Gaius Valerius Caburus ('' fl.'' 1st century BC) was a leader of the

Helvii The Helvii (also Elui, ancient Greek Ἑλουοί) were a relatively small Celtic polity west of the Rhône river on the northern border of Gallia Narbonensis. Their territory was roughly equivalent to the Vivarais, in the modern French department ...

, a relatively small Celtic polity whose territory was more or less equivalent to the

Vivarais Vivarais (; oc, Vivarés; la, Vivariensis provincia{{cite web , url=http://www.columbia.edu/acis/ets/Graesse/orblatv.html , title = ORBIS LATINUS - Letter V) is a traditional region in the south-east of France, covering the ''département'' of A ...

(the

French department In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level ("territorial collectivity, territorial collectivities"), between the regions of France, admin ...

Ardèche), on the northern border of

Gallia Transalpina Gallia Narbonensis (Latin for "Gaul of Narbonne", from its chief settlement) was a Roman province located in what is now Languedoc and Provence, in Southern France. It was also known as Provincia Nostra ("Our Province"), because it was the ...

. Caburus was granted

Roman citizenship Citizenship in ancient Rome (Latin: ''civitas'') was a privileged political and legal status afforded to free individuals with respect to laws, property, and governance. Citizenship in Ancient Rome was complex and based upon many different laws, t ...

in 83 BC by Gaius Valerius Flaccus during his

governorship A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Gaul Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...

. The date of his last known activity indicates that he was probably between the ages of twenty and thirty at the time, and almost certainly under thirty-five. Caburus took his

patron Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...

gentilic A demonym (; ) or gentilic () is a word that identifies a group of people (inhabitants, residents, natives) in relation to a particular place. Demonyms are usually derived from the name of the place (hamlet, village, town, city, region, province, ...

name, as was customary for naturalized citizens. It was exceedingly rare in the early 1st century BC for an ethnic Celt born outside the Italian peninsula to hold Roman citizenship. Caburus's service must have been of great value during a politically turbulent time; see discussion of Flaccus's governorship and his position during the civil wars of the 80s. Caburus's loyalty to Rome was long-lived, as was his prominence among his people. During the 50s BC, he actively supported

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 the

Gallic Wars The Gallic Wars were waged between 58 and 50 BC by the Roman general Julius Caesar against the peoples of Gaul (present-day France, Belgium, Germany and Switzerland). Gallic, Germanic, and British tribes fought to defend their homel ...

. He last appears in the historical record in 52 BC as a leader of the Helvii, more than thirty years after becoming a Roman citizen. This longevity, coupled with the rare grant of citizenship, suggests that Caburus was a person of exceptional political acuity and leadership qualities. Caburus had two known sons, Troucillus (or Procillus), who played a diplomatic role on Caesar's staff in 58 BC, and Domnotaurus (in Celtic probably Donnotarvos), who died while defending Helvian territory against a force of Arverni and

Gabali The Gabali (Gaulish: *''Gabli'') were a Gallic tribe dwelling in the later Gévaudan region during the Iron Age and the Roman period. Name They are mentioned as ''Gabalos'' or ''Gabalis'' by Caesar (mid-1st c. BC), as ''Gabalei͂s'' (Γαβα� ...

sent by

Vercingetorix Vercingetorix (; Greek: Οὐερκιγγετόριξ; – 46 BC) was a Gallic king and chieftain of the Arverni tribe who united the Gauls in a failed revolt against Roman forces during the last phase of Julius Caesar's Gallic Wars. Despite ha ...

Etymology of name

A Celtic origin for the name Caburus has sometimes been disputed, but it may derive from ''cabo'', "mouth."Xavier Delamarre, ''Dictionnaire de la langue gauloise: Une approche linguistique du vieux-celtique continental'', 2nd ed. (Paris: Éditions Errance, 2003), p. 432.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Caburus, Gaius Valerius 1st-century BC Romans Barbarian people of the Gallic Wars Celts Helvii (Gauls) People from Ardèche People from Gallia Narbonensis Roman people of the Gallic Wars Caburus, Gaius

Etymology of name

See also

References