The Vocontii ( Gaulish : * Uocontioi ; Greek : Οὐοκόντιοι, Οὐοκοντίων) were a Gallic people dwelling on the western foothills of the Alps during the Iron Age and the Roman period .
41-826: The Vocontii settled in the region in the 3rd century BC at the latest. Pompeius Trogus , a Gallo-Roman historian and citizen of Vasio during the 1st century BC, was a member of the Vocontii. During the Roman period, they were probably at the head of a confederation that included the Sogiontii , Avantici , Sebaginni and Vertamocorii . They are mentioned as Vocontiorum by Caesar (mid-1st c. BC), Livy (late 1st c. BC), Pliny (1st c. AD) and Pomponius Mela (mid-1st c. AD), as Ouokóntioi (Οὐοκόντιοι) and Ouokontíōn (Οὐοκοντίων) by Strabo (early 1st c. AD), Ou̓okóntioi (Οὐοκόντιοι) by Ptolemy (2nd c. AD), and as Bocontii on
82-511: A civitas foederata and had two capitals: Vasio ( Vaison-la-Romaine ) and Lucus Augusti ( Luc-en-Diois ), both benefiting from a ius Latii . The Roman town of Noviomagus was probably Nyons . This town and Vasio ( Vaison-la-Romaine ) were not on the mountains. They were at the foot of the first prealpine ridges, at the edge of the plain of the Rhône (the Dentelles de Montmirail were just to
123-636: A polymath . Following Aristotle and Theophrastus , Pompeius Trogus wrote books on the natural history of animals and plants. His principal work, however, was his 44-volume Philippic Histories and the Origin of the Whole World and the Places of the Earth ( Historiae Philippicae et Totius Mundi Origines et Terrae Situs ), now lost, which, according to its surviving epitome, had as its principal theme
164-759: A mixed cavalry and infantry fort near Newstead, Scottish Borders . The unit is known by an inscription, (RIB 2121): (To the sacred Goddesses of the Parade-Ground, Aelius Marcius, decurion¹ of the Vocontian Wing, willingly, gladly and deservedly fulfilled his vow.) This is also attested in two military diplomas, dated 122 and 126; the former from Brigetio in Pannonia (CIL XVI, 65) and the latter from Britannia (AE 1997.1779a). Gnaeus Pompeius Trogus Gnaeus Pompeius Trogus ( fl. 1st century BC), also anglicized as Pompey Trogue ,
205-652: A road to Hispania , to assist in troop transport. The Massalians, for their part, cared more for their economic prosperity than they did for territorial integrity. During this period, the Mediterranean settlements on the coast were threatened by the powerful Gallic tribes to the north, especially the tribes known as the Arverni and the Allobroges . In the First Transalpine War (125–121 BCE),
246-629: A sanctuary existed from the late 1st century BC until the 4th century AD. Weapons and miniature reproductions of farming tools like billhooks, sickles and swing ploughs were found at the site, suggesting that a deity-protector of farming was worshipped there. A 500-strong auxiliary cavalry unit, the Ala Augusta Vocontiorum civium Romanorum , was raised among the Vocontii. The troopers were Roman citizens. From 122, after service in Germania Inferior, it served at Trimontium ,
287-532: A separate series of summaries ( prologi ) of the original work have been preserved. Even in their present mutilated state the works are often an important authority for the ancient history of the East. Pompeius Trogus's works on animals and plants were extensively quoted in the works of Pliny the Elder . Gallia Narbonensis Gallia Narbonensis ( Latin for "Gaul of Narbonne ", from its chief settlement)
328-468: Is preserved only in excerpts by other authors (including Vopiscus , Jerome , and Augustine ) and in a loose epitome by the later historian Justin . Justin aimed only to preserve the parts he felt most important or interesting about Pompeius Trogus's work, with the last recorded event being the recovery of Roman standards from the Parthians in 20 BC. In the manuscripts of Justin's works, however,
369-524: The Tabula Peutingeriana . The ethnonym Vocontī is a latinized form of Gaulish * Wocontioi . It is generally understood to mean 'twenty' (cf. Gaul. tricontis 'thirty'), that is to say the 'twenty clans' or 'twenty tribes', or alternatively 'the two hundred' (cf. Gaul. conto - 'one hundred'), after a Gallic custom of including numbers in tribal names (e.g. Vo-corii , Tri-corii , Petru-corii , Suess-iones ). The territory of
410-582: The Assyrians to the Parthians is given extensive coverage while early Roman history and the history of the Iberian Peninsula is briefly glossed in the last two books. The Philippic Histories is indebted to earlier Greek historians such as Theopompus (whose own Philippica may have suggested Trogus's title), Ephorus , Timaeus , and Polybius . On the grounds that such a work was beyond
451-472: The Greek colony of Massalia (modern Marseille ) on the southern coast of Gaul. Massalia, founded by colonists from Phocaea , was by this point centuries old and quite prosperous. Rome entered into an alliance with Massalia, by which it agreed to protect the town from local Gauls , nearby Aquitani , sea-borne Carthaginians and other rivals, in exchange for a small strip of land that it wanted in order to build
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#1732771772720492-521: The Macedonian Empire founded by Philip II but functioned as a general history of all of the parts of the world which fell under the control of Alexander the Great and his successors , with extensive ethnographical and geographical digressions. Trogus began with Ninus , legendary founder of Nineveh , and ended at about the same point as Livy (AD 9). The development of the East from
533-565: The 1st century AD, the Vocontii went though an intense process of Romanization and began to honour their native Gaulish deities (Albarinus, Andarta , Belisama , Alaunius , Baginus, Vasio , Allobrox, Dullovius, Vintur, Alambrima, Bormanus ) along with Graeco-Roman ( Minerva , Mercurius , Vulcanus , Luna , Victoria , Jupiter , Fortuna , Apollo , Neptunus , Silvanus , Cybele ), Eastern Mediterranean ( Isis ) or Gallo-Roman ones, such as Mars Rudianus or Mars Belado. The native Matrebo ('Mothers') were latinized as Matrae or Matres . From
574-402: The 2nd century AD onward, the cult of Mercurus lost its importance within the religion of the Vocontii, contrary to Mars who grew in popularity. Jupiter was worshipped as a wheel-god, depicted as imperator and associated with an eagle and a snake. Dedications to Silvanus were also widespread during this period. By the 3rd century, the number of deities had considerably declined and the pantheon
615-569: The Alps by Hannibal , as recounted in Livy : The Vocontii were defeated by Marcus Fulvius Flaccus , a Roman consul , in 125 BCE and by Gaius Sextius Calvinus , a Roman proconsul , in 123 BCE during military campaigns against the Ligurians and Salluvii who lived to their south. In 121 BC Quintus Fabius Maximus Allobrogicus and Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus defeated the Allobroges , who lived to
656-473: The Augustan era. Its first recorded use was in a census conducted by Gnaeus Pullius Pollio . The Romans had called it Provincia Nostra ("our province") or simply Provincia ("the province"). The term has survived in the modern name of Provence for the eastern part of the area (French Provence , Occitan Provença ), now a region of France. By the mid-2nd century BC, Rome was trading heavily with
697-697: The Egyptian-Greek tradition hostile to the Exodus 2. A brief geographical description of the land of Judea . 3. A history of the Jews beginning with the Persian period . Trogus used Greek sources for his composition. It is possible that the writing of the Jews he used the writings of Timagenes and perhaps also by Posidonius . The original text of the Philippic Histories has been lost and
738-645: The Roman general Quintus Fabius Maximus (later additionally named Allobrogicus) campaigned in the area and defeated the Allobroges and the Arverni under king Bituitus in the Battle of the Isère River . This defeat substantially weakened the Arverni and ensured the further security of Gallia Narbonensis. The area became a Roman province in 121 BCE. The province had come into Roman control originally under
779-546: The Romans built a crossroads that made Narbonne an optimal trading center, and Narbonne became a major trading competitor to Massalia. From Narbonne, the Romans established the province of Transalpine Gaul, later called Gallia Narbonensis. During the Sertorian War (80–72 BCE) against the breakaway state of former Roman senator and general Sertorius , Gallia Narbonensis was an important base for military activities. This
820-458: The Spanish provinces and Rome, and its financial output. The province of Gallia Transalpina ("Transalpine Gaul") was later renamed Gallia Narbonensis , after its newly established capital of Colonia Narbo Martius (colloquially known as Narbo, at the location of the modern Narbonne ), a Roman colony founded on the coast in 118 BC. The name Gallia Narbonensis most likely originates in
861-843: The Vocontii was bordered in the north by the Isère river, in the west by the valley of the Rhône river, in the south by the Mont Ventoux and the lower reaches of the Durance river, and in the east by the upper reaches of the Durance. They lived south of the Allobroges , east of the Segovellauni and the Cavares , and north of the Salluvii . During the Roman period, the Vocontii became
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#1732771772720902-501: The ability of a Gallo-Roman, it has generally been assumed that Pompeius Trogus did not gather his material directly from these Greek sources but from an existing compilation or translation by a Greek such as the Universal History compiled by Timagenes of Alexandria. Pompeius Trogus's idea of history was more exacting than that of Sallust and Livy , whom he criticized for their habit of putting elaborate speeches into
943-719: The archaeological finds in Roman towns in Vocontian territory. Dea Auguta and Lucus Augustii were in the north, on the River Drôme . Vasio and Noviomagus were on the southwestern edge of Vocontian territory. Segusturo was in the southeast, on the River Durance . One finds a praetor and a senate leading the city of Vaison, assisted by praefecti sent to the surrounding districts ( pagi ), which were advised by local assemblies ( vigintiviri ). Public municipal officials and slaves supplemented this administrative system. After
984-455: The grant of an alliance treaty (foedus) is unknown. Goudineau had speculated that it may have been made by Gaius Pomptinus after he suppressed the last rebellion of the Allobroges in 61 BCE when he was the governor of Gallia Transalpina However, this is not certain. Pliny also named the town of Vasio in his record of people and places which had Latin rights . When Marcus Fonteius, was governor of Gallia Transalpina, either in 76-74 or 74-72 BC, he
1025-542: The markets of Massalia. It was from the capital of Narbonne that Julius Caesar began his Gallic Wars . Caesar rebuilt Narbo and built the cities of Forum Julium and Arles . Julius Caesar also granted many communities in Gallia Narbonensis citizenship. In 49 BC, the city of Massalia sided with the Pompeians during the civil war . After the war ended, the city of Massalia lost all of its independence and
1066-598: The mouths of the characters of whom they wrote. Pompeius Trogus discusses the Jews in the context of the history of the Seleucid Empire . Along with the passages in Tacitus , the summary of Pompeius Trogus includes the most extensive description of the Jews in classical Latin literature. His main overview of the Jews is divided into 3 parts: 1. The Antiquities of the Jews - includes a combination of 3 different traditions: Damascus tradition, Biblical tradition and
1107-655: The name Gallia Transalpina (Transalpine Gaul), which distinguished it from Cisalpine Gaul on the near side of the Alps to Rome. In this strip of land, the Romans founded the town of Narbonne in 118 BC. At the same time, they built the Via Domitia , the first Roman road in Gaul, connecting Gaul to Hispania, and the Via Aquitania , which led toward the Atlantic through Tolosa (Toulouse) and Burdigala (Bordeaux). Thus,
1148-582: The north of the Vocontii, and the Averni , who lived to the west of the River Rhône. In 118 BC Gnaeus Domitius founded a Roman colony at Narbo , near Hispania . Southern Gaul came under Roman control and was known as Gallia Transalpina . Over time it came to be organised as a province of the Roman Empire. With the reorganisation of the provinces of the Roman Empire under Augustus, Gallia Transalpina
1189-666: The old provinces and created new, smaller ones. The number of provinces was doubled. The Roman towns built on the site of or near Vocontian settlements close to the Rhône, Vasio and Noviomagus, and those on the River Drôme , Dia Augusta and Lucius Augustii, came under the Provincia Viennensis . Segusturo, and the area in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department came under the Provincia Narbonensis II Rivet gives an account of
1230-595: The provinces Gallia Narbonensis and Gallia Aquitania into a new administrative unit called Dioecesis Viennensis (Diocese of Vienne) with the capital more to the north in Vienne . The new diocese's name was later changed to Dioecesis Septem Provinciarum (Diocese of the Seven Provinces), indicating that Diocletian had demoted the word "province" to mean a smaller subdivision than in traditional usage. Galla Narbonensis and surrounding areas were incorporated into
1271-476: The south of Vasio; the Éssaillon, Garde-Grosse, Saint Jaumes and Vaux formed a half crescent by Noviomagus). During the 4th century BCE, the Celtic Vocontii became settled there, with an oppidum south of modern Vaison ; this seems to have been used to control trade between the Rhône and Durance rivers (Meffre). The earliest historical mention of the Vocontii is from 218 BCE during the crossing of
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1312-708: Was a Gallo-Roman historian from the Celtic Vocontii tribe in Narbonese Gaul who lived during the reign of the emperor Augustus . He was nearly contemporary with Livy . Pompeius Trogus's grandfather served under Pompey in his war against Sertorius . Owing to Pompey's influence, he was able to obtain Roman citizenship and his family adopted their patron's praenomen and nomen Gnaeus Pompeius. Trogus's father served under Julius Caesar as his secretary and interpreter. Trogus himself seems to have been
1353-589: Was a Roman province located in what is now Occitania and Provence , in Southern France . It was also known as Provincia Nostra ("Our Province"), because it was the first Roman province north of the Alps , and as Gallia Transalpina ("Transalpine Gaul"), distinguishing it from Cisalpine Gaul in Northern Italy . It became a Roman province in the late 2nd century BC. Gallia Narbonensis
1394-488: Was an important event in the Romanization of Narbonese Gaul, as it resulted in the Romans organizing the province. Control of the province, which bordered directly on Italia , gave the Roman state several advantages: control of the land route between Italy and the Iberian Peninsula ; a territorial buffer against Gallic attacks on Italy; and control of the lucrative trade routes of the Rhône valley between Gaul and
1435-626: Was attacked by the Vocontii. He defeated them. Cicero did not say why they rebelled. Presumably this was connected to the heavy indebtedness with was incurred by the Gauls in the region which was due to taxes which were levied by Fonteius to raise money for the Roman troops which were fighting in the Sertorian War (80-72 BCE) in Hispania . Pompey, one of the commanders in that war, had crossed Gaul to go to Hispania and subdued some (unspecified) rebellious tribes there. Pompey used Gallia Transalpina, which
1476-700: Was bordered by the Pyrenees Mountains on the west, the Cévennes to the north, the Alps on the east, and the Gulf of Lion on the south; the province included the majority of the Rhone catchment. The western region of Gallia Narbonensis was known as Septimania . The province was a valuable part of the Roman Empire , owing to the Greek colony and later Roman Civitas of Massalia , its location between
1517-552: Was fully subject to Roman rule. In 40 BC, during the Second Triumvirate , Lepidus was given responsibility for Narbonese Gaul (along with Hispania and Africa), while Mark Antony was given the balance of Gaul. After becoming Emperor , Augustus made Gallia Narbonensis a senatorial province governed by a proconsul . Emperor Diocletian 's administrative reorganization of the Empire in c. AD 314 merged
1558-576: Was in northern Italy) : Caesar was marching from Italy to the vicinity of Lake Geneva to confront the Helvetii . The historian Pompeius Trogus was a Vocontian. His grandfather served in the army of Pompey in Hispania during the Sertorian War . The Vocontii are later mentioned by Tacitus ( Histories , in relation to the Revolt of Vitellius, which took place in 69 CE : The administrative reforms of Diocletian (reigned 284-305) abolished
1599-475: Was mostly Romanized, with Mars, syncretized with native gods, being the most popular deity. From the early 1st century until the late 4th century AD, a solar cult was held near the oppidum of Le Chastellard de Lardiers, at the border between Vocontian and Albician territories. A sky-god appears to have been worshipped at the Chastellard's temple. At the temple of Lachau, situated 20km north of Lardiers ,
1640-472: Was on the road to Hispania and, therefore, his line of communications, as a base for his operations in the Iberian Peninsula. He wintered in Gaul in 75/74 BCE. Fonteius also raised corn for the Roman troops and a Gallic cavalry to support them. The Vocontii were mentioned by Julius Caesar (note that Further Province and Hither Province stand for Gallia Transalpina and Gallia Cisalpina ; the latter
1681-412: Was renamed Gallia Narbonensis . It was named after Narbo, which became its capital. Pliny the Elder , who wrote in the 70s AD, referred to the Vocontii as allies. This means that they were not turned into Roman subjects. They remained autonomous. They were allowed to continue to observe their own laws and did not have to pay a tribute. However, they had to supply auxiliary soldiers to Rome. The date of