Dobunni

Last updated

Dobunni
Map of the Territory of the Dobunni.svg
Geography
Capital Corinium Dobunnorum (Cirencester)
Location West Oxfordshire
Gloucestershire
Monmouthshire
North Somerset
Bristol
South Herefordshire
Warwickshire
Wiltshire
Worcester
Breconshire
RulersAnted[...], Eisu[...], Catti[...], Comux, Inam[...], Corio[...], Boduoc[...]

The Dobunni were one of the Iron Age tribes living in the British Isles prior to the Roman conquest of Britain. There are seven known references to the tribe in Roman histories and inscriptions. [1] [2]

Contents

Various historians and archaeologists have examined the Dobunni, including Stephen J. Yeates in his book The Tribe of Witches (2008), where he suggests that the latter part of the name possibly derives from *bune, a cup or vessel, with a similar meaning to the later tribal name Hwicce; both being related to the recognisable cult of a Romano-British goddess. [3] This view has been sharply criticised by several archaeologists. [4] [5] [6] Archaeologist Miles Russell suggests that their original name may have been "Bodunni", connecting this with the Celtic word *bouda meaning "Victorious", in the sense of "The Victorious Ones". [7]

Territory

The Celtic tribes of Southern Britain showing the Dobunni and their neighbours. Britain.south.peoples.Ptolemy.jpg
The Celtic tribes of Southern Britain showing the Dobunni and their neighbours.

The tribe lived in central Britain in an area that today broadly coincides with the English counties of Bristol, Gloucestershire and the north of Somerset, although at times their territory may have extended into parts of what are now Herefordshire, Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, Worcestershire, and Warwickshire. [8] [9] Their capital acquired the Roman name of Corinium Dobunnorum , which is today known as Cirencester.

Their territory was bordered by the Cornovii and Corieltauvi to the North; the Catuvellauni to the East; the Atrebates and Belgae to the South; and the Silures and Ordovices to the West. Some of these suggestions are, however, speculative.

There is evidence for a cult associated with the tribe in the Romano-British period; the evidence being coterminous with the tribe's territory. Sculpture has been found at Gloucester, Cirencester, Nettleton, Bath, Wellow, and Aldsworth. [10]

Iron Age period

The Dobunni were a large group of farmers and craftspeople, living in small villages concentrated in fertile valleys. A major study of the Iron Age material was carried out by Tom Moore. [11]

Remnants of several fortified camps, otherwise known as hillforts, thought to have been occupied by the Dobunni can be seen in the Bristol area at Maes Knoll, Clifton Down, Burwalls and Stokeleigh – all overlooking the Avon Gorge – and at Kingsweston Down and Blaise Castle.

In the late Iron Age period, southern Britain saw the development of sites generally referred to as oppida (towns). An example of such a site has been recognised for some time at Bagendon, near Cirencester. [12] It has now been realised that the Bagendon site was not as important as first thought, as other extensive sites are now known to have existed at places such as Salmonsbury. [13]

Roman period

Dio Cassius referred to the tribe as "Bodunni", probably a misspelling of the Dobunni. Tributary to the Catuvellauni, they capitulated to the invading Romans when Caratacus and Togodumnus withdrew. [14]

Unlike the Silures, their neighbours in what later became southeast Wales, they were not a warlike people and submitted to the Romans even before they reached their lands. Afterwards they readily adopted the Romano-British lifestyle.

Even though the Dobunni were incorporated into the Roman Empire in AD 43, their territory was probably not formed into Roman political units until AD 96–98. The tribal territory was divided into a civitas centred on Cirencester, and the Colonia at Gloucester. The Colonia was established during the reign of the emperor Nerva (AD 96–98). [15]

At the beginning of the 4th century, Britain was reorganised into, initially, four and then five provinces. The Dobunnic territory lay in the province of Britannia Prima, as described in an inscription found at the base of a Jupiter column. [16] The area remained a Roman civitas until approximately 409.[ citation needed ]

The Dobunnic territory contained two large towns (Corinium Dobunnorum now Cirencester, and Colonia Nerviana Glevum now Gloucester). Besides this there were numerous smaller towns, and many rich villas.

Stephen Yeates asserts that a study of the religion of the Dobunni has shown that there was a focus on the worship of the natural world. It is possible to identify deities associated with the landscape, for example *Cuda, a mother goddess associated with the Cotswold Hills and its rivers and springs, and Sulis Minerva at Bath. Other cults were defined by social action, such as mining, for example at Lydney Park, and hunting, for example at Pagan's Hill near Chew Stoke. [17]

Sub-Roman period

After the collapse of the Roman Provincial Government, the core of this area retained territorial identity until the Battle of Deorham in 577, (regarded by some as a dubious event [18] ) when the Saxons made advances as far as the River Severn. These gains were reversed 50 years later when Penda of Mercia fought the West Saxons at the Battle of Cirencester, and the area came under the influence of Mercia as the sub-kingdom of the Hwicce. It has been suggested that the area retained a distinct identity as a Christian sub-kingdom, instead of being simply absorbed into Pagan Mercia, as a reward for an alliance against the West Saxons; and that this is evidence of a cultural continuity between the Dobunni Civitas and the Hwicce Kingdom. [19]

Coinage

Silver coin of the Dobunni tribe. Dobunni silver coin.jpg
Silver coin of the Dobunni tribe.

The Dobunni were one of the tribes believed to have issued coins before Roman arrival and the introduction and adoption of Roman currency. Numismatic evidence suggests that the Dobunni kings subdivided their land between a north and south zone, sometimes becoming unified under a single ruler.

A repeated theme of coins ascribed to the Dobunni is a branched emblem appearing on the obverse. [20] The symbol's significance and origins are unclear although corn, ferns and a derivative of the wreath on the British Q stater have all been suggested. [20]

See also

List of Celtic tribes

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cotswolds</span> Protected area mostly in South West England

The Cotswolds is a region of central South West England, along a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper River Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and the Vale of Evesham. The area is defined by the bedrock of Jurassic limestone that creates a type of grassland habitat that is quarried for the golden-coloured Cotswold stone. It lies across the boundaries of several English counties; mainly Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, and parts of Wiltshire, Somerset, Worcestershire, and Warwickshire. The highest point is Cleeve Hill at 1,083 ft (330 m), just east of Cheltenham. The predominantly rural landscape contains stone-built villages, towns, stately homes and gardens featuring the local stone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Deorham</span> Supposed 577 battle between West Saxons and Britons

The Battle of Deorham is portrayed by the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as an important military encounter between the West Saxons and the Britons in the West Country in 577. The Chronicle depicts the battle as a major victory for Wessex's forces, led by Ceawlin and one Cuthwine, resulting in the capture of the Romano-British towns of Glevum (Gloucester), Corinium Dobunnorum (Cirencester), and Aquae Sulis (Bath).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hwicce</span> Tribal kingdom in Anglo-Saxon England

Hwicce was a kingdom in Anglo-Saxon England. According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, the kingdom was established in 577, after the Battle of Deorham. After 628, the kingdom became a client or sub-kingdom of Mercia as a result of the Battle of Cirencester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cirencester</span> Market town in Gloucestershire, England

Cirencester is a market town and civil parish in the Cotswold District of Gloucestershire, England. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames. It is the eighth largest settlement in Gloucestershire and the largest town within the Cotswolds. It is the home of the Royal Agricultural University, the oldest agricultural college in the English-speaking world, founded in 1840. The town had a population of 20,229 in 2021. The town is 18 miles (29 km) northwest of Swindon, 18 miles (29 km) southeast of Gloucester, 37 miles (60 km) west of Oxford and 39 miles (63 km) northeast of Bristol.

The Silures were a powerful and warlike tribe or tribal confederation of ancient Britain, occupying what is now south east Wales and perhaps some adjoining areas. They were bordered to the north by the Ordovices; to the east by the Dobunni; and to the west by the Demetae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Churn</span> River in Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, England

The River Churn is a tributary of the River Thames in central England. It rises at Seven Springs in Gloucestershire and flows south for approximately 37.3 km (23.2 mi) to meet the Thames at Cricklade in Wiltshire. Its length from its source to the confluence with the Thames is greater than that of the Thames from Thames Head, but the Churn is regarded as a tributary, rather than the main river.

<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">Corinium Museum</span> Museum in Gloucestershire, England

The Corinium Museum, in the Cotswold town of Cirencester in England, has a large collection of objects found in and around the locality. The bulk of the exhibits are from the Roman town of Corinium Dobunnorum, but the museum includes material from as early as the Neolithic and all the way up to Victorian times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Britannia Prima</span> Roman province

Britannia Prima or Britannia I was one of the provinces of the Diocese of "the Britains" created during the Diocletian Reforms at the end of the 3rd century. It was probably created after the defeat of the usurper Allectus by Constantius Chlorus in AD 296 and was mentioned in the c. 312 Verona List of the Roman provinces. Its position and capital remain uncertain, although it was probably located closer to Rome than Britannia II. At present, most scholars place Britannia I in Wales, Cornwall, and the lands connecting them. On the basis of a recovered inscription, its capital is now usually placed at Corinium of the Dobunni (Cirencester) but some emendations of the list of bishops attending the 315 Council of Arles would place a provincial capital in Isca (Caerleon) or Deva (Chester), which were known legionary bases.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Gloucestershire</span>

The region now known as Gloucestershire was originally inhabited by Brythonic peoples in the Iron Age and Roman periods. After the Romans left Britain in the early 5th century, the Brythons re-established control but the territorial divisions for the post-Roman period are uncertain. The city of Caerloyw was one centre and Cirencester may have continued as a tribal centre as well. The only reliably attested kingdom is the minor south-east Wales kingdom of Ergyng, which may have included a portion of the area. In the final quarter of the 6th century, the Saxons of Wessex began to establish control over the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kempsey, Worcestershire</span> Human settlement in England

Kempsey is a village and civil parish in the Malvern Hills District in the county of Worcestershire, England. It is bounded by the River Severn on the west, and the A38 main road runs through it and is about 3 miles (5 km) south of Worcester. The village has a long history. Its name is derived from the Saxon "Kemys' Eye", or the island of Kemys. Kemys was a Saxon chief, whose island lay between marshes and the River Severn. One of the roads in Kempsey, Lyf's Lane, is named after another Saxon chief. The village was recorded in the 11th century Domesday Book as having a value of £7.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arlingham</span> Human settlement in England

Arlingham is a village and civil parish in the Stroud District of Gloucestershire, England. The 2021 Census recorded a parish population of 533. The parish contains the hamlets of Milton End, Overton and Priding. The next parish to the east is Fretherne with Saul.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Isis</span> Name for the River Thames in Oxfordshire, UK

"The Isis" is an alternative name for the River Thames, used from its source in the Cotswolds until it is joined by the Thame at Dorchester in Oxfordshire. The modern form of the name, first recorded c.1540, relates to the Egyptian goddess Isis. The deity was venerated throughout the Roman Empire, and was worshipped at the Temple of Isis – near the Thames in Londinium – during the Roman occupation. Notably, the Isis flows through the city of Oxford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iron Age tribes in Britain</span> Celtic tribes

The names of the Celtic Iron Age tribes in Britain were recorded by Roman and Greek historians and geographers, especially Ptolemy. Information from the distribution of Celtic coins has also shed light on the extents of the territories of the various groups that occupied the island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chedworth Roman Villa</span> Roman villa near Chedworth, Gloucestershire, England

Chedworth Roman Villa is located near Chedworth, Gloucestershire, England and is a scheduled monument. It is one of the largest and most elaborate Roman villas so far discovered in Britain and one with the latest occupation beyond the Roman period. The villa was built in phases from the early 2nd century to the 5th century, with the 4th-century construction transforming the building into an elite dwelling arranged around three sides of a courtyard. The 4th-century building included a heated and furnished west wing containing a dining-room (triclinium) with a fine mosaic floor, as well as two separate bathing suites: one for damp-heat and one for dry-heat.

The Westerne were an Anglo-Saxon tribe, probably in western England. The name is a genitive plural and probably means "the westerners". They occur only in the Tribal Hidage, an early eighth-century catalogue of kingdoms and principalities produced in Mercia for the purposes of tax or tribute. Little is known about them, not even precisely where they were. Their position in the Tribal Hidage list suggests a location on the western fringe of the Mercian heartland and it is possible that they were associated with the Magonsaetan, who occupied the lands around Leominster and Hereford. There are very few Anglo-Saxon cemeteries from the area, which may indicate that Mercian rulers took over an existing British political region, possibly that of the Romano-British civitas of the Cornovii. The Tribal Hidage assessment for the Westerne ranks them alongside other minor kingdoms such as Lindsey, the Hwicce, the East Saxons and the South Saxons. It is likely that the area was ruled by an ealdorman, a senior noble representing the interest of the kings of Mercia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corinium Dobunnorum</span> British settlement of the Roman Empire at Cirencester

Corinium Dobunnorum was the Romano-British settlement at Cirencester in the present-day English county of Gloucestershire. Its 2nd-century walls enclosed the second-largest area of a city in Roman Britain. It was the tribal capital of the Dobunni and is usually thought to have been the capital of the Diocletian-era province of Britannia Prima.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">England–Wales border</span> National boundary between England and Wales

The England–Wales border, sometimes referred to as the Wales–England border or the Anglo-Welsh border, runs for 160 miles (260 km) from the Dee estuary, in the north, to the Severn estuary in the south, separating England and Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magnis (Kenchester)</span>

Magnae, sometimes Magnae Dobunnorum to distinguish it from the Magnae of the Carvetii on Hadrian's Wall in northern Britain, was a Romano-British town and an important market centre for the British Dobunni tribe, located near modern-day Kenchester in Herefordshire, England. The town was shaped as an irregular hexagon, with a single main street along the line of the main Roman Road running east–west through the area, and an irregular pattern of side streets with tightly packed buildings leading off it.

<i>The Tribe of Witches</i> Archaeological study by Stephen J. Yeates

The Tribe of Witches: The Religion of the Dobunni and Hwicce is a historical and archaeological study of pre-Christian religion among the Iron Age Dobunni and the Early Medieval Hwicce, two tribal groups who lived in central England. It was written by the archaeologist Stephen J. Yeates and published by Oxbow Books in 2008. Yeates had previously published his theories in a three-volume British Archaeological Report monograph entitled Religion, Community and Territory: Defining Religion in the Severn Valley and Adjacent Hills from the Iron Age to the Early Medieval Period (2006).

References

  1. Rivet and Smith, The Place Names of Roman Britain (1979), pp339-340,
  2. Collingwood, Wright and Tomlin, The Roman Inscriptions of Britain: Vol 1 (1995), nos.621,2250
  3. Stephen Yeates, A Dreaming for the Witches, 2009, pp162-163
  4. Harte, Jeremy (2011). "Review of The Tribe of Witches". Time and Mind: The Journal of Archaeology, Consciousness and Culture 4(1)
  5. Rodway, Simon (2009). "Review of The Tribe of Witches". Britannia: A Journal of Romano-British and Kindred Studies 40
  6. Hooke, Della (January–February 2009). "Review of The Tribe of Witches". British Archaeology 104 (York: Council for British Archaeology)
  7. Russel, M. (2010). Bloodline: The Celtic Kings of Roman Britain. Published by Amberley Publishing. ( ISBN   978-1-84868-238-2)
  8. Derek Allen, The Belgic Dynasties of Britain and their Coins, 1944, Archaeologia Vol. 90, pp1-46
  9. Robert D. van Arsdell, The Coinage of the Dobunni, 1994
  10. Stephen Yeates, A Dreaming for the Witches, 2009, pp137-169
  11. Tom Moore,Iron-Age Societies in the Severn-Cotswolds: Developing narratives of social and landscape change, BAR British Series 421, 2006
  12. Elsie M. Clifford, Bagendon: a Belgic oppidum, 1961
  13. Tom Moore, Iron Age Societies in the Severn-Cotswolds: developing narratives of social and landscape change, 2006, BAR British Series 421, pp218-222,
  14. Dio Cassius, Roman History 60.20
  15. Henry Hurst, The Coloniae of Roman Britain: new studies and a review, 1999.
  16. Collingwood, Wright and Tomlin, The Roman Inscriptions of Britain: Vol 1 (1995), no. 103.
  17. Stephen Yeates, The Tribe of Witches, 2009.
  18. Patrick Sims-Williams, The Settlement of England in Bede and the Chronicle: Anglo-Saxon England Vol. 12, 1983, pp1-41
  19. Manco, Jean (2004). "Brittonic and Saxon Bath: Dobunni to Hwiccae". Bath Past.
  20. 1 2 Sellwood, Lyn (March 1983). "A numismatic note on the Dobunnic branched emblem". Oxford Journal of Archaeology. 2 (1): 113–114. doi:10.1111/j.1468-0092.1983.tb00098.x.