The Tarbelli were an Aquitani tribe dwelling in the present-day regions of Labourd and

Chalosse Chalosse (; oc-gsc, Shalòssa or ) is a wine-growing area in Gascony, in south-west France. It lies in the ''departement'' of Landes and is centred on the town of Dax. Chalosse also gives its name to ''coteaux de Chalosse'', the wine of the are ...

, in the west of Aquitania, 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 ...

. Alongside the Auscii, they were one of the most powerful peoples of Aquitania. They were subjugated in 56 BC by the Roman forces of

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, an ...

legatus A ''legatus'' (; anglicised as legate) was a high-ranking Roman military officer in the Roman Army, equivalent to a modern high-ranking general officer. Initially used to delegate power, the term became formalised under Augustus as the officer ...

P. Licinius Crassus.

Name

They are mentioned as ''Tarbelli'' by

(mid-1st c. BC), as ''Tárbelloi'' (Τάρβελλοι) by Strabo (early 1st c. AD), as ''Tarbelli Quattuorsignani'' 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 as ''Tarbellus'' on an inscription., s.v. ''Tarbelli (Quattuorsignani)''. Joaquín Gorrochategui proposed to see the name as the suffix ''tar''- attached to the adjective ''bel'' ('black'), which is common in Aquitanian onomastics.

Geography

The Tarbelli lived in the regions of Labourd and

, on both sides of the Adour river. Their territory was located east of the Atlantic Ocean, north of the Vardulli, south of the

Cocosates The Cocosates or Cocosates Sexsignani were an Aquitani tribe dwelling in present-day Landes during the Iron Age. Name They are mentioned as ''Cocosates'' by Caesar (mid-1st c. BC), and as ''Cocosates Sexsignani'' by Pliny (1st c. AD). The et ...

, west of the Tarusates, Atures and Venarni. Their chief town was known as ''Aquae Terebellicae'' or ''Aquae Tarbellicae'' (present-day

Dax Dax or DAX may refer to: Business and organizations * DAX, stock market index of the top 40 German companies ** DAX 100, an expanded index of 100 stocks, superseded by the HDAX ** TecDAX, stock index of the top 30 German technology firms * Dax ...

Culture

It is believed that the Tarbelli spoke a form or dialect of the Aquitanian language, a precursor of the Basque language.Jacques Lemoine, ''Toponymie du Pays Basque Français et des Pays de l'Adour'', Picard 1977,

Political organization

The Tarbelli were a confederation of four tribes. The

and Tarusates were probably their clients.

Economy

Gold extraction and mineral springs brought them a certain wealth, although their main activities remained centred on field and meadow husbandry.

References

Bibliography

* * * * Aquitani Basque history {{europe-ethno-group-stub