The Vettones (

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

: ''Ouettones'') were a pre-Roman people of the

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, def ...

of possibly Celtic ethnicity.

Origins

Lujan (2007) concludes that some of the names of the Vettones show clearly western Hispano-Celtic features. Reissued in 2012 in softcover as . A Celtiberian origin has also been claimed. Organized since the 3rd Century BC, the Vettones formed a tribal confederacy of undetermined strength. Even though their tribes' names are obscure, the study of local epigraphic evidence has identified the Calontienses, Coerenses, Caluri, Bletonesii and Seanoci, but the others remain unknown.

Culture

A predominately horse- and cattle-herder people that practiced

transhumance Transhumance is a type of pastoralism or nomadism, a seasonal movement of livestock between fixed summer and winter pastures. In montane regions (''vertical transhumance''), it implies movement between higher pastures in summer and lower val ...

, archeology has identified them with the local 2nd

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 ...

‘Cogotas II’ Culture, also known as the ‘Culture of the Verracos’ ('' verracos de piedra''), named after the crude

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies under ...

sculptures representing pigs,

wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...

s and

bull A bull is an intact (i.e., not castrated) adult male of the species ''Bos taurus'' (cattle). More muscular and aggressive than the females of the same species (i.e., cows), bulls have long been an important symbol in many religions, includin ...

s that still dot their former region. These are one of their most notable enduring legacies today, the other possibly being the game of

Calva {{dablink, "Calva" may also refer to the Calva (river) in Romania. The term "calva" is also sometimes used to refer to the Calvaria (skull) or Calvados (brandy). Calva is a traditional sport played in certain parts of Spain. It has roots going ba ...

, which dates to the time of their influence. The

sites and respective cemeteries of

Las Cogotas Las Cogotas ( es, Las Cogotas) is an archaeological site in Spain in Cardenosa municipality, province of Avila. The site was researched by the Galician archaeologist Juan Cabré in 1920s. It is namesake for two different archaeological culture ...

La Osera LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...

, El Raso de Candeleda,

La Mesa de Miranda LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figur ...

and Alcántara have provided enough elements – weapons, shields,

fibulae The fibula or calf bone is a leg bone on the lateral side of the tibia, to which it is connected above and below. It is the smaller of the two bones and, in proportion to its length, the most slender of all the long bones. Its upper extremity is ...

, belt buckles, bronze cauldrons,

Campanian The Campanian is the fifth of six ages of the Late Cretaceous Epoch on the geologic timescale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). In chronostratigraphy, it is the fifth of six stages in the Upper Cretaceous Series. Campani ...

and

Greek pottery Ancient Greek pottery, due to its relative durability, comprises a large part of the archaeological record of ancient Greece, and since there is so much of it (over 100,000 painted vases are recorded in the Corpus vasorum antiquorum), it has exe ...

– which attest the strong contacts with the

Pellendones The Pellendones (also known as ''Pelendones Celtiberorum'' or ''Cerindones'') were an ancient pre-Roman Celtic people living on the Iberian Peninsula. From the early 4th century BC they inhabited the region near the source of the river Duero in wh ...

of the eastern meseta, the Iberian south and the Mediterranean.

Location

The Vettones lived in the northwestern part of the '' meseta''—the high central upland plain of the

Iberian peninsula The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, def ...

—the region where the modern Spanish provinces of

Ávila Ávila (, , ) is a city of Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the Province of Ávila. It lies on the right bank of the Adaja river. Located more than 1,130 m abov ...

and

Salamanca Salamanca () is a city in western Spain and is the capital of the Province of Salamanca in the autonomous community of Castile and León. The city lies on several rolling hills by the Tormes River. Its Old City was declared a UNESCO World Herit ...

are today, as well as parts of Zamora, Toledo, Cáceres and also the eastern border areas of modern

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

territory. Their own capital city, which the ancient sources mysteriously failed to mention at all, has not yet been found though other towns mentioned 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 importance ...

were located, such as '' Capara'' ( Ventas de Cápara), ''Obila'' (

?), ''Mirobriga'' (

Ciudad Rodrigo Ciudad Rodrigo () is a small cathedral city in the province of Salamanca, in western Spain, with a population in 2016 of 12,896. It is also the seat of a judicial district. The site of Ciudad Rodrigo, perched atop a rocky rise on the right ban ...

?), ''Turgalium'' (

Trujillo, Cáceres Trujillo is a municipality located in Extremadura, an autonomous community of Spain in the Province of Cáceres. In 2013, the municipality had 9,086 inhabitants (INE Census, 2013). Originally settled on a granite knoll which was readily fortified ...

), ''Alea'' (

Alía Alía is a municipality located in the province of Cáceres, Extremadura, Spain. According to the 2014 census, Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE) the municipality has a population of 936 inhabitants. Javier Saviola Javier Pedro Saviola F ...

– Cáceres) and probably ''Bletisa'' / ''Bletisama'' ( Ledesma, Salamanca). Other probable Vettonian towns were ''Tamusia'' ( Villasviejas de Tamuja, near Botija, Cáceres; Celtiberian-type mint: ''Tamusiensi''), ''Ocelon / Ocelum'' ( Castelo Branco), ''Cottaeobriga'' ( Almeida) and ''Lancia'' ( Serra d’Opa).

History

Traditional allies of the

Lusitani The Lusitanians ( la, Lusitani) were an Indo-European speaking people living in the west of the Iberian Peninsula prior to its conquest by the Roman Republic and the subsequent incorporation of the territory into the Roman province of Lusitania. ...

, the Vettones helped the latter in their struggle against the advancing Carthaginians led by

Hasdrubal the Fair Hasdrubal the Fair ( xpu, 𐤏𐤆𐤓𐤁𐤏𐤋 , ''ʿAzrobaʿl''; –221BC) was a Carthaginian military leader and politician, governor in Iberia after Hamilcar Barca's death, and founder of Cartagena. Family Livy's ''History of Rome'' rec ...

and Hannibal in the late 3rd century BC. At first placed under nominal Punic suzerainty by the time of the Second Punic War, the Vettones threw off their yoke soon after 206 BC. However, a mercenary contingent of Vettones accompanied Hannibal on his march to Italy, led by the chieftain Balarus. Silius Italicus, ''

Punica ''Punica'' is a small genus of fruit-bearing deciduous shrubs or small trees in the flowering plant family Lythraceae. The better known species is the pomegranate (''Punica granatum''). The other species, the Socotra pomegranate (''Punica ...

'', III, 378-414. At the

Lusitanian War The Lusitanian War, called ''Pyrinos Polemos'' ("the Fiery War") in Greek, was a war of resistance fought by the Lusitanian tribes of Hispania Ulterior against the advancing legions of the Roman Republic from 155 to 139 BC. The Lusitanians revo ...

s of the 2nd century BC they joined once again the Lusitani under

Punicus Punicus (known as ''Púnico'' in Portuguese and Spanish; died 153 BC) was a chieftain of the Lusitanians, a proto-Celtic tribe from western Hispania. He became their first military leader during the Lusitanian War, and also led their first majo ...

, Caesarus and

Caucenus Caucenus (known as ''Cauceno'' in Portuguese and Spanish) was a chieftain of the Lusitanians, a proto- Celtic tribe from western Hispania. He was an important military figure during the earlier phase of the Lusitanian War. Biography Caucenus c ...

in their attacks on

Baetica Hispania Baetica, often abbreviated Baetica, was one of three Roman provinces in Hispania (the Iberian Peninsula). Baetica was bordered to the west by Lusitania, and to the northeast by Hispania Tarraconensis. Baetica remained one of the basi ...

Carpetania Carpetania was an ancient region of what is today Spain, located between the Sierra de Guadarrama, the mountains of Toledo, the river Guadiana and the mountain range of Alcaraz, including approximately, the present independent communities of Madri ...

, the Cyneticum and the failed incursion on the North African town of ''Ocilis'' (modern

Asilah Asilah (; ar, أزيلا or أصيلة; pt, Arzila; es, Arcila) is a fortified town on the northwest tip of the Atlantic coast of Morocco, about south of Tangier. Its ramparts and gateworks remain fully intact. History The town's history da ...

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

) in 153 BC. Although incorporated around 134-133 BC into

Hispania Ulterior Hispania Ulterior (English: "Further Hispania", or occasionally "Thither Hispania") was a region of Hispania during the Roman Republic, roughly located in Baetica and in the Guadalquivir valley of modern Spain and extending to all of Lusitania ( ...

, the Vettones continued to raid the more romanized regions further south and during the

Roman civil wars This is a list of civil wars and organized civil disorder, revolts and rebellions in ancient Rome ( Roman Kingdom, Roman Republic, and Roman Empire) until the fall of the Western Roman Empire (753 BCE – 476 CE). For the Eastern Roman Empire or ...

of the early 1st century BC, they even provided auxiliary troops to

Sertorius Quintus Sertorius (c. 126 – 73 BC) was a Roman general and statesman who led a large-scale rebellion against the Roman Senate on the Iberian peninsula. He had been a prominent member of the populist faction of Cinna and Marius. During the l ...

' army in 77-76 BC. Crushed by the provincial ''

propraetor In ancient Rome a promagistrate ( la, pro magistratu) was an ex-consul or ex-praetor whose ''imperium'' (the power to command an army) was extended at the end of his annual term of office or later. They were called proconsuls and propraetors. Thi ...

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, ...

in 61 BC, they later rose in support of

Pompey Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (; 29 September 106 BC – 28 September 48 BC), known in English as Pompey or Pompey the Great, was a leading Roman general and statesman. He played a significant role in the transformation of ...

's faction and fought at the

battle of Munda The Battle of Munda (17 March 45 BC), in southern Hispania Ulterior, was the final battle of Caesar's civil war against the leaders of the Optimates. With the military victory at Munda and the deaths of Titus Labienus and Gnaeus Pompeius (elde ...

(

Montilla Montilla () is a town and municipality of Spain, located in the autonomous community of Andalusia. , the town had a population of 23,209, which makes it the fourth most populated municipality of the Province of Córdoba. It lies 32 miles south o ...

– Córdoba) in Baetica.

Romanization

In the 1st Century BC, the Romans began to establish military colonies throughout Vettonia, first at ''Kaisarobriga'' or ''Caesarobriga'' (

Talavera de la Reina Talavera de la Reina () is a city and municipality of Spain, part of the autonomous community of Castile–La Mancha. Its population of 83,303 makes it the second most populated municipality of the province of Toledo and the fourth largest in the ...

– Toledo) and ''Norba Caesarina'' (near Cáceres), latter followed by ''Metellinum'' ( Medellín), and in around 27-13 BC the Vettones were aggregated to the newly created Roman province of Lusitania with ''Emerita Augusta'' ( Mérida) as the capital of the new province. Despite their progressive assimilation into the Roman world, the Vettones managed to retain their martial traditions, which enabled them to provide the Roman Army with an auxiliary cavalry unit (''

Ala Ala, ALA, Alaa or Alae may refer to: Places * Ala, Hiiu County, Estonia, a village * Ala, Valga County, Estonia, a village * Ala, Alappuzha, Kerala, India, a village * Ala, Iran, a village in Semnan Province * Ala, Gotland, Sweden * Alad, S ...

''), the

Ala Hispanorum Vettonum Civium Romanorum Ala, ALA, Alaa or Alae may refer to: Places * Ala, Hiiu County, Estonia, a village * Ala, Valga County, Estonia, a village * Ala, Alappuzha, Kerala, India, a village * Ala, Iran, a village in Semnan Province * Ala, Gotland, Sweden * Alad, Seydun ...

, which participated in Emperor Claudius' invasion of Britain in AD 43–60.

Namesake

The Vettones are not to be confused with the ''Vettonenses'', inhabitants of ''Vettona'' (today's

Bettona Bettona (Latin: ''Vettona'') is an ancient town and comune of Italy, in the province of Perugia in central Umbria at the northern edge of the Colli Martani range. It is 5 km (3 mi) E of Torgiano and 12 km (7 mi) SW of Assisi. ...

) in

Umbria it, Umbro (man) it, Umbra (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , ...

Notes

Bibliography

*Aedeen Cremin, ''The Celts in Europe'', Sydney, Australia: Sydney Series in Celtic Studies 2, Centre for Celtic Studies, University of Sydney (1992) *Ángel Montenegro ''et alii'', ''Historia de España 2 - colonizaciones y formación de los pueblos prerromanos (1200-218 a.C)'', Editorial Gredos, Madrid (1989) *Christophe Bonnaud, ''Les castros vettons et leurs populations au Second Âge du Fer (Ve siècle-IIe siècle avant J.-C.), I: implantation et systèmes défensives'' in Revista Portuguesa de Arqueologia, pp. 209–242, volume 8, número 1, IPA Lisboa (2005) *Christophe Bonnaud, ''Les castros vettons et leurs populations au Second Âge du Fer (Ve siècle-IIe siècle avant J.-C.), II: l’habitat, l’économie, la société'' in Revista Portuguesa de Arqueologia, pp. 209–242, volume 8, número 2, IPA Lisboa (2005) *Eduardo Sánchez Moreno, ''Vetones: Historia y Arqueología de un pueblo prerromano'', Ediciones de la Universidad Autónoma, Madrid (2000) *Francisco Burillo Mozota, ''Los Celtíberos, etnias y estados'', Crítica, Grijalbo Mondadori, S.A., Barcelona (1998, revised edition 2007) *Isabel Baquedano Beltrán, ''La necrópolis vettona de La Osera (Chamartín, Ávila, España) – volumen I'', Zona Arqueológia número 19-I, Museo Arqueológico Regional, Alcalá de Henares (2016) *Isabel Baquedano Beltrán, ''La necrópolis vettona de La Osera (Chamartín, Ávila, España) – volumen II'', Zona Arqueológia número 19-II, Museo Arqueológico Regional, Alcalá de Henares (2016) *Manuel Salinas de Frías, ''Los vettones: indigenismo y romanización en el occidente de la meseta'', Ediciones Universidad Salamanca, Salamanca (2001) *Martín Almagro-Gorbea & Ana Maria Martín, ''Castros y Oppida en Extremadura'', Editorial Complutense, Madrid (1994) *Jesús R. Álvarez-Sanchís, ''Los vettones'', Real Academia de la Historia, Madrid (2003) *Jesús R. Álvarez-Sanchís, ''Los señores del ganado – Arqueología de los pueblos prerromanos en el occidente de Iberia'', Colección Arqueología, Editorial Akal, Madrid (2003) *Jonathan Edmondson, "A criação de uma sociedade provincial romana" in ''A Lusitânia Romana: fronteira do mundo antigo'', National Geographic História, edição especial, RBA Revistas S.L., Barcelona (2022), pp. 34-43. *Philip Matyszak, ''Sertorius and the struggle for Spain'', Pen & Sword Military, Barnsley (2013)

External links

Mapa del territorio vettón (Map of Vettonian Territory)
{{Pre-Roman peoples in Portugal Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula Celtic tribes of the Iberian Peninsula Ancient peoples of Spain Tribes conquered by Rome