Suetrii

Last updated

The Suetrii (Gaulish: *Su(p)etrioi, 'the good birds') or Suetri were a Gallic tribe dwelling around present-day Castellane (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence) during the Iron Age and the Roman period.

Contents

Name

They are mentioned as Suebri (var.suberi, uebri) and Svetri by Pliny (1st c. AD), [1] as Souētrōn (Σουητρ...ων; var. Σουιντρ...ων, Σουκτρ...ων) by Ptolemy (2nd c. AD), [2] and as Suetrio on an inscription. [3] [4]

The ethnonym Suetrii can be explained as the Gaulish *su-(p)etri-, meaning 'good birds' (cf. Lat. accipiter). [5]

Geography

Territory

The Suetrii dwelled in the middle valley of the Verdon river, with an extension in the valley of the Jabron  [ fr ]. [6] Their territory was located south of the Vergunni and Sentii, west of the Nerusii, and north of the Ligauni. On the west, they were separated from the Sentii and the Reii by the Verdon Gorge. [7] [8]

Settlements

Their chief town, Salinae (present-day Castellane), was founded during the Roman period and acquired its name after the local supply of salt. Salinae was located west of the medieval town, in an area called Le Plan. It was situated on a trade road leading from Vintium (Vence), near the coast, to Dinia (Dignes), in the Alps, via Salinae and Sanitium (Senez). [9] [10]

The exact location of the pre-Roman oppidum remains unknown, although it was most likely seated on one of the hills surrounding Salinae. Its name may have been Ducelia, as suggested by later medieval documents. [9]

History

They are mentioned by Pliny the Elder as one of the Alpine tribes conquered by Rome in 16–15 BC, and whose name was engraved on the Tropaeum Alpium. [1]

Related Research Articles

The Reii were a Celto-Ligurian tribe dwelling in the modern department of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence during the Iron Age and the Roman period.

The Medulli were a Gallic tribe dwelling in the upper valley of Maurienne, around present-day Modane (Savoie), during the Iron Age and Roman period.

The Graioceli were a small Gallic tribe dwelling in the valley of Maurienne, in the modern region of Savoie, during the Iron Age.

The Caturiges were a Gallic tribe dwelling in the upper Durance valley, around present-day towns of Chorges and Embrun, during the Iron Age and the Roman period.

The Avatici were a Gallic tribe dwelling near the Étang de Berre, between the mouth of the Rhône river and Massilia, during the Roman period.

The Dexivates were a small Gallic tribe dwelling in the southern part of modern Vaucluse, near the present-day village of Cadenet, during the Iron Age and the Roman period.

The Avantici were a small Gallic tribe dwelling around present-day Gap, in the western part of the modern Hautes-Alpes department, during the Roman period.

The Vediantii were a Celto-Ligurian tribe dwelling on the Mediterranean coast, near present-day Nice, during the Iron Age and the Roman period.

The Acitavones were a small Gallic tribe dwelling in the Alps during the Iron Age.

The Adanates or Edenates were a small Gallic tribe dwelling around present-day Seyne, in the Alpes Cottiae, during the Iron Age.

The Sentii were a small Gallic tribe dwelling around present-day Senez, in southeastern France, during the Roman era.

The Bodiontici or Brodiontii were a Gallic tribe dwelling around present-day Digne (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence) during the Roman period.

The Nemeturii or Nemeturi were a Gallic tribe dwelling in the Alpes Maritimae during the Iron Age.

The Ecdinii or Ecdini were a Gallic tribe dwelling in the valley of the Tinée (Alpes-Maritimes) during the Iron Age.

The Quariates or Quadiates were a Gallic tribe dwelling in the valley of Queyras, in the Alps, during the Iron Age.

The Vennones or Vennonetes were a Rhaetian tribe dwelling in the northern Alps, between Chur and Lake Constance, during the Iron Age and the Roman era.

The Vergunni were a Gallic tribe dwelling in the valley of the Riou, near the Verdon river, during the Iron Age.

The Sogionti or Sogiontii were a Gallic tribe dwelling around present-day Sisteron during the Iron Age.

The Brigianii were a Gallic tribe dwelling around present-day Briançon during the Iron Age and the Roman period.

The Ligauni were a Celto-Ligurian tribe dwelling near the Mediterranean coast during the Iron Age and the Roman period.

References

  1. 1 2 Pliny. Naturalis Historia, 3:20.
  2. ↑ Ptolemy. Geōgraphikḕ Hyphḗgēsis, 3:1:38.
  3. ↑ CIL 5:7900
  4. ↑ Falileyev 2010, s.v. Suetrii.
  5. ↑ Delamarre 2003, p. 168.
  6. ↑ Barruol 1969, pp. 378–379.
  7. ↑ Barruol 1969, p. 379.
  8. ↑ Talbert 2000, Map 16: Col. Forum Iulii-Albingaunum.
  9. 1 2 Barruol 2004, p. 394.
  10. ↑ Rivet 1988, pp. 342–343.

Primary sources

  • Pliny (1938). Natural History. Loeb Classical Library. Translated by Rackham, H. Harvard University Press. ISBN   978-0674993648.

Bibliography

  • Barruol, Guy (1969). Les Peuples préromains du Sud-Est de la Gaule: étude de géographie historique. E. de Boccard. OCLC   3279201.
  • Barruol, Guy (2004). "Castellane / Salinae (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence)". Supplément à la Revue archéologique du centre de la France. 25 (1): 393–395. ISSN   1951-6207.
  • Delamarre, Xavier (2003). Dictionnaire de la langue gauloise: Une approche linguistique du vieux-celtique continental. Errance. ISBN   9782877723695.
  • Falileyev, Alexander (2010). Dictionary of Continental Celtic Place-names: A Celtic Companion to the Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World. CMCS. ISBN   978-0955718236.
  • Rivet, A. L. F. (1988). Gallia Narbonensis: With a Chapter on Alpes Maritimae : Southern France in Roman Times. Batsford. ISBN   978-0-7134-5860-2.
  • Talbert, Richard J. A. (2000). Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World. Princeton University Press. ISBN   978-0691031699.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.