The Belaci were a small Gallic tribe dwelling in the

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

, around present-day

Oulx Oulx ( oc, label=Occitan, Ors) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about west of Turin, in the Susa Valley on the border with France. Names Like many other towns in the Susa Va ...

, 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 ...

Name

They are mentioned as ''Belacorum'' on the Arch of Susa. CIL 5:7231., s.v. ''Belaci''. The ethnonym Belaci is possibly Celtic, stemming from the root ''belo''- ('strong') extended by the suffix -''aco''-. Variants beginning with ''V''- may also occur in inscriptions, as in ''Vellaconis, Velaci, Velaco, Velagenius, Vilagenio, Vilagenia, Velagenus'', or ''Velacena''. The toponym

Beaulard Beaulard is a frazione of the comune of Oulx, Metropolitan City of Turin, Piedmont, Italy. It had been a separate commune before 1928. It has a railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that tr ...

, located in their territory, derives from an earlier ''Belas''.

Geography

The Belaci dwelled around the settlements of Ad Martis (modern

) and Diovia (

Bardonecchia Bardonecchia (; french: Bardonèche or ; pms, Bardonecia ; oc, Bardonescha ) is an Italian town and ''comune'' located in the Metropolitan City of Turin, in the Piedmont region, in the western part of Susa Valley. It grew out of a small village ...

). Their territory was located north of the

Segovii The Segovii (Gaulish: *''Segouioi'', 'the victorious, powerful') were a Gallic tribe dwelling in the Alpes Cottiae, around present-day Cesana Torinese and Montgenèvre, during the Iron Age. Name They are attested as ''Segoviorum'' on the Arch ...

, south of the

Medulli The Medulli (Gaulish: ''Medulloi'') were a Gallic tribe dwelling in the upper valley of Maurienne, around present-day Modane (Savoie), during the Iron Age and Roman period. Name They are mentioned as ''Medullorum'' by Vitruvius (late 1st c. BC) ...

, west of the

Segusini The Segusini (Gaulish: *''Segusinoi'', 'those of Segusio') were a Gallic tribe dwelling around present-day Susa, in the Alpes Cottiae, during the Iron Age. Name They are mentioned as ''Segosianō̃n'' (Σεγοσιανῶν) Strabo (early 1st c. ...

, and east of the

Graioceli The Graioceli were a small Gallic tribe dwelling in the valley of Maurienne, in the modern region of Savoie, during the Iron Age. Name They are mentioned as ''Graioceli'' (var. ''graiocaeli, gaioceli'') by Caesar (mid-1st c. BC)., s.v. ''Graioc ...

., Map 17:

Lugdunum 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 settlem ...

. Their chief town, Ad Martis, was situated on the road crossing through the

above

Segusio Susa ( lat, Segusio, french: Suse, frp, Suisa) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Turin, Piedmont (Italy), Piedmont, Italy. In the middle of Susa Valley, it is situated on at the confluence of the Cenischia with the Dora Ripari ...

, at the confluence of the Dora di Bardonecchia and the

Dora Riparia The Dora Riparia (; pms, Dòira Rivaira; french: Doire Ripaire or ''Doire''; la, Duria minor) is an alpine river, a left-hand tributary of the Po. It is long (of which 5 km in France), with a drainage basin. It originates in the Cottian ...

. It derives its name from a cult site dedicated to the Roman god

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury (planet), Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Mars (mythology), Roman god of war. Mars is a terr ...

, ''ad'' (''fanum'') ''Martis''. The settlement of Ad Fines (modern ) may have served as the border between the territories of the Segovii and Belaci.

History

They are mentioned on the Arch of Susa, erected by

Cottius Marcus Julius Cottius was King of the Celtic and Ligurian inhabitants of the mountainous Roman province then known as '' Alpes Taurinae'' and now as the Cottian Alps early in the 1st century BC. Son and successor to King Donnus, he negotiated a ...

in 9–8 BC.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * {{Authority control Historical Celtic peoples Gauls Tribes of pre-Roman Gaul Ancient peoples of Italy