The Taurini were a Ligurian or Celto-Ligurian tribe dwelling in the upper valley of the river Po, around present-day

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

, during the

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

and the Roman period.

Name

They are mentioned as ''Taurĩnoí'' (Ταυρῖνοί) by

Polybius Polybius (; , ; ) was a Greek historian of the middle Hellenistic period. He is noted for his work , a universal history documenting the rise of Rome in the Mediterranean in the third and second centuries BC. It covered the period of 264–146 ...

(2nd c. BC), ''Taurini'' by Livy (late 1st c. BC), ''Taurinoí'' (Ταυρινοί) by

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 ...

(early 1st c. AD), ''Taurinorum'' by Pliny (1st c. AD), and as ''Taurínōn'' (Ταυρίνων; var. Ταυρικῶν, Ταυρινῶν) by

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; , ; ; – 160s/170s AD) was a Greco-Roman mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were important to later Byzantine science, Byzant ...

(2nd c. AD)., s.v. ''Taurini''. The ethnic name ''Taurini'' can be translated as 'the tribe of the bull'. It is either an older form of the metathesized Celtic noun ''taruos'' ('bull'), or a non-Celtic Ligurian form.

Geography

The Taurini lived between the Dora Riparia and the upper Po river and the lower Dandrune river. Their territory was located east of the Iemerii, west of the Libicii and Iadatini., Map 39: Mediolanum. Torino - Porta Palatina

Their original capital, Taurasia, was destroyed by the Carthaginians after they opposed in vain Hannibal's march into Italy in 218 BC. It was refounded by the Romans after 25 BC as Colonia Augusta Taurinorum (modern

), at the confluence of the Dora and Po. The settlement was hit by a fire in 69 AD.

History

They were involved in Rome's wars against the Celts at the end of the 4th century BC. In 218 BC, they were attacked by Hannibal, who had allied with their long-standing enemies, the Insubres. Their chief town was captured by Hannibal's forces after a three-day siege.

Culture

The ethnic identity of the Taurini is unclear. They have been variously described as Celts, Ligurians, or more likely, Celticized Ligurians.

References

Bibliography

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