The Belli, also designated Beli or Belaiscos, were an ancient pre-Ancient Rome, Roman Celts, CelticCremin, ''The Celts in Europe'' (1992), p. 57. Celtiberians, Celtiberian people who lived in the modern Spanish province of Zaragoza from the 3rd Century BC.

Origins

Apparently of mixed Illyrians, Illyrian and Celts, Celtic (Belgae, Belgic) origin and probably related with the Bellovaci, the Belli were said to have migrated to the Iberian Peninsula around the 4th Century BC. They were also part of the Celtiberians. However, there is an overwhelming amount of evidence that the ancestors of the Celtiberian groups were installed in the Meseta area of the peninsula from at least 1000 BC and probably much earlier.

Location

The Belli inhabited the middle Jiloca River, Jiloca and Huerva river valleys in Zaragoza province with their territories stretching up to the Guadalope and upper Turia Valley, Turia valleys, close to their neighbours and clients, the Titii (Celtiberian), Titii. Their early capital was ''Segeda'' (Poyo de Maya – Zaragoza; Celtiberian mint: ''Sekaiza''), subsequently transferred to nearby Durón de Belmonte and later offset by ''Bilbilis'' (Valdeherrera, near Calatayud – Zaragoza; Celtiberian mint: ''Bilbiliz''). Other Belli urban centers included ''Nertobriga'' (La Almunia de Doña Godina – Zaragoza; Celtiberian mint: ''Nertobis''), ''Contrebia Belaisca'' (Zaforas de Botorita – Zaragoza; Celtiberian mint: ''Contebacom Bel''), ''Beligiom'' (Piquete de la Atalaya de Azuara – Zaragoza; Celtiberian mint: ''Belikiom''), ''Belgeda'' (Belchite – Zaragoza) and ''Lesera'' (Moleta dels Frares, near Forcall, El Forcall – Province of Castellón, Castellón). It is plausible that by the 2nd Century BC they exerted some form of control over the strategic frontier towns of ''Belia'' (situated somewhere between the Huerva' and Aguas Vivas' rivers; Celtiberian mint: ''Belaiscom''), ''Osicerda'' (El Palau de Alcañiz – Teruel; Iberian designation: ''Usercerte''), ''Damania'' (Hinojosa de Jarque – Teruel; Celtiberian mint: ''Tamaniu'') and ''Orosis'' (Caminreal, La Caridad de Caminreal – Teruel; Celtiberian mint: ''Orosiz''), facing the Iberians, Iberian Lobetani and Edetani peoples of the modern Valencia, Spain, Valencia coastal region.

Culture

The most culturally advanced of the peoples of southern Celtiberia, the Belli were the first Celtiberians, Celtiberian tribe to adopt coinage in the aftermath of the Second Punic War and to post laws in written form on bronze tablets (''Tabulae''), using a modified Northeastern Iberian script (known as the Celtiberian script) for their own language. In this script and language they inscribed the characteristic Celtiberian 'hospitality tokens' which are small bronze objects, in two halves, each half being retained by people who stood in hospitality relationship to one another.Cremin, ''The Celts in Europe'' (1992), p. 63. These would act as a sort of identity card, and were probably used as safe-conducts or other warranties. The two halves have been found in places several hundreds of kilometres apart, which implies that the various Celtic groups maintained a system of communications throughout at least central Spain. The most complete Celtiberian text we have on the bronze 'hospitality tokens' that acted as a sort of identity card is from the Belli and reads ''lubos alisokum aualoske kontebias belaiskas'' meaning 'Lubos of the Aliso family, son of Aualos, from Contrebia Belaisca' showing the self-description of this man, by paternity, extended family and territory which is characteristically Celtic.

History

During the 3rd-2nd centuries BC, the Belli joined the Celtiberian confederacy alongside the Arevaci, Lusones and Titii (Celtiberian), Titii, with whom they developed close political and military ties – in 153 BC the Numantines even elected the Belli General Caros as leader of the Celtiberian coalition army that ambushed the Consul Quintus Fulvius Nobilior at the battle of Vulcanalia (Ribarroya), at the Baldano river valley in the beginning of the first Numantine War. Prior to that, they had been forced in 181 BC to accept Roman suzerainty by Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus (consul 177 BC), Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus, but this did not prevent them from resisting further Roman encroachment of their lands as well as fighting off Turboletae raids and the Iberian Lobetani people.

Romanization

Defeated in 143 BC by Proconsul Quintus Caecilius Metellus Macedonicus, and faced with the fall of Numantia in 133 BC and the subsequent collapse of the Celtiberian confederacy, the Belli territory was incorporated into Hispania Citerior province though little is known of their history afterwards. The Belli appear to have remained independent until the Sertorian Wars of the early 1st Century BC, when they sided with Quintus Sertorius and provided auxiliary troops to his army. During that conflict, the Belli found themselves being gradually pushed back from the upper Jiloca River, Jiloca by the Edetani who seized Beligiom, Belgeda, Damania and Orosis, therefore losing all the lands east of the Huerva River. Around 72 BC they and their Titii allies merged with the pro-Roman Republic, Roman Uraci, Cratistii and Olcades tribes to form the Late Celtiberian people (Latin: ''Celtiberi'') of romanized southern Celtiberia.Curchin, ''The Romanization of Central Spain: Complexity, Diversity and Change in a Provincial Hinterland'' (2004), pp. 35-36.

Notes

Bibliography

* Ángel Montenegro ''et alii'', ''Historia de España 2 - colonizaciones y formación de los pueblos prerromanos (1200-218 a.C)'', Editorial Gredos, Madrid (1989) * Alberto J. Lorrio, ''Los Celtíberos'', Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Murcia (1997) * Francisco Burillo Mozota, ''Los Celtíberos, etnias y estados'', Crítica, Barcelona (1998) * Rafael Trevino and Angus McBride, ''Rome's Enemies (4): Spanish Armies 218BC-19BC'', Men-at-Arms series 180, Osprey Publishing Ltd, London (1986) *

External links

Homepage of the Segeda archaeology sites
*https://www.celtiberia.net {{Pre-Roman peoples in Spain Celtic tribes of the Iberian Peninsula Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula Ancient peoples of Spain