The Ucennii, Ucenni or Iconii were a Gallic tribe dwelling in the

Romanche The Romanche () is a long mountain river in southeastern France. It is a right tributary of the Drac, which is itself a tributary of the Isère. Its drainage basin is .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 ''Ucenni'' (var. ''uceni'', ''ucermi'') 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 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; CIL 5:7817. as ''Ucennos'' (var. , , ) by Florus., s.v. ''Ucennii''. The form (Ἰκόνιοι) given 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) is most likely a variant of the ethnic name. The meaning of the name remains obscure, although it is most likely of Celtic origin. It can be compared with the toponym ''Ucena'' in

Galatia Galatia (; grc, Γαλατία, ''Galatía'', "Gaul") was an ancient area in the highlands of central Anatolia, roughly corresponding to the provinces of Ankara and Eskişehir, in modern Turkey. Galatia was named after the Gauls from Thrace (c ...

Geography

The Ucenni lived in the

Romanche The Romanche () is a long mountain river in southeastern France. It is a right tributary of the Drac, which is itself a tributary of the Isère. Its drainage basin is .Oisans L'Oisans () is a region in the French Alps, located in the départements of l'Isère and Hautes-Alpes, and corresponding to the drainage basin of the River Romanche and its tributaries (Eau d'Olle, Lignarre, Sarenne, Vénéon and Ferrand). Betw ...

. Their territory was located south 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 ...

, west of the

Belaci The Belaci were a small Gallic tribe dwelling in the Alpes Cottiae, around present-day Oulx, during the Iron Age. Name They are mentioned as ''Belacorum'' on the Arch of Susa. CIL 5:7231., s.v. ''Belaci''. The ethnonym Belaci is possibly Cel ...

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 ...

and

Brigianii The Brigianii (Gaulish: *''Brigianioi'') were a Gallic tribe dwelling around present-day Briançon during the Iron Age and the Roman period. Name They are mentioned as ''Brigianii'' by Pliny (1st c. AD), and as ''Brigiani'', ''Brigantionis'' ...

, north of the Tricorii, and west of the

Vertamocorii The Vertamocorii (Gaulish: *''Wertamocorī'') were a Celtic people that lived in Cisalpine Gaul around Novara, in Eastern Piedmont (Italy). The Vertamocorii are reported by Pliny in the third book of Naturalis Historia, where they are said to b ...

and

Allobroges The Allobroges (Gaulish: *''Allobrogis'', 'foreigner, exiled'; grc, Ἀλλοβρίγων, Ἀλλόβριγες) were a Gallic people dwelling in a large territory between the Rhône river and the Alps during the Iron Age and the Roman period. ...

., Map 17: Lugdunum. Settlements are known at Catorissium (

Le Bourg-d'Oisans Le Bourg-d'Oisans () is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. It is located in the Oisans region of the French Alps. Le Bourg-d'Oisans is located in the valley of the Romanche river, on the road from Grenoble to Briançon, ...

), Mellosedum (

Mont-de-Lans Mont-de-Lans () is a former commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the new commune Les Deux Alpes.

), and Durotincum (near

La Grave La Grave (; oc, La Grava) is a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in southeastern France. It is a small ski resort in the French Alps, dominated by La Meije (3982 m). It was the birthplace of Nicolas de Nicolay; adventurer and Geographer ...

and

Villar-d'Arêne Villar-d'Arêne (; oc, Vilars d'Arena) is a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in southeastern France, between Grenoble and Briançon. It is in the French Alps, in Massif des Écrins. Near this village located in the Romanche valley, there is ...

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

. ''Naturalis Historia''
3:20

References

Primary sources

* *

Bibliography

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