The Aquitani were a tribe that lived in the region between the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to ...

, the

Atlantic ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

, and the

Garonne The Garonne (, also , ; Occitan, Catalan, Basque, and es, Garona, ; la, Garumna or ) is a river of southwest France and northern Spain. It flows from the central Spanish Pyrenees to the Gironde estuary at the French port of Bordeaux – ...

, in present-day southwestern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in the 1st century BCE. The Romans dubbed this region '' Gallia Aquitania''. Classical authors such as

Julius 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 ...

and

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 " Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could s ...

clearly distinguish the Aquitani from the other peoples of

Gaul Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...

, and note their similarity to others in the

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, def ...

. During the process of

Romanization Romanization or romanisation, in linguistics, is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, a ...

, the Aquitani gradually adopted

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

(

Vulgar Latin Vulgar Latin, also known as Popular or Colloquial Latin, is the range of non-formal registers of Latin spoken from the Late Roman Republic onward. Through time, Vulgar Latin would evolve into numerous Romance languages. Its literary counterpa ...

) and the

Roman civilization The history of Rome includes the history of the city of Rome as well as the civilisation of ancient Rome. Roman history has been influential on the modern world, especially in the history of the Catholic Church, and Roman law has influenced ...

. Their old language, the Aquitanian language, was a precursor of the Basque language Trask, L. ''The History of Basque'' Routledge: 1997 and the substrate for the Gascon language (one of the

Romance languages The Romance languages, sometimes referred to as Latin languages or Neo-Latin languages, are the various modern languages that evolved from Vulgar Latin. They are the only extant subgroup of the Italic languages in the Indo-European language ...

) spoken in

Gascony Gascony (; french: Gascogne ; oc, Gasconha ; eu, Gaskoinia) was a province of the southwestern Kingdom of France that succeeded the Duchy of Gascony (602–1453). From the 17th century until the French Revolution (1789–1799), it was part ...

History

At the time of the Roman conquest,

, who defeated them in his campaign in

, describes them as making up a distinct part of Gaul: Despite apparent cultural and linguistic connections to (

Vascones The Vascones were a pre-Roman tribe who, on the arrival of the Romans in the 1st century, inhabited a territory that spanned between the upper course of the Ebro river and the southern basin of the western Pyrenees, a region that coincides wi ...

), the area of Aquitania, as a part of Gaul ended at the Pyrenees according to Caesar:

Relation to Basque people and language

The presence, on late Romano-Aquitanian funerary slabs, of what seem to be the names of deities or people similar to certain names in modern Basque have led many philologists and

linguists Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Lingui ...

to conclude that Aquitanian was closely related to an older form of Basque. Julius Caesar draws a clear line between the Aquitani, living in present-day south-western France and speaking Aquitanian, and their neighboring Celts living to the north. The fact that the region was known as

Vasconia The Duchy of Gascony or Duchy of Vasconia ( eu, Baskoniako dukerria; oc, ducat de Gasconha; french: duché de Gascogne, duché de Vasconie) was a duchy located in present-day southwestern France and northeastern Spain, an area encompassing the ...

in the Early

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, a name that evolved into the better known form of

, along with other toponymic evidence, seems to corroborate that assumption.

Tribes

Although the country where the original Aquitanians lived came to be named '' Novempopulania'' (nine peoples) in the late years of the Roman Empire and Early Middle Ages (up to the 6th century), the number of tribes varied (about 20 for

, but comparing with the information of other classical authors such as Pliny,

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 importanc ...

and

, the total number were 32 or 33):

Aquitani tribes

* Apiates/ Aspiates in the Aspe Valley (

Gave d'Aspe The Gave d'Aspe is a torrential river flowing through the Aspe Valley, one of the three main valleys of the High-Béarn (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), in the southwest of France. It is long. It is formed in the ''Aspe Cirque'', below the Aspe peak, ...

Valley) * Aturenses in the banks of the

Adour The Adour (; eu, Aturri; oc, Ador) is a river in southwestern France. It rises in High-Bigorre (Pyrenees), in the commune of Aspin-Aure, and flows into the Atlantic Ocean ( Bay of Biscay) near Bayonne. It is long, of which the uppermost ca. ...

(''Aturus'') river * Arenosii or Airenosini in Aran valley, (high

valley), part of Aquitania and not of

Hispania Hispania ( la, Hispānia , ; nearly identically pronounced in Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, and Italian) was the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula and its provinces. Under the Roman Republic, Hispania was divided into two provinces: Hi ...

in the Roman Empire *

Ausci The Auscii or Ausci were an Aquitani tribe dwelling around present-day Auch during the Iron Age. Alongside the Tarbelli, they were one of the most powerful peoples of Aquitania. Name They are mentioned as ''Ausci'' by Caesar (mid-1st c. ...

in the east around

Auch Auch (; oc, label= Gascon, Aush ) is a commune in southwestern France. Located in the region of Occitanie, it is the capital of the Gers department. Auch is the historical capital of Gascony. Geography Localization Hydrography The ...

(''Elimberris'', metropolis of Aquitania) * Benearni or Benearnenses/ Venarni in and around low Béarn, Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques * Bercorates/ Bercorcates * Bigerriones or

Begerri The Bigerriones or Begerri were an Aquitani tribe dwelling in present-day Bigorre during the Iron Age. They were subjugated in 56 BC by the Roman forces of Caesar's legatus P. Licinius Crassus. Name They are mentioned as ''Bigerriones'' by ...

in the west of the French département of High Pyrenees (medieval county of Bigorre) * Boiates/Boates/ Boii Boiates/ Boviates in the coastal region of

Pays de Buch Pays de Buch (, literally ''Land of Buch'') is one of several areas that make up the Landes forest in France. It extends across seventeen towns around the Arcachon Bay and the valley of the Eyre River. The village of Porge is at the north end ...

and Pays de Born, in the Northwest of

Landes ''Landes'', or ''Lanas'' in Gascon, means moorland or heath. ''Landes'' and ''Lanas'' come from the Latin ''plānus'' meaning “‘flat, even, level, plain’”. They are therefore cognate with the English plain (and plane), the Spanish word ''l ...

* Camponi (may have been the same tribe as the Oscidates Campestres) *

Cocosates The Cocosates or Cocosates Sexsignani were an Aquitani tribe dwelling in present-day Landes during the Iron Age. Name They are mentioned as ''Cocosates'' by Caesar (mid-1st c. BC), and as ''Cocosates Sexsignani'' by Pliny (1st c. AD). The et ...

/ Sexsignani in the west of Landes département * Consoranni in the tributary streams of the high

river in the former province of Couserans, today's west half of the Ariège départment and extreme south of

Haute-Garonne Haute-Garonne (; oc, Nauta Garona, ; en, Upper Garonne) is a department in the Occitanie region of Southwestern France. Named after the river Garonne, which flows through the department. Its prefecture and main city is Toulouse, the country' ...

* Convenae, a “groupement” in the southeast (high

valley) in and around

Lugdunum Convenarum 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 sett ...

* Datii, in the Ossau Valley, high Béarn *

Elusates The Elusates were an Aquitani tribe dwelling in the modern Gers department, around present-day Eauze, France during the Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. ...

in the northeast around Eauze (former ''Elusa'') * Gates between the

and the

* Iluronenses in and around Iluro ( Oloron-Sainte-Marie) * Lactorates or Lectorates in and around Lectoure * Monesii or Osii or Onesii in the high

river valley ( Louchon), only mentioned in Strabo's Geographica * Onobrisates in Nébouzan in the high

river valley and its tributaries, possibly the same tribe as the Onesii or Osii or Monesii * Oscidates in several valleys and slopes of the west

, high Béarn, south of the Iluronenses ** Oscidates Campestres ** Oscidates Montani * Ptianii in Orthez * Sassumini/ Lassumini/ Lassunni * Sibyllates or

Suburates The Suburates (also named ''Sibulates'') were a pre-Roman tribe of the Aquitani, settled in what today is the historical territory of Soule (in Basque ''Xiberoa''), in the Northern Basque Country. From their name come the French and Occitan name f ...

probably around

Soule Soule (Basque: Zuberoa; Zuberoan/ Soule Basque: Xiberoa or Xiberua; Occitan: ''Sola'') is a former viscounty and French province and part of the present-day Pyrénées-Atlantiques ''département''. It is divided into two cantons of the arron ...

/Xüberoa and also Saubusse; the same of Cæsar’s Sibuzates/ Sibusates? * Sotiates in the north around Sos-en-Albret (south of Lot-et-Garonne department) * Succasses * Tarbelli or Tarbelii/ Quattuorsignani in the coastal side of

, with Dax (''Aquis Tarbellicis'') * Tarusates in the Midou, Douze and Midouze valley, east of Cocosates and Tarbelli * Tarusci in the high Ariège river valley in the former province of

Foix Foix (; oc, Fois ; ca, Foix ) is a commune, the former capital of the County of Foix. It is the capital of the department of Ariège as it is the seat of the Préfecture of that department. Foix is located in the Occitanie region of southw ...

, today's east half of the Ariège department * Umbranici * Vellates in high

Bidassoa __NOTOC__ The Bidasoa (, ; french: Bidassoa, ) is a river in the Basque Country of northern Spain and southern France that runs largely south to north. Named as such downstream of the village of Oronoz-Mugairi (municipality of Baztan) in the p ...

river valley * Venami/ Venarni in and around Beneharnum (modern-day Lescar) * Vasates/ Volcates in the north around Bazas (south of

Gironde Gironde ( US usually, , ; oc, Gironda, ) is the largest department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of Southwestern France. Named after the Gironde estuary, a major waterway, its prefecture is Bordeaux. In 2019, it had a population of 1,6 ...

department)

Aquitani related peoples or tribes

In the southern slopes of western Pyrenees Mountains, not in Aquitania but in northern

Hispania Tarraconensis Hispania Tarraconensis was one of three Roman provinces in Hispania. It encompassed much of the northern, eastern and central territories of modern Spain along with modern northern Portugal. Southern Spain, the region now called Andalusia was the ...

: *

Iacetani The Iacetani or Jacetani (''iakketanoi'' in Greek, or la, iacetani) were a pre-Roman people who populated the area north of Aragon (Spain). They settled the Ebro valley, specifically in the area along the Pyrenees. Its capital was ''Iaca'' (now ...

in high

Aragon River Aragon ( , ; Spanish and an, Aragón ; ca, Aragó ) is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to sou ...

valley, in and around

Jaca Jaca (; in Aragonese: ''Chaca'' or ''Xaca'') is a city of northeastern Spain in the province of Huesca, located near the Pyrenees and the border with France. Jaca is an ancient fort on the Aragón River, situated at the crossing of two great ...

, in the southern slopes of western

Mountains in today's northwestern

Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and an, Aragón ; ca, Aragó ) is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to s ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

in the southern slopes of western

Mountains in today's

Navarra Navarre (; es, Navarra ; eu, Nafarroa ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre ( es, Comunidad Foral de Navarra, links=no ; eu, Nafarroako Foru Komunitatea, links=no ), is a foral autonomous community and province in northern Spa ...

References

External links

* http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/home.html - 51 complete works of authors from Classical Antiquity (Greek and Roman). * http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Caesar/Gallic_War/home.html - Julius Caesar text of De Bello Gallico (Gallic War). * http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Pliny_the_Elder/home.html - Pliny the Elder text of Naturalis Historia (Natural History) - books 3-6 (Geography and Ethnography). * http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Strabo/home.html - Strabo's text of De Geographica (The Geography). {{Aquitanian peoples Gaul Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula Aquitani Basque history Tribes involved in the Gallic Wars History of Aquitaine Gallia Aquitania