Graioceli Explained
The Graioceli were a small Gallic tribe dwelling in the valley of Maurienne, in the modern region of Savoie, during the Iron Age.
Name
They are mentioned as Graioceli (var. graiocaeli, gaioceli) by Caesar (mid-1st c. BC).[1] [2]
The etymology of the ethnonym Graioceli remains unclear. It possibly contains a divine name *Graios (found in Herculi/Herculeio Graio) attached to the Gaulish root ocel-, meaning 'peak, summit, promontory'. The same stem is also present in the name of the Alpes Graiae.
Geography
The Graioceli dwelled in the Maurienne Valley, around the modern towns of Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne and Saint-Jean-d'Arves. Their territory was located the southeast of the Allobroges, south of the Ceutrones, north of the Ucennii, and west of the Medulli.[3]
History
In the mid-first century BC, the Graioceli are mentioned by Julius Caesar as a tribe hostile to Rome. In what appears to be a concerted attack, they attempted to prevent his passage through the upper Durance along with the Ceutrones and Caturiges in 58 BC.
References
Primary sources
- Book: Caesar. The Gallic War. Harvard University Press. 1917. 978-0-674-99080-7. Loeb Classical Library. Edwards. H. J.. Julius Caesar.
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 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: Rivet, A. L. F.. Gallia Narbonensis: With a Chapter on Alpes Maritimae : Southern France in Roman Times. 1988. Batsford. 978-0-7134-5860-2. A.L.F. Rivet.
- Book: Talbert, Richard J. A.. Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World. Princeton University Press. 2000. 978-0691031699. Richard Talbert.
See also
Notes and References
- [Julius Caesar|Caesar]
- , s.v. Graioceli.
- , Map 17: Lugdunum.
