Caesarus (known as ''Césaro'' in

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 ** Port ...

and

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: ** Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Ca ...

) was a chieftain of the

Lusitanians The Lusitanians ( la, Lusitani) were an Indo-European speaking people living in the west of the Iberian Peninsula prior to its conquest by the Roman Republic and the subsequent incorporation of the territory into the Roman province of Lusitania ...

, a proto- Celtic tribe from western

Hispania Hispania ( la, Hispānia , ; nearly identically pronounced in Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, and Italian) was the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula and its provinces. Under the Roman Republic, Hispania was divided into two provinces: His ...

. He followed and later replaced

Punicus Punicus (known as ''Púnico'' in Portuguese and Spanish; died 153 BC) was a chieftain of the Lusitanians, a proto- Celtic tribe from western Hispania. He became their first military leader during the Lusitanian War, and also led their first maj ...

as their major military leader during the

Lusitanian War The Lusitanian War, called ''Pyrinos Polemos'' ("the Fiery War") in Greek, was a war of resistance fought by the Lusitanian tribes of Hispania Ulterior against the advancing legions of the Roman Republic from 155 to 139 BC. The Lusitanians rev ...

Biography

He is considered to have served as Punicus's lieutenant, which would explain the quick way he was promoted to leader after the latter's death. Caesarus might have previously accompanied him during his service as a

mercenary A mercenary, sometimes also known as a soldier of fortune or hired gun, is a private individual, particularly a soldier, that joins a military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any ...

for

Phoenicia Phoenicia () was an ancient thalassocratic civilization originating in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily located in modern Lebanon. The territory of the Phoenician city-states extended and shrank throughout their his ...

n or

Punic The Punic people, or western Phoenicians, were a Semitic people in the Western Mediterranean who migrated from Tyre, Phoenicia to North Africa during the Early Iron Age. In modern scholarship, the term ''Punic'' – the Latin equivalent of the ...

territories in the south of the

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...

. In 155 BC, Punicus provoked the Lusitanians and

Vettones The Vettones (Greek: ''Ouettones'') were a pre-Roman people of the Iberian Peninsula of possibly Celtic ethnicity. Origins Lujan (2007) concludes that some of the names of the Vettones show clearly western Hispano-Celtic features. Reissued ...

into revolting and pillaging the Roman colonies, but after being killed in 153 BC, he was relieved by Caesarus. The new chieftain had his first major battle in

Hispania Ulterior Hispania Ulterior (English: "Further Hispania", or occasionally "Thither Hispania") was a region of Hispania during the Roman Republic, roughly located in Baetica and in the Guadalquivir valley of modern Spain and extending to all of Lusitania ( ...

against the forces of Roman Praetor

Lucius Mummius Lucius Mummius (2nd century BC), was a Roman statesman and general. He was consul in the year 146 BC along with Scipio Aemilianus. Mummius was the first of his family to rise to the rank of consul thereby making him a novus homo. He received the ...

. Although the Roman forces were initially successful, obliging the Lusitanians to fall back and abandon their plunder, the Roman forces became disorganised in the chase, which Caesarus capitalised on to counter-attack. Mummius was defeated in the ensuing battle with as many as 9,000 of his men dying, allowing the Lusitanians to regain their spoils and also capture many of the Romans' weapons and

standards Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object t ...

. It has been speculated the whole sequence might have been a deliberate ruse by the Lusitanians. In any case, Caesarus then paraded mockingly with the Roman standards through the Iberian peninsula, helping to provoke the

Second Celtiberian War {{Campaignbox Roman conquest of the Iberian Peninsula The Second Celtiberian War (154–151 BC) was one of the three major rebellions by the Celtiberians (a loose alliance of Celtic tribes living in east central Hispania, among which we can name ...

. Caesarus's forces faced Mummius again later, after the latter had remained in fortified positions training his army. This time Mummius won, recovering part of the lost plunder. Caesarus is not mentioned as being among the Lusitanians, making his ultimate fate unknown. Meanwhile, another Lusitanian contingent from adjacent lands had joined the war, led by the warlord Caucenus.

Etymology

The meaning of the name ''Kaisaro'' is disputed, though it is believed it has a Phoenician root, bringing the possibility it was a title gained during his military experience in Phoenician or Punic territories. It might derive from the word ''ksr'', related to the Carthaginian god Kusor, or alternatively from ''kysr'', translating as "

elephant Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae ...

" (the same origin as the Roman surname and title ''

Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, an ...

''). Departing from the Phoenician thesis, it might come as well from the

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 Edwar ...

, more specifically the words ''gaesi'' ("valiant man") or ''gaesum'' ("iron dart"), similar to the Celtic-Germanic name

Caesorix Caesorix was a co-leader of the Cimbri tribe during the Cimbrian War, in which the Cimbri won a spectacular victory against the Romans at the Battle of Arausio in 105 BC. He was captured along with Claodicus at the Battle of Vercellae in 101 BC. Th ...

In film and television

The Spanish television series ''

Hispania, La Leyenda ''Hispania, la leyenda'' () is a Spanish adventure drama television series starring Roberto Enríquez, Lluís Homar, Ana de Armas, Juan José Ballesta, Jesús Olmedo, Manuela Vellés and Nathalie Poza, among others. Set in the 2nd century BC ...

'' (2010-2012) features Caesarus as the chief of

Viriathus Viriathus (also spelled Viriatus; known as Viriato in Portuguese and Spanish; died 139 BC) was the most important leader of the Lusitanian people that resisted Roman expansion into the regions of western Hispania (as the Romans called it) or ...

's home village. He is played by Lluís Marco.

Notes

{{reflist 155 BC Lusitanians Celtic warriors Spanish rebels Year of birth unknown

Biography

Etymology

In film and television

See also

Notes