The Suetrii (
Gaulish
Gaulish was an ancient 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, most of Switzerl ...
: *''Su(p)etrioi'', 'the good birds') or Suetri were a
Gallic tribe dwelling around present-day
Castellane
Castellane (; Provençal: ''Castelana'') is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. With about 1,600 inhabitants, Castellane has the distinction of being the least-populated sub-prefecture of France.
Its inh ...
(
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
They are mentioned as ''Suebri'' (
var. ''suberi'', ''uebri'') and ''Svetri'' by
Pliny (1st c. AD),
as ''Souētrōn'' (Σουητρ...ων;
var. Σουιντρ...ων, Σουκτρ...ων) 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), and as ''Suetrio'' on an inscription.
[, s.v. ''Suetrii''.]
The
ethnonym ''Suetrii'' can be explained as the Gaulish *''su-(p)etri-'', meaning 'good birds' (cf. Lat. ''accipiter'').
Geography
Territory
The Suetrii dwelled in the middle valley of the
Verdon river, with an extension in the valley of the . Their territory was located south of the
Vergunni and
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'' ...
, west of the
Nerusii, and north of the
Ligauni. On the west, they were separated from 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'' ...
and the
Reii
The Reii were a Celto-Ligurian tribe dwelling in the modern department of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence during the Iron Age and the Roman period.
Name
The ethnonym ''Reii'' has been interpreted as meaning 'the free ones', stemming from an earlier *' ...
by the
Verdon Gorge
The Verdon Gorge (French: ''Gorges du Verdon'') is a river canyon located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France. It is about 25 km (15.5 mi) long and up to 700 metres (0.4 mi) deep. It was formed by the ...
.
[, Map 16: Col. Forum Iulii-Albingaunum.]
Settlements
Their chief town, Salinae (present-day
Castellane
Castellane (; Provençal: ''Castelana'') is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. With about 1,600 inhabitants, Castellane has the distinction of being the least-populated sub-prefecture of France.
Its inh ...
), was founded during the Roman period and acquired its name after the local supply of salt. Salinae was located west of the medieval town, in an area called Le Plan. It was situated on a trade road leading from Vintium (
Vence
Vence (; oc, Vença) is a commune set in the hills of the Alpes Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France, north of Nice and Antibes.
Ecclesiastical history
The first known Bishop of Vence is Sev ...
), near the coast, to Dinia (
Dignes), in the Alps, via Salinae and Sanitium (
Senez
Senez is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France.
Ecclesiastical history
Marcellus I, the first known bishop of Senez, attended the Council of Agde in 506 CE; nevertheless, Senez must have been an episcopal ...
).
The exact location of the pre-Roman
oppidum
An ''oppidum'' (plural ''oppida'') is a large fortified Iron Age settlement or town. ''Oppida'' are primarily associated with the Celtic late La Tène culture, emerging during the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, spread across Europe, stretch ...
remains unknown, although it was most likely seated on one of the hills surrounding Salinae. Its name may have been ''Ducelia'', as suggested by later medieval documents.
History
They are mentioned by Pliny the Elder as one of the Alpine tribes conquered by Rome in 16–15 BC, and whose name was engraved on the
Tropaeum Alpium
The Tropaeum Alpium (Latin 'Trophy of the Alps', French: ''Trophée des Alpes''), is a Roman trophy (''tropaeum'') celebrating the emperor Augustus's decisive victory over the tribes who populated the Alps. The monument's ruins are in La Turb ...
.
[ Pliny. ''Naturalis Historia'']
3:20
References
Primary sources
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Bibliography
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{{AncientRome-stub
Historical Celtic peoples
Gauls
Tribes of pre-Roman Gaul