Caucenus | |
|---|---|
| Native name | Cauceno, Caucenus, Kaukainos |
| Born | Lusitania |
| Allegiance | Lusitania |
| Years of service | 153 BC |
| Battles/wars | Lusitanian War |
Caucenus (known as Cauceno in Portuguese and Spanish) was a chieftain of the Lusitanians, a proto-Celtic tribe from western Hispania. He was an important military figure during the earlier phase of the Lusitanian War. [1] [2]
Caucenus commanded the Lusitanian tribes from the lands either north [1] [3] or south the Tajo river, [4] [5] He was apparently unaffiliated to Punicus and Caesarus, though probably inspired to act by their success against the Romans. [4] Also, his campaign in Africa has suggested a possibly alliance with Carthage, at the time opposed to the Numidians of Masinissa, ally to Rome. [1] [2]
In 153 BC, Caucenus launched a military project of previously unseen ambition for his people. [4] He and his contingent invaded the territory of the Cynetes, at the time Roman subjects, and captured their capital city, Conistorgis. [1] They continued south and, after acquiring ships, crossed over the Gibraltar strait to invade the African region of Mauretania. There he divided his forces, the first part overrunning the nearby lands while the second besieged the city of Ocile, possibly current day Asilah, with the intent to capture it as well. [5] However Lucius Mummius, fresh from his victory over Caesarus's troops, came to help the citizens with 9,500 soldiers. As the Lusitanians were unaware and engaged in the siege, they were quickly defeated, with 15,000 of them dying. He later fell in with another party who were carrying off booty, which he defeated as well before returning to Rome. [4]
Appian records that around this time, one of Masinissa's sons engaged an Iberian army and was enveloped, forcing the king to come to his rescue. Due to the timing and place, it has been proposed that those Iberians were actually part of Caucenus' contingent. [2] Either in collusion with Caucenus or out of opportunism, Carthage capitalized on the chance to sack Numidian lands and instigate revolt against Masinissa.
Later, in 151 BC, Lucius Licinius Lucullus would have to stop a similar though smaller Lusitanian invasion of Africa. [6]
The origin of the name Caucenus is unknown, although it is thought to come from the Germanic root ke, meaning "to bend". [7] This and variations like Caucinus and Cauceti were common in Celtiberia. [7]
Lusitania was an ancient Iberian Roman province encompassing most of modern-day Portugal and a large portion of western Spain. Romans named the region after the Lusitanians, an Indo-European tribe inhabiting the lands.
Viriathus was the most important leader of the Lusitanian people that resisted Roman expansion into the regions of western Hispania or western Iberia, where the Roman province of Lusitania would be finally established after the conquest.
The Lusitanians were a people living in the far west of the Iberian Peninsula, around roughly to Central Portugal and areas of modern-day Extremadura and Castilla y Leon of Spain. After its conquest by the Romans the land was subsequently incorporated as a Roman province named after them (Lusitania).
Lusitanian was an Indo-European Paleohispanic language. There has been support for either a connection with the ancient Italic languages or Celtic languages. It is known from only six sizeable inscriptions, dated from c. 1 CE, and numerous names of places (toponyms) and of gods (theonyms). The language was spoken in the territory inhabited by Lusitanian tribes, from the Douro to the Tagus rivers, territory that today falls in central Portugal and western Spain.
The Vettones were an Iron Age pre-Roman people of the Iberian Peninsula.
Hispano-Celtic is a term for all forms of Celtic spoken in the Iberian Peninsula before the arrival of the Romans. In particular, it includes:
This is a historical timeline of Portugal.
The Vaccaei or Vaccei were a pre-Roman Celtic people of Spain, who inhabited the sedimentary plains of the central Duero valley, in the Meseta Central of northern Hispania. Their capital was Intercatia in Paredes de Nava.
The Roman Republic conquered and occupied territories in the Iberian Peninsula that were previously under the control of native Celtic, Iberian, Celtiberian and Aquitanian tribes and the Carthaginian Empire. The Carthaginian territories in the south and east of the peninsula were conquered in 206 BC during the Second Punic War. Control was gradually extended over most of the Iberian Peninsula without annexations. It was completed after the end of the Roman Republic, by Augustus, the first Roman emperor, who annexed the whole of the peninsula to the Roman Empire in 19 BC.
The Lusitanian War, called Pyrinos Polemos in Greek, was a war of resistance fought by the Lusitanian tribes of Hispania Ulterior against the advancing legions of the Roman Republic from 155 to 139 BC. The Lusitanians revolted in 155 BC, and again in 146 BC and were pacified. In 154 BC, a long war in Hispania Citerior, known as the Numantine War, was begun by the Celtiberians. It lasted until 133 and is an important event in the integration of what would become Portugal into the Roman and Latin-speaking world.
Bandua was a theonym used to refer to a god or goddess worshipped in Iberia by Gallaeci and Lusitanians. Whether the name referred to a discrete deity or was an epithet applied to different deities is arguable.
Hispania was the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula and its provinces. Under the Roman Republic, Hispania was divided into two provinces: Hispania Citerior and Hispania Ulterior. During the Principate, Hispania Ulterior was divided into two new provinces, Baetica and Lusitania, while Hispania Citerior was renamed Hispania Tarraconensis. Subsequently, the western part of Tarraconensis was split off, initially as Hispania Nova, which was later renamed "Callaecia". From Diocletian's Tetrarchy onwards, the south of the remainder of Tarraconensis was again split off as Carthaginensis, and all of the mainland Hispanic provinces, along with the Balearic Islands and the North African province of Mauretania Tingitana, were later grouped into a civil diocese headed by a vicarius. The name Hispania was also used in the period of Visigothic rule.
This section of the timeline of Hispania concerns Spanish and Portuguese history events from the Carthaginian conquests to before the barbarian invasions.
Punicus was a chieftain of the Lusitanians, a proto-Celtic tribe from western Hispania. He became their first military leader during the Lusitanian War, and also led their first major victories against Rome.
Caesarus was a chieftain of the Lusitanians, a proto-Celtic tribe from western Hispania. He followed and later replaced Punicus as their major military leader during the Lusitanian War.
Curius and Apuleius were chieftains of the Lusitanians, a proto-Celtic tribe from western Hispania. They were active at the last phase of the Lusitanian War.
Warfare in ancient Iberian peninsula occupied an important place in historical chronicles, first during the Carthaginian invasion of Hispania, including the Punic Wars, and later during the Roman conquest of the peninsula. The densely bellicose character of the Pre-Roman peoples who inhabited Hispania was repeatedly shown in their conflicts against Rome, Carthage and each other.
Tautalus was a chieftain of the Lusitanians, a proto-Celtic tribe from western Hispania. He replaced Viriathus at the last year of the Lusitanian War.
Mercenary life is recorded as a custom of Iron Age Spain, particularly in the central area of the Iberian peninsula. Departing from the native tribe and applying to serve in others was a way for economically disadvantaged youth to escape poverty and find an opportunity to use their fighting skills. Starting from 5th century BC, mercenary life would become a true social phenomenon in Hispania, with great numbers of fighters from distant lands coming to join the armies of Carthage, Rome, Sicily and even Greece, as well as other Hispanic peoples.
