The Venostes were a
Celtic or
Rhaetian tribe dwelling in the present-day
Vinschgau
The Vinschgau, Vintschgau () or Vinschgau Valley ( it, Val Venosta ; rm, Vnuost ; lld, Val Venuesta; medieval toponym: ''Finsgowe'') is the upper part of the Adige or Etsch river valley, in the western part of the province of South Tyrol, Italy. ...
Valley (Val Venosta) 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 ...
.
Geography
The Venostes dwelled in the Vinschgau valley. They were located south of the
Focunates
The Focunates were an ancient Alpine tribe dwelling near present-day Innsbruck (Tyrol) during the Iron Age.
Name
They are mentioned as ''Focunates'' by Pliny (1st c. AD).Pliny. ''Naturalis Historia''3:20
Geography
The Focunates lived west o ...
, west of the
Isarci, north of the
Tuliassi, and east of the
Rugusci.
History
They are one of the Alpine tribes conquered by Rome in 16–15 BC. The Venostes appear as the fourth tribe in the inscription 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 ...
. In the secondary tradition of the text by Pliny the Elder their position in the list was exchanged with the
Vennonetes
The Vennones or Vennonetes were a Rhaetian tribe dwelling in the northern Alps, between Chur and Lake Constance, during the Iron Age and the Roman era.
Name
They are mentioned as ''Ouénnōnes'' (Οὐέννωνες) by Strabo (early 1st c. ...
and the Venostes appear as the third tribe.
[Jules Formigé]
''La dédicace du Trophée des Alpes (La Turbie).''
In: ''Gallia.'' Vol. 13, 1955, No. 1, p. 101—102.
Culture
Their ethnic identity remains unclear. They have been variously described as a Celtic or as a Rhaetian tribe.
References
Primary sources
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Bibliography
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Historical Celtic peoples
Gauls
Tribes of pre-Roman Gaul
Ancient peoples of Italy
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