Autrigones

The Autrigones were a pre-Roman tribe that settled in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, in what today is the western Basque Country (western regions of Biscay and Álava) and northern Burgos and the East of Cantabria, Spain. Their territory limited with the Cantabri territory at west, the Caristii at east, the Berones at the southeast and the Turmodigi at the south. It is discussed whether the Autrigones were Celts, theory supported by the existence of toponyms of Celtic origin, such as ''Uxama Barca'' and other with ''-briga'' endings and that eventually underwent a Basquisation along with other neighboring tribes such as the Caristii and Varduli.

Location

Roman historians as Pomponius Mela and Pliny the Elder located them in the northern region of present-day province of Burgos. Pliny the Elder writes about the "ten states of the Autrigones" and says the only ones worth mentioning are ''Tritium Autrigonum'' (Monasterio de Rodilla, Burgos) and ''Virovesca'' (possibly the present-day Briviesca, Burgos; Celtiberian-type mint: ''Uirouiaz'') in the valley of Oca River.
The other Autrigones' towns were ''Deobriga'' (near Miranda de Ebro, Burgos), ''Uxama Barca'' (Osma de Valdegobia; Celtiberian-type mint: ''Uarcaz''), ''Segisamunculum'' (Cerezo del Riotirón, Burgos), ''Antecuia'' (near Pancorbo, Burgos), ''Vindeleia'' ( Cubo de Bureba, Burgos), ''Salionca'' (Poza de la Sal, Burgos) and the port of ''Portus Amanus''/'' Flaviobriga'' (Castro Urdiales, Cantabria).

Origins

The Autrigones are mentioned for the first time on a document by Roman historian Livy in 76 BC, describing the actions of Quintus Sertorius in the Iberian Peninsula. Strabo mentions them in his book ''Geographica'', naming them ''allótrigones'', a word adapted from Greek meaning "strange people".

Based on the study of their toponyms - as also happens with the Caristii and Varduli - it is likely they were a Celtic tribe who eventually suffered a process of Basquisation. The known toponyms of the Autrigones are of Celtic origin, as ''Uxama Barca'' in present-day Álava, and many others ending in ''-briga''. The toponyms of rivers, as the Nervión, the anthroponyms, the archeological remains, tools and weapons relate them culturally with the Celts, but with a clear differentiation of other close Celtic tribes, as the Celtiberians.

Culture

The Autrigones were culturally related to the early Iron Age "Monte Bernorio-Miraveche" cultural group of northern Burgos and Palencia provinces. Additional archeological evidence indicates that by the 2nd Iron Age they came under the influence of the Celtiberians.
By the 1st century BC they were organized into a federation of autonomous mountain-top fortified towns ('' Civitates'') on the mountain ranges of the upper Ebro, protected by stout adobe walls of the " Numantine" type.

More archeological evidence have been found, emphasizing their celtiberian culture, such as the hospitality ''tesserae''. These consisted on a zoomorphic-shaped metal tablet with an inscription using a variant of the Northeastern Iberian script (also known as Celtiberian script