The Lusones ( Greek: ''Lousones'') were an ancient Celtiberian (Pre- Roman) people of the

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, comprisin ...

(the Roman

Hispania Hispania was the Ancient Rome, Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula. Under the Roman Republic, Hispania was divided into two Roman province, provinces: Hispania Citerior and Hispania Ulterior. During the Principate, Hispania Ulterior was divide ...

), who lived in the high Tajuña River valley, northeast of

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( ; ) is the capital and the most populous city in the western Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco, as well as the most densely populated municipality in Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population ...

. They were eliminated by the Romans as a significant threat in the end of the 2nd century BC.

Origins

They spoke a variety of the

Celtiberian language Celtiberian or Northeastern Hispano-Celtic is an extinct Indo-European language of the Celtic branch spoken by the Celtiberians in an area of the Iberian Peninsula between the headwaters of the Douro, Tagus, Júcar and Turia rivers and the ...

and were a subdivision of the Celtiberians. There is an overwhelming amount of evidence that the ancestors of the Celtiberian groups were installed in the Meseta area of the

from at least 1000 BC and probably much earlier. A mixed people, they included elements of early Italic ( Osco-

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

) and Gallic affiliation, the latter possibly related to the namesake Helvetic Lusones from present-day

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

or from

Pannonia Pannonia (, ) was a Roman province, province of the Roman Empire bounded on the north and east by the Danube, on the west by Noricum and upper Roman Italy, Italy, and on the southward by Dalmatia (Roman province), Dalmatia and upper Moesia. It ...

, who migrated to the

around the 4th Century BC. Some scholars also reasoned that they might bear a connection with the

Lusitani The Lusitanians were an Indo-European languages, Indo-European-speaking people living in the far west of the Iberian Peninsula, in present-day central Portugal and Extremadura and Castilla y Leon of Spain. It is uncertain whether the Lusitanians ...

, with the latter people being actually an off-shot of the Lusones that migrated to the west of the Peninsula during the 4th Century BC.

Location

The Greek geographer

Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo, Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-si ...

located the Lusones near the Tajo headwaters, whereas the historian

Appian Appian of Alexandria (; ; ; ) was a Greek historian with Roman citizenship who prospered during the reigns of the Roman Emperors Trajan, Hadrian, and Antoninus Pius. He was born c. 95 in Alexandria. After holding the senior offices in the pr ...

places them along the

Ebro The Ebro (Spanish and Basque ; , , ) is a river of the north and northeast of the Iberian Peninsula, in Spain. It rises in Cantabria and flows , almost entirely in an east-southeast direction. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea, forming a de ...

. In fact, their lands were located in the Aragonese region along the middle

, on the Moncayo range (Latin: ''Mons Chaunus'') between the Queiles and Huecha rivers, occupying the western

Zaragoza Zaragoza (), traditionally known in English as Saragossa ( ), is the capital city of the province of Zaragoza and of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributaries, the ...

and most of Soria, stretching to the northeastern fringe of nearby

and southern Navarre provinces. Their presumed capital was ''Turiaso'' or ''Turiasso'' ( La Oruña, Vera de Moncayo – Zaragoza; Celtiberian mint: ''Turiazu''); other key Lusones towns were ''Calagurris/Galagorina'' ( Calahorra –

La Rioja La Rioja () is an autonomous communities in Spain, autonomous community and provinces of Spain, province in Spain, in the north of the Iberian Peninsula. Its capital is Logroño. Other List of municipalities in La Rioja, cities and towns in the ...

; Celtiberian mint: ''Kalacoricos''), ''Cascantum/Cascanton'' ( Cascante – Navarre; Celtiberian mint: ''Caiscata''), ''Bursau/Bursada'' ( Borja – Zaragoza; Celtiberian mint: ''Burzao''), ''Carabis/Caravis'' ( Magallón – Zaragoza; Celtiberian mint: ''Carauez''). They were also involved in the foundations of both the ‘bandit town’ of ''Complega'' (site unknown; Celtiberian mint: ''Kemelon'') and the Roman colony of ''Grachurris'' ( Eras de San Martín, Alhama –

) by Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus the Elder in 181 BC.

History

The Lusones joined their neighbours the Arevaci, Belli and Titii into the Celtiberian Confederacy in the 3rd-2nd centuries BC and fought alongside their allies in the Celtiberian Wars against

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, from 181 BC until the destruction of Numantia brought the collapse of the alliance in 134-133 BC. In between, the Lusones were defeated by

Proconsul A proconsul was an official of ancient Rome who acted on behalf of a Roman consul, consul. A proconsul was typically a former consul. The term is also used in recent history for officials with delegated authority. In the Roman Republic, military ...

Quintus Caecilius Metellus Macedonicus in 142 BC, and despite being forcibly incorporated into

Hispania Citerior Hispania Citerior (English: "Hither Iberia", or "Nearer Iberia") was a Roman province in Hispania during the Roman Republic. It was on the eastern coast of Iberia down to the town of Cartago Nova, today's Cartagena in the autonomous community of ...

province, they continued to resist Roman authority for decades. Remaining warlike as ever, the Lusones plotted with the Arevaci and Pellendones the anti-Roman uprisings that rocked Celtiberia throughout most of the 1st Century BC. These revolts served only to weaken the Lusones' military however, and by mid-Century they had been driven out from the right bank of the Ebro by the Vascones, who seized four of their key border towns including Grachurris. During the Sertorian Wars, the Lusones sided with Quintus Sertorius and provided auxiliary troops to his army, but virtually disappear from the historical record upon the end of that conflict in 72 BC, and little is known from them afterwards though is likely that they merged with – or were absorbed by – their neighbours the Belli and Titii.Curchin, ''The Romanization of Central Spain: Complexity, Diversity and Change in a Provincial Hinterland'' (2004), pp. 36-37.

Notes

Bibliography

* Aedeen Cremin, ''The Celts in Europe'', Sydney, Australia: Sydney Series in Celtic Studies 2, Centre for Celtic Studies, University of Sydney (1992) . * 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, Grijalbo Mondadori, S.A., Barcelona (1998, revised edition 2007) *

External links

Detailed map of the Pre-Roman Peoples of Iberia (around 200 BC)

(in Spanish). *https://www.celtiberia.net {{Pre-Roman peoples in Spain Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula Celtic tribes of the Iberian Peninsula Ancient peoples of Spain