The Venisami (

Gaulish Gaulish was an ancient 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, most of Switze ...

: *''Uenisamoi'') or Venisamores were a Gallic tribe dwelling in the Alps 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 mostl ...

Name

They are mentioned as ''Venisamorum'' on the Arch of Susa., s.v. ''Venisami''. The ethnic name ''Venisami'' is a latinized form of Gaulish *''Uenisamoi'' (sing. ''Uenisamos''). It can be derived from the stem ''ueni''- ('family, clan, friends') attached to -''sāmo''- ('calm'), and translated as the 'friendly ones'. It is comparable with the personal names ''Uenisamus'' (in Cisalpina) and ''Uenixama'' (in Lepontia).

Geography

They may have dwelled around Forum Germanici (modern Busca), south of the Binbelli, north of the

Epanterii The Epanterii or Epanterii Montani were a small Ligurian tribe dwelling in the lower Alps, near the Mediterranean coast, during the Iron Age. Name They are only mentioned once as ''Epanterii Montani'' by Livy (late 1st c. BC). The name ''Epa ...

, and east of the

Statielli The Statielli, Statiellātes, or Statiellenses were members of a small Ligurian tribe that inhabited an area south of the river Padus (today the Po). Their chief town was Aquae Statiellae (Acqui Terme), on the road from Vada Sabatia, near Savona t ...

., Map 39: Mediolanum.

History

They appear on the Arch of Susa, erected by

Cottius Marcus Julius Cottius was King of the Celtic and Ligurian inhabitants of the mountainous Roman province then known as '' Alpes Taurinae'' and now as the Cottian Alps early in the 1st century BC. Son and successor to King Donnus, he negotiated a ...

in 9–8 BC.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * {{Gallic peoples Historical Celtic peoples Gauls Tribes in pre-Roman Gaul Ancient peoples of Italy