The Taurini were a Celto-Ligurian tribe dwelling in the upper valley of the river Po, around present-day

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

, 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.

Name

They are mentioned as ''Taurĩnoí'' (Ταυρῖνοί) by

Polybius Polybius (; grc-gre, Πολύβιος, ; ) was a Greek historian of the Hellenistic period. He is noted for his work , which covered the period of 264–146 BC and the Punic Wars in detail. Polybius is important for his analysis of the mixed ...

(2nd c. BC), ''Taurini'' by

Livy Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Ancient Rome, 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 traditiona ...

(late 1st c. BC), ''Taurinoí'' (Ταυρινοί) by

Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could see ...

(early 1st c. AD), ''Taurinorum'' 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), and as ''Taurínōn'' (Ταυρίνων; var. Ταυρικῶν, Ταυρινῶν) 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)., s.v. ''Taurini''. The ethnic name ''Taurini'' can be translated as 'the tribe of the bull'. It is either an older form of the metathesized Celtic noun ''taruos'' ('bull'), or a non-Celtic Ligurian form.

Geography

The Taurini lived between 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 ...

and the upper Po river. Their territory was located east of the

Iemerii The Iemerii (Gaulish: *''Iemerioi'', 'the twins') were a Celto-Ligurian tribe dwelling in the Val Chisone (Cottian Alps) during the Iron Age. Name They are mentioned as ''Iemeriorum'' on an inscription. The ethnic name ''Iemerii'' is a Latiniz ...

, west of the Libicii and Iadatini., Map 39: Mediolanum. Torino - Porta Palatina

Their original capital, Taurasia, was destroyed by the Carthaginians after they opposed in vain Hannibal's march into Italy in 218 BC. It was refounded by the Romans after 25 BC as Colonia Augusta Taurinorum (modern

), at the confluence of the Dora and Po. The settlement was hit by a fire in 69 AD.

History

They were involved in Rome's wars against the Celts at the end of the 4th century BC. In 218 BC, they were attacked by

Hannibal Hannibal (; xpu, 𐤇𐤍𐤁𐤏𐤋, ''Ḥannibaʿl''; 247 – between 183 and 181 BC) was a Carthaginian general and statesman who commanded the forces of Carthage in their battle against the Roman Republic during the Second Puni ...

, who had allied with their long-standing enemies, 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 ...

. Their chief town was captured by Hannibal's forces after a three-day siege.

Culture

The ethnic identity of the Taurini is unclear. They have been variously described as Celts, Ligurians, or Celticized Ligurians.

References

Bibliography

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