The Ceutrones (or Centrones) were a
Gallic tribe dwelling in the
Tarantaise Valley, in modern
Savoie
Savoie (; Arpitan: ''Savouè'' or ''Savouè-d'Avâl''; English: ''Savoy'' ) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Southeastern France. Located in the French Alps, its prefecture is Chambéry. In 2019, Savoie had a population o ...
, during the
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...
and
Roman period
The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post- Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediter ...
.
Name
They are mentioned as ''Ceutrones'' by
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 ...
(mid-1st c. BC), ''Keútrōnes'' (Κεύτρωνες;
var. Κέντ-) by
Strabo (early 1st c. AD), ''Ceutrones'' by
Pliny (1st c. AD), and as ''Keutrónōn'' (Κευτρόνων) by
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of import ...
(2nd c. AD).
The hamlet of Centron, located in the village of
Montgirod, may be named after the Gallic tribe.
They had a homonym tribe in
Gallia Belgica
Gallia Belgica ("Belgic Gaul") was a province of the Roman Empire located in the north-eastern part of Roman Gaul, in what is today primarily northern France, Belgium, and Luxembourg, along with parts of the Netherlands and Germany.
In 5 ...
, documented in 54 BC, which was probably a ''
pagus
In ancient Rome, the Latin word (plural ) was an administrative term designating a rural subdivision of a tribal territory, which included individual farms, villages (), and strongholds () serving as refuges, as well as an early medieval geogra ...
'' of the Nervii.
Geography
The Ceutrones dwelled in the
Tarantaise Valley, along the upper
Isère river, near the
Little St Bernard Pass
The Little St Bernard Pass (French: ''Col du Petit Saint-Bernard'', Italian: ''Colle del Piccolo San Bernardo'') is a mountain pass in the Alps on the France–Italy border. Its saddle is at 2188 metres above sea level. It is located between ...
(Alpis Graia) on the route stretching from the
Rhône Valley to the north of the
Italian Peninsula. Their territory was located north of the
Graioceli and
Medulli, southeast of the
Allobroges
The Allobroges (Gaulish: *''Allobrogis'', 'foreigner, exiled'; grc, Ἀλλοβρίγων, Ἀλλόβριγες) were a Gallic people dwelling in a large territory between the Rhône river and the Alps during the Iron Age and the Roman period.
...
, southwest of the
Veragri
The Veragrī (Gaulish: *''Ueragroi'', 'super-warriors'; Greek: ) were a Gallic tribe dwelling around present-day Martigny, in the Pennine Alps, during the Iron Age and the Roman period.
Along with the Nantuates, Seduni and Uberi, they were pa ...
, and west of the
Salassi
The Salassi or Salasses were a Gallic or Ligurian tribe dwelling in the upper valley of the Dora Baltea river, near present-day Aosta ( Val d'Aosta), during the Iron Age and the Roman period.
Name
They are mentioned as ''dià Salassō̃n'' (� ...
, on the other side of the Alps.
[, Map 17: ]Lugdunum
Lugdunum (also spelled Lugudunum, ; modern Lyon, France) was an important Roman city in Gaul, established on the current site of Lyon. The Roman city was founded in 43 BC by Lucius Munatius Plancus, but continued an existing Gallic settleme ...
, Map 18: Augustonemetum-Vindonissa.
Their chief town was known as Axima (modern
Aime-la-Plagne). Renamed to Forum Claudii Ceutronum under
Claudius (41–54 AD), probably when the Ceutrones were granted
Latin Rights
Latin rights (also Latin citizenship, Latin: ''ius Latii'' or ''ius latinum'') were a set of legal rights that were originally granted to the Latins (Latin: "Latini", the People of Latium, the land of the Latins) under Roman law in their origin ...
, it became the chief town of Alpes Graiae, one of the two divisions of the province of
Alpes Graiae et Poeninae
The Alpes Graiae et Poeninae, later known as Alpes Atrectianae et Poeninae (officially Alpes Atrectianae et Vallis Poenina), were a small Alpine province of the Roman Empire created after the merging of the ''Alpes Poeninae'' (or ''Vallis Poenina' ...
. The
procurator
Procurator (with procuracy or procuratorate referring to the office itself) may refer to:
* Procurator, one engaged in procuration, the action of taking care of, hence management, stewardship, agency
* ''Procurator'' (Ancient Rome), the title o ...
of the province had an occasional residence in the Ceutronian chief town. In
Late Antiquity
Late antiquity is the time of transition from classical antiquity to the Middle Ages, generally spanning the 3rd–7th century in Europe and adjacent areas bordering the Mediterranean Basin. The popularization of this periodization in English has ...
, the city lost its position to Darentasia (
Moûtiers), which became the capital of the
Diocese of Tarentaise in 426.
History
In the mid-1st century BC, the Ceutrones 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
The Durance (; ''Durença'' in the Occitan classical norm or ''Durènço'' in the Mistralian norm) is a major river in Southeastern France. A left tributary of the Rhône, it is long. Its drainage basin is .[Caturiges
The Caturiges (Gaulish: ''Caturīges'', 'kings of combat') were a Gallic tribe dwelling in the upper Durance valley, around present-day towns of Chorges and Embrun, during the Iron Age and the Roman period.
Name
They are mentioned as ''Catur ...]
and
Graioceli in 58 BC.
Culture
The Ceutrones were possibly of
Celto-Ligurian
The Ligures (singular Ligur; Italian: liguri; English: Ligurians) were an ancient people after whom Liguria, a region of present-day north-western Italy, is named.
Ancient Liguria corresponded more or less to the current Italian regi ...
origin.
Economy
The Ceutrones were known for copper mining. They also produced a renowned cheese named ''vatusicus''.
See also
*
Allobroges
The Allobroges (Gaulish: *''Allobrogis'', 'foreigner, exiled'; grc, Ἀλλοβρίγων, Ἀλλόβριγες) were a Gallic people dwelling in a large territory between the Rhône river and the Alps during the Iron Age and the Roman period.
...
*
Graioceli
*
Medulli
*
Ancient Diocese of Tarentaise
The Archdiocese of Tarentaise ( la, Tarantasiensis) was a Roman Catholic diocese and archdiocese in France, with its see in Moûtiers, in the Tarentaise Valley in Savoie. It was established as a diocese in the 5th century, elevated to archdi ...
References
Primary sources
*
*
*
References
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
024602/2003-09-05
{{Authority control
Historical Celtic peoples
Gauls
Tribes of pre-Roman Gaul
Tribes involved in the Gallic Wars
Savoie