The Reii were a

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 ...

tribe dwelling in the modern department of

Alpes-de-Haute-Provence Alpes-de-Haute-Provence or sometimes abbreviated as AHP (; oc, Aups d'Auta Provença; ) is a department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of France, bordering Alpes-Maritimes and Italy to the east, Var to the south, Vaucluse to the wes ...

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 the

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

The ethnonym ''Reii'' has been interpreted as meaning 'the free ones', stemming from an earlier *''Reiī'' (''<'' *''Riioi''), itself formed with the Celtic stem *''riio''- ('free'). According to

Xavier Delamarre Xavier Delamarre (; born 5 June 1954) is a French linguist, lexicographer, and diplomat. He is regarded as one of the world's foremost authorities on the Gaulish language. Since 2019, he has been an associate researcher for the CNRS-PSL AOrOc l ...

, the Reii could have been a group of freedmen or, more probably, an autonomous tribe among a group of subjugated peoples. The city of

Riez Riez (; Provençal: ''Riés'') is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. Geography The densely built village sits where two small rivers join—the Auvestre and the Colostre—in a glacially wide ...

, attested as ''Alebaece Reiorum Apollinarium'' in the 1st c. AD (''concilium Regense'' in 439, ''civitati Regensi'' in 990–7, ''Rietz'' in 1402) is named after the tribe.

Geography

Territory

The Reii dwelled in the valleys of the river and its tributaries, and in the lower Verdon valley up to the

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 .Asse Asse () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. It comprises the towns of Asse proper, Bekkerzeel, Kobbegem, Mollem, Relegem and Zellik. Asse is also situated in the Pajottenland. As of 2020, Asse had a total ...

and the . The eastern frontier of their territory was the boundary between the provinces of

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

and

Alpes Maritimae The Alpes Maritimae (; English: 'Maritime Alps') were a small province of the Roman Empire founded in 63 AD by Nero. It was one of the three provinces straddling the Alps between modern France and Italy, along with the Alpes Graiae et Poeninae an ...

. Their territory was located north of the Verucini and Tritolli (themselves north of the

Salyes The Salyes or Salluvii (Greek: ) were an ancient Celto-Ligurian people dwelling between the Durance river and the Greek colony of Massalia during the Iron Age. Although earlier writers called them 'Ligurian', Strabo used the denomination 'Celto-l ...

), south of the

Vocontii The Vocontii (Gaulish: *''Uocontioi''; Greek: Οὐοκόντιοι, Οὐοκοντίων) were a Gallic people dwelling on the western foothills of the Alps during the Iron Age and the Roman period. The Vocontii settled in the region in the 3r ...

, east of the

Dexivates The Dexivates (Gaulish: ''Dexiuates'') were a small Gallic tribe dwelling in the southern part of modern Vaucluse, near the present-day village of Cadenet, during the Iron Age and the Roman period. Name The tribe is attested as ''Dexivatium'' ( ...

, and west of the Sentii, Suetrii and Vergunni. According to historian

Guy Barruol Guy Barruol (born 10 June 1934) is a French historian and archaeologist. He is director of research emeritus at the CNRS. Biography Guy Barruol was born on 10 June 1934 in Mazan, Vaucluse, the son of Jean Barruol (1898–1982), a local histor ...

, they were part of the Saluvian confederation.

Settlements

Their capital was Alebaece (modern

), located at the foot of the hill of Saint-Maxime, at the confluence of the Colostre with its tributary the . The city was located near a main route linking

Fréjus Fréjus (; ) is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southeastern France. In 2019, it had a population of 54,458. It neighbours Saint-Raphaël, effectively forming one urban agglomeration. The north ...

with

Sisteron Sisteron (; , oc, label= Mistralian norm, Sisteroun; from oc, label=Old Occitan, Sestaron) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, southeastern France. Sisteron is situated on the banks of the r ...

and other places further north. From the reign of

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...

, it became known as ''Iulia Augusta Apollinaris Reiorum''. ''Reiorum'' is a Latin formation based on the name of the tribe., s.v. ''Reii'' and ''Augusta Apollinaris Reiorum''. ''Alebaece'' was probably the name of the pre-Roman hill-fort on St-Maxime, and it has been connected with the ethnonym '' Albici'', the tribe that helped

Massalia Massalia (Greek: Μασσαλία; Latin: Massilia; modern Marseille) was an ancient Greek colony founded ca. 600 BC on the Mediterranean coast of present-day France, east of the river Rhône, by Ionian Greek settlers from Phocaea, in Western ...

in her fight against

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 ...

in 49 BC. The Council of Reii was held in the city in 439 AD. Another important settlement was located at

Gréoux-les-Bains Gréoux-les-Bains (; Provençal Occitan: ''Greù'') is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southeastern France. Best known for its Château des Templiers, the town is on the right ba ...

, a Roman

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, B ...

where was found a dedication to the ''Nymphae Griselicae'' made by Annia Fundania Faustina.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * {{Ligurian peoples Historical Celtic peoples Gauls Tribes of pre-Roman Gaul Tribes conquered by Rome Ligures Gallia Narbonensis