The Suetrii (

Gaulish Gaulish was an ancient Celtic languages, Celtic language spoken in parts of Continental Europe before and during the period of the Roman Empire. In the narrow sense, Gaulish was the language of the Celts of Gaul (now France, Luxembourg, Belgium ...

: *''Su(p)etrioi'', 'the good birds') or Suetri were a Gallic tribe dwelling around present-day

Castellane Castellane (; Provençal dialect, Provençal: ''Castelana'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence Departments of France, department in southeastern France. With about 1,600 inhabitants, Castellane has the distinction of ...

(

Alpes-de-Haute-Provence Alpes-de-Haute-Provence or sometimes abbreviated as AHP (; oc, Aups d'Auta Provença; ) is a department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of France, bordering Alpes-Maritimes and Italy to the east, Var to the south, Vaucluse to the west ...

) 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 ''Suebri'' (var. ''suberi'', ''uebri'') and ''Svetri'' 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), as ''Souētrōn'' (Σουητρ...ων; var. Σουιντρ...ων, Σουκτρ...ων) by

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 ...

(2nd c. AD), and as ''Suetrio'' on an inscription., s.v. ''Suetrii''. The

ethnonym An ethnonym () is a name applied to a given ethnic group. Ethnonyms can be divided into two categories: exonyms (whose name of the ethnic group has been created by another group of people) and autonyms, or endonyms (whose name is created and used ...

''Suetrii'' can be explained as the Gaulish *''su-(p)etri-'', meaning 'good birds' (cf. Lat. ''accipiter'').

Geography

Territory

The Suetrii dwelled in the middle valley of the

Verdon Verdon may refer to: People *Verdon (surname) Places France * Verdon, Dordogne, in the Dordogne ''département'' * Verdon, Marne, in the Marne ''département'' * Vinon-sur-Verdon, an old French town in the département of Var, Provence-Alpes-Cô ...

river, with an extension in the valley of the . Their territory was located south of the

Vergunni The Vergunni were a Gallic tribe dwelling in the valley of the Riou, near the Verdon river, during the Iron Age. Name They are mentioned as ''Vergunni'' by Pliny (1st c. AD) and on an inscription.Pliny. ''Naturalis Historia''3:20 CIL 5:7817., ...

and

Sentii The Sentii (Gaulish: ''Sentioi'') were a small Gallic tribe dwelling around present-day Senez, in southeastern France, during the Roman era. Name They are mentioned as Σέντιοι (var. Σένποι) by Ptolemy (2nd c. AD)., s.v. ''Sentii' ...

, west of the Nerusii, and north of the

Ligauni The Ligauni were a Celto-Ligurian tribe dwelling near the Mediterranean coast during the Iron Age and the Roman period. Name They are mentioned as ''Ligaunorumque'' by Pliny (1st c. AD).Pliny. ''Naturalis Historia'', 3:35., s.v. ''Ligauni''. A ...

. On the west, they were separated from the

and the

Reii The Reii were a Celto-Ligurian tribe dwelling in the modern department of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence during the Iron Age and the Roman period. Name The ethnonym ''Reii'' has been interpreted as meaning 'the free ones', stemming from an earlier *'' ...

by the

Verdon Gorge The Verdon Gorge ( French: ''Gorges du Verdon'') is a river canyon located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France. It is about 25 km (15.5 mi) long and up to 700 metres (0.4 mi) deep. It was formed by the ...

., Map 16: Col. Forum Iulii-Albingaunum.

Settlements

Their chief town, Salinae (present-day

), was founded during the Roman period and acquired its name after the local supply of salt. Salinae was located west of the medieval town, in an area called Le Plan. It was situated on a trade road leading from Vintium (

Vence Vence (; oc, Vença) is a commune set in the hills of the Alpes Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France, north of Nice and Antibes. Ecclesiastical history The first known Bishop of Vence is Severu ...

), near the coast, to Dinia ( Dignes), in the Alps, via Salinae and Sanitium (

Senez Senez is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. Ecclesiastical history Marcellus I, the first known bishop of Senez, attended the Council of Agde in 506 CE; nevertheless, Senez must have been an episcopal cit ...

). The exact location of the pre-Roman

oppidum An ''oppidum'' (plural ''oppida'') is a large fortified Iron Age settlement or town. ''Oppida'' are primarily associated with the Celtic late La Tène culture, emerging during the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, spread across Europe, stretchi ...

remains unknown, although it was most likely seated on one of the hills surrounding Salinae. Its name may have been ''Ducelia'', as suggested by later medieval documents.

History

They are mentioned by Pliny the Elder as one of the Alpine tribes conquered by Rome in 16–15 BC, and whose name was engraved on the

Tropaeum Alpium The Tropaeum Alpium (Latin 'Trophy of the Alps', French: ''Trophée des Alpes''), is a Roman trophy (''tropaeum'') celebrating the emperor Augustus's decisive victory over the tribes who populated the Alps. The monument's ruins are in La Turbi ...

. ''Naturalis Historia''
3:20

References

Primary sources

Bibliography

* * * * * * {{AncientRome-stub Historical Celtic peoples Gauls Tribes of pre-Roman Gaul