The Bodiontici or Brodiontii were a Gallic tribe dwelling around present-day

Digne Digne-les-Bains (; Occitan: ''Dinha dei Banhs''), or simply and historically Digne (''Dinha'' in the classical norm or ''Digno'' in the Mistralian norm), is the prefecture of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte ...

(

Alpes-de-Haute-Provence Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (sometimes abbreviated as AHP; ; ; ), formerly until 1970 known as Basses-Alpes (, ), is a department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of France, bordering Alpes-Maritimes and Italy to the east, Var to the sou ...

) during the

Roman period The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

Name

They are mentioned as ''Bodionticos'' by Pliny (1st c. AD). Pliny. ''Naturalis Historia'', 3:37. Possible variants are also attested as ''Brodionti(i)'', ''Bodionio'' and ''Bodi(ontio?)'' on inscriptions., s.v. ''Bodiontici''. The ethnic name ''Bodiontici'' appears to derive from the

Gaulish Gaulish is an extinct Celtic languages, Celtic language spoken in parts of Continental Europe before and during the period of the Roman Empire. In the narrow sense, Gaulish was the language of the Celts of Gaul (now France, Luxembourg, Belgium, ...

stem ''bodio-'' ('blond') attached to -''ont-ici''.

Geography

The Bodiontici dwelled around present-day

, in the valley of the

Bléone The Bléone (; ) is a long river in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence '' département'', southeastern France. Its drainage basin is .

river. Their territory was located north of the

Sentii The Sentii (Gaulish: ''Sentioi'') were a small Gallic tribe dwelling around present-day Senez, in southeastern France, during the Roman era. Name They are mentioned as Σέντιοι (var. Σένποι) by Ptolemy (2nd c. AD)., s.v. ''Sentii' ...

, south of the Gallitae, east of the Sogiontii, and west of the Eguiturii and Nemeturii.. Map 16: Col. Forum Iulii-Albingaunum. In Roman times, their

civitas In Ancient Rome, the Latin term (; plural ), according to Cicero in the time of the late Roman Republic, was the social body of the , or citizens, united by Roman law, law (). It is the law that binds them together, giving them responsibilitie ...

was situated around the basin of the river

Bléone The Bléone (; ) is a long river in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence '' département'', southeastern France. Its drainage basin is .

and its tributary the . In 69 AD, the territory of the Bodiontici was transferred, along with that of the Avantici, to the province of

Gallia Narbonensis Gallia Narbonensis (Latin for "Gaul of Narbonne", from its chief settlement) was a Roman province located in Occitania and Provence, in Southern France. It was also known as Provincia Nostra ("Our Province"), because it was the first ...

Galba Galba ( ; born Servius Sulpicius Galba; 24 December 3 BC – 15 January AD 69) was Roman emperor, ruling for 7 months from 8 June AD 68 to 15 January 69. He was the first emperor in the Year of the Four Emperors and assumed the throne follow ...

. According to A. L. F. Rivet, this decision "may have been due to the influence of the former provincial governor, T. Vinius Rufus, who effectively controlled Galba and joined him in the consulship in 69." Their chief town was known as Dinia (present-day Digne;

''Dīniā'' 'the shelter'). Like the modern settlement, it likely served as a

spa town A spa town is a resort town based on a mineral spa (a developed mineral spring). Patrons visit spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits. Thomas Guidott set up a medical practice in the English town of Bath, Somerset, Ba ...

in ancient times. Dinia was transferred to the province of Alpes Maritimae in the Later Empire.

References

Primary sources

Bibliography

* * * * * {{Authority control Historical Celtic peoples Gauls Tribes in pre-Roman Gaul