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The Bracari or Callaeci Bracari were an ancient 
The region was home to some native and notable citadels that fiercely resisted Roman rule and were sieged by the Romans. These were Lambriaca, Avobriga, and Cinania. Lambriaca and Avobriga were located near the coast, probably near the river mouth of the Ave river where some citadels ruins are known. At the beginning of the 1st century, the Citânia de Briteiros was one of their main citadels and seat of the "consilium gentis."
Detailed map of the Pre-Roman Peoples of Iberia (around 200 BC)
Tribes of Gallaecia Galician Celtic tribes History of Braga Ancient peoples of Portugal {{Portugal-hist-stub
Celt
The Celts (, see pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples () are. "CELTS location: Greater Europe time period: Second millennium B.C.E. to present ancestry: Celtic a collection of Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancient ...
ic tribe of Gallaecia
Gallaecia, also known as Hispania Gallaecia, was the name of a Roman province in the north-west of Hispania, approximately present-day Galicia, northern Portugal, Asturias and Leon and the later Kingdom of Gallaecia. The Roman cities incl ...
, living in the northwest of modern Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of the ...
, in the province of Minho, between the rivers Tâmega and Cávado. After the conquest of the region beginning in 136BC, the Romans established the Augustan citadel of ''Bracara'', modern Braga
Braga ( , ; cel-x-proto, Bracara) is a city and a municipality, capital of the northwestern Portuguese district of Braga and of the historical and cultural Minho Province. Braga Municipality has a resident population of 193,333 inhabitants (i ...
, in 20 BC.
Appian
Appian of Alexandria (; grc-gre, Ἀππιανὸς Ἀλεξανδρεύς ''Appianòs Alexandreús''; la, Appianus Alexandrinus; ) was a Greek historian with Roman citizenship who flourished during the reigns of Emperors of Rome Trajan, H ...
wrote they were a very warlike people. According to him, The Bracari women warriors fought defending their town "never turning, never showing their backs or uttering a cry."
It has long been known that they spoke a Celtic language
The Celtic languages ( usually , but sometimes ) are a group of related languages descended from Proto-Celtic. They form a branch of the Indo-European language family. The term "Celtic" was first used to describe this language group by Edward ...
, as can be seen in the inscription dedicated to the goddess Nabia
Nabia was the goddess of rivers and water in Gallaecian and Lusitanian mythology, in the territory of modern Galicia (Spain), Asturias (Spain) and Portugal.
The present-day Navia River and Avia (river) in Galicia and Asturias, the Neiva River, ...
at Braga's ''Fonte do Ídolo'' (Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Por ...
for the '' Fountain of the Idol''), or in the name of their town '' Tongobriga'' (in Marco de Canaveses).
The region was home to some native and notable citadels that fiercely resisted Roman rule and were sieged by the Romans. These were Lambriaca, Avobriga, and Cinania. Lambriaca and Avobriga were located near the coast, probably near the river mouth of the Ave river where some citadels ruins are known. At the beginning of the 1st century, the Citânia de Briteiros was one of their main citadels and seat of the "consilium gentis." Cividade de Terroso
Cividade de Terroso was an ancient city of the Castro culture in North-western coast of the Iberian Peninsula, situated near the present bed of the Ave river, in the suburbs of present-day Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal.
Located in the heart of the ...
, near the Ave river mouth, shows archaeological signs of the Roman siege and conquest. It was suggested that Citânia de Briteiros could be ancient ''Cinania''. However, this is not certain, as there were other citadels nearby, including Citânia de Sanfins. It is known that cinania had luxuries and an iron ore mine, used for a surprise attack on the Roman camp. It is possible that the Celtic Nemetati were an allied tribe of the ''Bracari''.
Neighbouring this people or tribe, to the south were the Gallaeci Proper or Callaeci (that gave the name to the larger tribal confederation of the same name - the Gallaeci
The Gallaeci (also Callaeci or Callaici; grc, Καλλαϊκοί) were a Celtic tribal complex who inhabited Gallaecia, the north-western corner of Iberia, a region roughly corresponding to what is now the Norte Region in northern Portugal, a ...
) and the Narbasi, to the north were the Luanci, Nebisoci and Seurbi, to the east were the Nemetati and the Lubaini, to the west were the Atlantic coast.
The goddess Nabia
Nabia was the goddess of rivers and water in Gallaecian and Lusitanian mythology, in the territory of modern Galicia (Spain), Asturias (Spain) and Portugal.
The present-day Navia River and Avia (river) in Galicia and Asturias, the Neiva River, ...
was very popular in the territory of the Callaici Bracari with several inscriptions, like the one at Braga's Fonte do Ídolo (Portuguese for Fountain of the Idol).
See also
*Castro culture
Castro culture ( gl, cultura castrexa, pt, cultura castreja, ast, cultura castriega, es, cultura castreña, meaning "culture of the hillforts") is the archaeological term for the material culture of the northwestern regions of the Iberian Pen ...
*Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula
This is a list of the pre- Roman people of the Iberian Peninsula (the Roman Hispania, i. e., modern Portugal, Spain and Andorra). Some closely fit the concept of a people, ethnic group or tribe. Others are confederations or even unions of t ...
References
*Coutinhas, José Manuel (2006), ''Aproximação à identidade etno-cultural dos Callaici Bracari'', Porto. *Queiroga, Francisco (1992), ''War and Castros'', Oxford. *Silva, Armando Coelho Ferreira da (1986), ''A Cultura Castreja'', Porto.External links
Detailed map of the Pre-Roman Peoples of Iberia (around 200 BC)
Tribes of Gallaecia Galician Celtic tribes History of Braga Ancient peoples of Portugal {{Portugal-hist-stub