic tribes living in Great Britain before the Roman invasion. Their tribal lands were located in present-day North Wales and England, between the Silures to the south and the Deceangli to the north-east. Unlike the latter tribes that appear to have acquiesced to Roman rule with little resistance, the Ordovices fiercely resisted the Romans. They were eventually subjugated by the Roman governor Gnaeus Julius Agricola in the campaign of 77–78CE when the Romans overran their final strongholds on Anglesey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brigantes</span> British tribe of the Iron Age and Roman era

The Brigantes were Ancient Britons who in pre-Roman times controlled the largest section of what would become Northern England. Their territory, often referred to as Brigantia, was centred in what was later known as Yorkshire. The Greek geographer Ptolemy named the Brigantes as a people in Ireland also, where they could be found around what is now Wexford, Kilkenny and Waterford, while another people named Brigantii is mentioned by Strabo as a sub-tribe of the Vindelici in the region of the Alps.

The Setantii were a possible pre-Roman British people who apparently lived in the western and southern littoral of Lancashire in England. It is thought likely they were a sept or sub-tribe of the Brigantes, who, at the time of the Roman invasion, dominated much of what is now northern England.

The Selgovae were a Celtic tribe of the late 2nd century AD who lived in what is now Kirkcudbrightshire and Dumfriesshire, on the southern coast of Scotland. They are mentioned briefly in Ptolemy's Geography, and there is no other historical record of them. Their cultural and ethnic affinity is commonly assumed to have been Brittonic.

Yorkshire is a historic county of England, centred on the county town of York. The region was first occupied after the retreat of the ice age around 8000 BC. During the first millennium AD it was inhabited by celtic Britons and occupied by Romans, Angles and Vikings. The name comes from "Eborakon" an old Brythonic name which probably derives from "Efor" or "the place of the yew-trees." Many Yorkshire dialect words and aspects of pronunciation derive from old Norse due to the Viking influence in this region. The name "Yorkshire", first appeared in writing in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in 1065. It was originally composed of three sections called Thrydings, subsequently referred to as Ridings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aldborough, North Yorkshire</span> Village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England

Aldborough is a village 7 miles (11 km) in the civil parish of Boroughbridge, to the north-east of Knaresborough, in North Yorkshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brigantia (goddess)</span> Goddess in Celtic religion

Brigantia or Brigindo was a goddess in Celtic religion of Late Antiquity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isurium Brigantum</span> Roman fort and town at Aldborough in North Yorkshire, England

Isurium or Isurium of the Brigantes was a Roman fort and town in the province of Britannia at the site of present-day Aldborough in North Yorkshire, England, in the United Kingdom. Its remains—the Aldborough Roman Site—are in the care of English Heritage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wales in the Roman era</span> Aspect of Welsh history

The Roman era in the area of modern Wales began in 48 AD, with a military invasion by the imperial governor of Roman Britain. The conquest was completed by 78 AD, and Roman rule endured until the region was abandoned in 383 AD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Celtic toponymy</span> Etymology of placenames derived from Celtic languages

Celtic toponymy is the study of place names wholly or partially of Celtic origin. These names are found throughout continental Europe, Britain, Ireland, Anatolia and, latterly, through various other parts of the globe not originally occupied by Celts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhaetian people</span> Historic ethnic confederation of Alpine tribes

The Raeti were a confederation of Alpine tribes, whose language and culture were related to those of the Etruscans. Before the Roman conquest, they inhabited present-day Tyrol in Austria, eastern Switzerland and the Alpine regions of northeastern Italy. After the Roman conquest, the province of Raetia was formed, which included parts of present-day Germany south of the Danube.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vacomagi</span> Ancient British people of Northern Scotland

The Vacomagi were a people of ancient Britain, known only from a single mention of them by the geographer Claudius Ptolemy. Their principal places are known from Ptolemy's map c.150 of Albion island of Britannia – from the First Map of Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hiberno-Roman relations</span> Historical social relations between Ireland and ancient Rome

Hiberno-Roman relations refers to the relationships which existed between Ireland (Hibernia) and the ancient Roman Empire, which lasted from the 1st century BC to the 5th century AD in Western Europe. Ireland was one of the few areas of western Europe not conquered by Rome.

Rose Ferraby is an archaeologist and artist, who has worked extensively on the Roman town of Isurium Brigantium in North Yorkshire.

The Brigantii were a Gallic tribe dwelling southeast of Lake Constance, near present-day Bregenz (Vorarlberg), during the Roman era.

References

  1. A. R. Birleya1 (1973). "Britannia - Petillius Cerialis and the Conquest of Brigantia - Cambridge Journals Online". Britannia. 4: 179–190. doi:10.2307/525865. JSTOR   525865. S2CID   161447231 . Retrieved 25 August 2015.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. Phillips, John (1849). "Thoughts on ancient metallurgy and mining in Brigantia and other parts of Britain, suggested by a page of Pliny's Natural History". Philosophical Magazine. 34 (229): 247–260. doi:10.1080/14786444908646226.
  3. J. G. F. Hinda1 (1977). "Britannia - The 'Genounian' Part of Britain - Cambridge Journals Online". Britannia. 8: 229–234. doi:10.2307/525896. JSTOR   525896. S2CID   163372258 . Retrieved 25 August 2015.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. Britain Express. "Brigantes". Britain Express. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  5. "The Brigantes". Roman-Britain.co.uk.
  6. "Brigantium". Terra.es. 24 October 2007. Archived from the original on 18 September 2008. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  7. "Brigetio (Szöny) Komárom". The Princeton encyclopedia. 1976.
  8. "Vindelicia map". Europeana. 1830.
  9. "Brigobanne Germany". The Princeton encyclopedia. 1976.
  10. "BBC - History - Ancient History in depth: Native Tribes of Britain". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  11. Kenyon, Denise (23 April 2015). The Origins of Lancashire. ISBN   9780719035463 . Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  12. Wellbeloved, Charles (1842). Eburacum: Or York Under the Romans - Charles Wellbeloved - Internet Archive. R. Sunter and H. Sotheran. p.  44 . Retrieved 25 August 2015. PTOLEMY DESCRIBES BRIGANTES.
  13. "Our ancestors and the Roman invasion - Museum of Liverpool, Liverpool museums". Liverpoolmuseums.org.uk. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  14. Gray, Richard (27 February 2010). "Bears, lynx, wolves and elk considered for reintroduction into British countryside". Telegraph. Retrieved 25 August 2015.