Britomaris was a war chief of the Senone tribe of the

Gauls The Gauls ( la, Galli; grc, Γαλάται, ''Galátai'') were a group of Celtic peoples of mainland Europe in the Iron Age and the Roman period (roughly 5th century BC to 5th century AD). Their homeland was known as Gaul (''Gallia''). They s ...

of northern Italy. He is briefly mentioned in a text by

Appian Appian of Alexandria (; grc-gre, Ἀππιανὸς Ἀλεξανδρεύς ''Appianòs Alexandreús''; la, Appianus Alexandrinus; ) was a Greek historian with Roman citizenship who flourished during the reigns of Emperors of Rome Trajan, Ha ...

, who said that he killed some Roman ambassadors who were sent to remonstrate about him providing mercenaries for forces which fought the Romans despite having signed a treaty with Rome. Britomaris killed the ambassadors because he was angry about his father having been killed while fighting on the side of the

Etruscans The Etruscan civilization () was developed by a people of Etruria in ancient Italy with a common language and culture who formed a federation of city-states. After conquering adjacent lands, its territory covered, at its greatest extent, rou ...

"in this very war." Publius Cornelius Dolabella (the consul for 283 BC) then devastated the

ager Gallicus The expression Ager Gallicus defines the territory of the Senone Gauls after it was devastated and conquered by Rome in 284 BC or 283 BC, either after the Battle of Arretium or the Battle of Lake Vadimon. Destruction of the Ager Gallicus Accord ...

(the name the Romans gave to the land which had been conquered by the Senones), killed all the men, enslaved the women and children and made the place uninhabitable. Britomaris was taken prisoner for torture. Appian also wrote that " little later the Senones (who were serving as mercenaries), having no longer any homes to return to, fell boldly upon the consul Domitius, and being defeated by him killed themselves in despair." It is not clear which battle this was. It could have been the Battle of Lake Vadimo of the same year, fought by Etruscan and Gallic forces, or probably, and more likely, another battle, mentioned by Polybius, which was fought after this and where the Etruscans and Gauls were defeated again and sued for peace.Polybius, The Histories, 2.20.1-5

References

External links

Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, page 505 (v. 1)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Britomaris Celtic warriors Celts Gaulish rulers 3rd-century BC rulers