The Iacetani or Jacetani (''iakketanoi'' in

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 ...

, or la, iacetani) were a pre-Roman people who populated the area north of Aragon (

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

). They settled the Ebro valley, specifically in the area along the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to ...

. Its capital was ''Iaca'' (now

Jaca Jaca (; in Aragonese: ''Chaca'' or ''Xaca'') is a city of northeastern Spain in the province of Huesca, located near the Pyrenees and the border with France. Jaca is an ancient fort on the Aragón River, situated at the crossing of two great ...

). According to Strabo, their land stretched from the Pyrenees to Lleida and

Huesca Huesca (; an, Uesca) is a city in north-eastern Spain, within the autonomous community of Aragon. It is also the capital of the Spanish province of the same name and of the comarca of Hoya de Huesca. In 2009 it had a population of 52,059, almo ...

. It is believed that they could be related to the Aquitanes. They were known to stamp coins. They also appear in the texts of

Pliny the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/2479), called Pliny the Elder (), was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic ' ...

and

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 ...

. Their affiliation with the

Vascones The Vascones were a pre-Roman tribe who, on the arrival of the Romans in the 1st century, inhabited a territory that spanned between the upper course of the Ebro river and the southern basin of the western Pyrenees, a region that coincides wi ...

is disputable, as they inhabited an area in the high

Aragon river Aragon ( , ; Spanish and an, Aragón ; ca, Aragó ) is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to sout ...

valley (today's northwestern corner of Aragon). Strabo mentions Iacetani in his

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 ...

chronicles as people independent from the Vascones, although another Greek historian,

identified them with the Vascones. According to some theories, they may have originated from the Aquitanians who crossed the

and settled in the southern slopes of the mountains along with the Vascones (they could be related peoples or tribes with a common origin but not the same people). These

mountain people Hill people, also referred to as mountain people, is a general term for people who live in the hills and mountains. This includes all rugged land above and all land (including plateaus) above elevation. The climate is generally harsh, with s ...

were bordered to the south by the Suessetani of the plains, who were often looted by the inhabitants of Iaca. Iacetani were defeated by the

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

in 195 BC when

Cato the Elder Marcus Porcius Cato (; 234–149 BC), also known as Cato the Censor ( la, Censorius), the Elder and the Wise, was a Roman soldier, senator, and historian known for his conservatism and opposition to Hellenization. He was the first to write his ...

took their capital with the support of Suessetani, which distracted the Iacetanian army. Starting from this event in the early 2nd century BC, the Iacetani no longer appear in classical sources, although they continue minting coins with the inscription "IACA", which is coincident with their being mentioned by Strabo, dating between the 1st century BC and early in the 1st century AD. There accounts, however, that

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, ...

interacted with the tribe and this was documented in his writings, citing the Iacetani as one of the tribes that changed allegiances to him alongside the

Ausetani The Ausetani were an ancient Iberian (pre-Roman) people of the Iberian peninsula (the Roman Hispania). They are believed to have spoken the Iberian language. They lived in the eponymous region of Ausona and gave their name to the Roman city of '' ...

and Illurgavoness during his campaign extending the Roman frontier. This event happened shortly after Decimus Brutus defeated Domitius' fleet in the war against the Veneti and increased Caesar's reputation among the natives prompting the Iacetani to begin sending envoys and even agreed to supply him with corn. In the year 19 their territory was incorporated into the Roman Empire, after the Cantabrian Wars, as vassals of

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. This meant that they did not enjoy the citizenship status, and their situation was precarious compared to other peoples of the region, such as the Sedetani.

References

* VV. AA., Los Aragoneses, Madrid, Istmo (Fundamentos 57), 1977, pages 70–71. .

External links

Page on Iberian currency

Encyclopedia of Aragon

Great Encyclopedia Rialp on Iacetani
Iberians Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula Tribes conquered by Rome {{Spain-hist-stub