The Ilvates were a
Ligurian tribe, whose name is found only in the writings of
Livy
Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Roman historian. He wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, titled , covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditional founding in ...
. He mentions them first as taking up arms in 200 BCE, in concert with the Gaulish tribes of the
Insubres
The Insubres or Insubri were an ancient Celtic population settled in Insubria, in what is now the Italian region of Lombardy. They were the founders of Mediolanum (Milan). Though completely Gaulish at the time of Roman conquest, they were the r ...
and
Cenomani The Gaulish name Cenomani can refer to:
* Aulerci Cenomani, an ancient Gallic tribe dwelling around modern Le Mans
* Cenomani (Cisalpine Gaul)
The Cenomani (Greek: , Strabo, Ptol.; , Polyb.), was an ancient tribe of the Cisalpine Gauls, who ...
, to destroy the Roman colonies of Placentia (modern
Piacenza
Piacenza (; egl, label= Piacentino, Piaṡëinsa ; ) is a city and in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, and the capital of the eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with over ...
) and
Cremona. They are again noticed three years later as being still in arms, after the submission of their Transpadane allies; but in the course of that year's campaign (197 BCE) they were reduced by the consul
Quintus Minucius Rufus
Quintus Minucius Rufus was a Roman senator and military commander.
Early career
In 211 BC, Minucius was an officer serving under Q. Fulvius Flaccus when Roman forces took back Capua after their defeat the previous year by Hannibal. He was a ple ...
, and their name does not again appear in history. (Liv. xxx. 10, xxxi. 29, 30.) From the circumstances here related, it is clear that they dwelt on the north slopes of the
Apennines, towards the plains of the Padus (modern
Po River), and apparently not very far from Clastidium (modern
Casteggio
Casteggio is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pavia in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 61 km south of Milan and about 25 km south of Pavia. As of 31 July 2010, it had a population of 6,537 and an area of 17.8 ...
); but we cannot determine with certainty either the position or extent of their territory. Their name, like those of most of the Ligurian tribes mentioned by Livy, had disappeared in the
Augustan age, and is not found in any of the
ancient geographers.
Charles Athanase Walckenaer, however, supposed the
Eleates over whom the consul
Marcus Fulvius Nobilior
Marcus Fulvius Nobilior was a Roman general.
He started his political career as curule aedile in 195 BC. When he was praetor (193 BC) he served with distinction in Spain, and as consul in 189 BC he completely broke the power of the Aetolian Leag ...
celebrated a triumph in 159 BCE
[ '']Fasti Capitolini
The ''Fasti Capitolini'', or Capitoline Fasti, are a list of the chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, extending from the early fifth century BC down to the reign of Augustus, the first Roman emperor. Together with similar lists found at Rom ...
'' noted in Jan Gruter ''Inscriptiones antiquae totius orbis Romani'' (Heidelberg, 1603), p. 297. and who are in all probability the same people with the
Veleiates of
Pliny
Pliny may refer to:
People
* Pliny the Elder (23–79 CE), ancient Roman nobleman, scientist, historian, and author of ''Naturalis Historia'' (''Pliny's Natural History'')
* Pliny the Younger (died 113), ancient Roman statesman, orator, w ...
, to be identical also with the Ilvates of Livy; but this cannot be assumed without further proof.
Notes
References
*
{{Ligurian peoples
Ligures