Brigianii Explained
The Brigianii (Gaulish: *Brigianioi) were a Gallic tribe dwelling around present-day Briançon during the Iron Age and the Roman period.
Name
They are mentioned as Brigianii by Pliny (1st c. AD), and as Brigiani, Brigantionis and Bricianiorum on inscriptions.[1] [2]
Their name may be based on the Gaulish root brig- ('high, elevated'), or on brīgo- ('might, strength').
Geography
The Gallitae lived in the region of, in the center of the Cottian Kingdom. Their territory was located north of the Caturiges, west of the Quariates, east of the Tricorii, south of the Segovii.[3]
Their chief town was known as Brigantio (modern Briançon), meaning 'eminence, high/elevated place' in Gaulish.
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.[4]
References
Primary sources
- Book: Pliny. Natural History. Harvard University Press. 1938. 9780674993648. Loeb Classical Library. Rackham. H.. Pliny the Elder.
Bibliography
- Book: Barruol, Guy. Les Peuples préromains du Sud-Est de la Gaule: étude de géographie historique. 1969. E. de Boccard. 3279201. Guy Barruol.
- Book: Delamarre, Xavier. Dictionnaire de la langue gauloise: Une approche linguistique du vieux-celtique continental. Errance. 2003. 9782877723695. Xavier Delamarre.
- Book: Delamarre, Xavier. Dictionnaire des thèmes nominaux du gaulois. Ab-/Iχs(o)- . Les Cents Chemins . 2019 . 978-1-7980-5040-8 . 1.
- Book: Falileyev, Alexander. Dictionary of Continental Celtic Place-names: A Celtic Companion to the Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World. CMCS. 2010. 978-0955718236.
- Book: Talbert, Richard J. A.. Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World. Princeton University Press. 2000. 978-0691031699. Richard Talbert.
Notes and References
- [Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum|CIL]
- , s.v. Brigianii.
- , Map 17: Lugdunum.
- [Pliny the Elder|Pliny]