The Ligauni were a

Celto-Ligurian The Ligures (singular Ligur; Italian language, Italian: liguri; English language, English: Ligurians) were an ancient people after whom Liguria, a region of present-day Northern Italy, north-western Italy, is named. Ancient Liguria cor ...

tribe dwelling near the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

coast 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 ...

and the

Roman period The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Roman Republic, Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings aro ...

Name

They are mentioned as ''Ligaunorumque'' by

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 ...

(1st c. AD).

. ''Naturalis Historia'', 3:35., s.v. ''Ligauni''. A ''(colonia) in Liga'' in also attested in the

Early Middle Ages The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Mi ...

(814 AD). The ethnic name ''Ligauni'' is probably Celtic, stemming from an earlier *''Ligamnī''. It has been derived from the root ''līg''- ('to strike'), with ''Ligauni'' as 'the beating ones', or from ''liga''- ('mud, sediment, silt'). According to

Patrizia de Bernardo Stempel Patrizia de Bernardo Stempel (born 5 April 1953) is an Italian philologist, linguist and scholar of Celtic studies. Biography Patrizia de Bernardo was born on 5 April 1953 in Milan, Italy, the daughter of Mario de Bernardo and Adriana Marra. She ...

, such linguistically Celtic tribal names suggest that a Celto-Ligurian dialect played an important role among the languages spoken in ancient Ligury.

Geography

Their territory was located east of the

Deciates The Deciates (Δεκιήταις) were a Ligurian tribe dwelling near on the Mediterranean coast, around present-day Antibes, during the Iron Age and the Roman era. According to historian Guy Barruol, they were part of the Saluvian confederat ...

, west of the Verucini, south of the

Suetrii The Suetrii (Gaulish: *''Su(p)etrioi'', 'the good birds') or Suetri were a Gallic tribe dwelling around present-day Castellane ( Alpes-de-Haute-Provence) during the Iron Age and the Roman period. Name They are mentioned as ''Suebri'' (var. ' ...

, and north of the

Oxybii The Oxybii or Oxubii (Ancient Greek: ) were a Celto-Ligurian tribe dwelling on the Mediterranean coast during the Iron Age and the Roman period. Name They are mentioned as ''Oxubíōn'' (Ὀξυβίων) by Polybius (2nd c. BC) and Strabo (ear ...

., Map 16: Col. Forum Iulii-Albingaunum. According to historian

Guy Barruol Guy Barruol (born 10 June 1934) is a French historian and archaeologist. He is director of research emeritus at the CNRS. Biography Guy Barruol was born on 10 June 1934 in Mazan, Vaucluse, the son of Jean Barruol (1898–1982), a local histori ...

, they were part of the Saluvian confederation.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * {{Gallic peoples Ligures Tribes conquered by Rome