Arevaci
Encyclopedia
The Arevaci or ‘Aravaci’ (Arevakos, Arvatkos or Areukas in the Greek
sources), were a pre-Roman
Celtic people who settled in the Meseta Central of northern Hispania
and which dominated most of Celtiberia from the 4th to late 2nd centuries BC. The Vaccaei were their allies.
The Arevaci were of Celtic origin and part of the Celtiberians
.
Some think their ancestors were early ‘Q-Celtic’ speakers from Gaul
who migrated to the peninsula around the mid-6th century BC, arriving at about the same time as the powerful Vaccaei people of the western meseta. This led some modern historians to state that the Arevaci were actually an offshoot of the latter, thus their tribal name which means ‘Are-Vaccei’ or ‘eastern’ Vacceians. However, an alternative etymology is given by the Roman geographer Pliny the elder
who calls them Celtiberi Arevaci, adding that they borrowed their name from the river Areva (Araviana) and thus their designation could be translated as ‘those who dwell at the Areva’ or ‘on the Areva’.
and most of Guadalajara
up to the Tagus
sources, extending to the eastern half of Segovia
and the southeastern Burgos
, but for a while they dominated parts of neighbouring Zaragoza
province. They founded or seized several important city-states (Civitates) in northern Celtiberia, namely Clunia
(either Alto del Cuerno or Coruña del Conde
– Burgos; Celtiberian mint: Kolounioku), Voluce/Veluka (around Calatañazor
– Sória), Uxama Argelae (Cerro de Castro, near Osma – Sória; Celtiberian mints: Arcailicos/Uzamuz), Termantia (Montejo de Tiermes
– Sória) also named Termes or Termesos , Savia (Sória?) and Numantia
(Muela de Garray
– Sória). Other towns often mentioned in the sources, such as Segovia, Ocilis, Comfluenta, Tucris, Lutia, Mallia, Lagni and Colenda have not yet been located.
in the grazing lowlands of the upper Ebro
valley.
and Claudius Aelianus
and attested by funerary stelae and painted pottery from Numantia.
migrations of the 5th century BC alongside off-shoots of Lusones
’ and Vaccaei peoples to settle in the Iberian southwest. In the late 4th-early 3rd centuries BC however, the Arevaci shifted the direction of their expansion to the east, towards the upper Duero and south into the central Iberian system mountains. Here they displaced the earlier inhabitants the Pellendones
, conquering the towns of Savia and Numantia and submitted the Uraci
, thus gaining control over the strategic towns of Aregrada (Ágreda
? – Sória; Celtiberian mints: Areicoraticos/Arecorataz), Cortona (Medinacelli? – Sória), Segontia (Sigüenza
– Guadalajara
) and Arcobriga (Monreal de Ariza
– Zaragoza
).
In around the mid-3rd century BC, the Arevaci founded with their neighbours the Lusones
, Belli
and Titii
a tribal federation designated the Celtiberian confederacy, with Numantia as federal capital.
During the Second Punic War
the confederacy kept itself neutral, though Celtiberian mercenaries are mentioned fighting for both sides on a number of occasions.
The Arevaci and the Belli
revolted against Roman
rule in the Celtiberian War.
Upon the fall of Numantia in 134-133 BC, the Romans forcibly disbanded the Celtiberian confederacy and allowed the Pellendones’ and Uraci to regain their independence from the Arevaci, who were now technically submitted and absorved into Hispania Citerior
province.
Nevertheless, the remaining Arevacian cities managed to keep much of their military capabilities intact, and led by Clunia and Termantia they helped defending Celtiberia from invasion attempts by both the Lusitani in 114 BC and the Cimbri
, who poured from the Pyrenees
around 104-103 BC. Emboldened by these successes – and resented by the lack of roman recognition for their efforts – the Arevaci began secretly hatching plots against roman rule by stirring up their equally disgruntled Celtiberian neighbours into the 99-81 BC uprisings (aka 3rd Celtiberian ‘War’). However, not only were the Arevacians ruthlessly quashed by Proconsul
Titus Didius
in 92 BC, but also had to endure the destruction of their new capital, Termantia.
remained uneasy. In fact, they still continued to resist Roman integration and assimilation policies for decades, a situation coupled by fiscal abuse that led to sporadic outbursts of violence well into the 1st century AD.
Although the Arevaci later contribued with an auxiliary cavalry unit (the Ala Hispanorum Aravacorum) in 29 BC to fight in the first Astur-Cantabrian war
alongside the Roman legions, Tacitus
cites heavy taxation as the major reason for a revolt in the Termes region which resulted in the ambush and assassination of Lucius Piso
, Praetor
of H. Citerior in 25 AD.
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
sources), were a pre-Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
Celtic people who settled in the Meseta Central of northern Hispania
Hispania
Another theory holds that the name derives from Ezpanna, the Basque word for "border" or "edge", thus meaning the farthest area or place. Isidore of Sevilla considered Hispania derived from Hispalis....
and which dominated most of Celtiberia from the 4th to late 2nd centuries BC. The Vaccaei were their allies.
Origins
Celtiberians
The Celtiberians were Celtic-speaking people of the Iberian Peninsula in the final centuries BC. The group used the Celtic Celtiberian language.Archaeologically, the Celtiberians participated in the Hallstatt culture in what is now north-central Spain...
.
Some think their ancestors were early ‘Q-Celtic’ speakers from Gaul
Gaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
who migrated to the peninsula around the mid-6th century BC, arriving at about the same time as the powerful Vaccaei people of the western meseta. This led some modern historians to state that the Arevaci were actually an offshoot of the latter, thus their tribal name which means ‘Are-Vaccei’ or ‘eastern’ Vacceians. However, an alternative etymology is given by the Roman geographer Pliny the elder
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian...
who calls them Celtiberi Arevaci, adding that they borrowed their name from the river Areva (Araviana) and thus their designation could be translated as ‘those who dwell at the Areva’ or ‘on the Areva’.
Location
The nucleus of the Arevaci homeland was centered on the modern provinces of SoriaSoria
Soria is a city in north-central Spain, the capital of the province of Soria in the autonomous community of Castile and León. , the municipality has a population of c. 39,500 inhabitants, nearly 40% of the population of the province...
and most of Guadalajara
Guadalajara
Guadalajara may refer to:In Mexico:*Guadalajara, Jalisco, the capital of the state of Jalisco and second largest city in Mexico**Guadalajara Metropolitan Area*University of Guadalajara, a public university in Guadalajara, Jalisco...
up to the Tagus
Tagus
The Tagus is the longest river on the Iberian Peninsula. It is long, in Spain, along the border between Portugal and Spain and in Portugal, where it empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Lisbon. It drains an area of . The Tagus is highly utilized for most of its course...
sources, extending to the eastern half of Segovia
Segovia
Segovia is a city in Spain, the capital of Segovia Province in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is situated north of Madrid, 30 minutes by high speed train. The municipality counts some 55,500 inhabitants.-Etymology:...
and the southeastern Burgos
Burgos
Burgos is a city of northern Spain, historic capital of Castile. It is situated at the edge of the central plateau, with about 178,966 inhabitants in the city proper and another 20,000 in its suburbs. It is the capital of the province of Burgos, in the autonomous community of Castile and León...
, but for a while they dominated parts of neighbouring Zaragoza
Zaragoza
Zaragoza , also called Saragossa in English, is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain...
province. They founded or seized several important city-states (Civitates) in northern Celtiberia, namely Clunia
Clunia
Clunia was an ancient Roman city. Its remains are located on Alto de Castro, at more than 1000 metres above sea level, between the villages of Peñalba de Castro and Coruña del Conde, 2 km away from the latter, in the province of Burgos in Spain...
(either Alto del Cuerno or Coruña del Conde
Coruña del Conde
Coruña del Conde is a village and municipality in the southern province of Burgos, Castile and León Spain. The Arandilla River runs through it....
– Burgos; Celtiberian mint: Kolounioku), Voluce/Veluka (around Calatañazor
Calatañazor
Calatañazor is a municipality located in the province of Soria, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2010 census , the municipality has a population of 70 inhabitants. The municipality is named after the tiny fortified city on top of a hill...
– Sória), Uxama Argelae (Cerro de Castro, near Osma – Sória; Celtiberian mints: Arcailicos/Uzamuz), Termantia (Montejo de Tiermes
Montejo de Tiermes
Montejo de Tiermes is a municipality located in the province of Soria, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 246 inhabitants.-Tiermes archaeological site:...
– Sória) also named Termes or Termesos , Savia (Sória?) and Numantia
Numantia
Numantia is the name of an ancient Celtiberian settlement, whose remains are located 7 km north of the city of Soria, on a hill known as Cerro de la Muela in the municipality of Garray....
(Muela de Garray
Garray
Garray is a municipality located in the province of Soria, Castile and León, Spain.The archaeological site of Numantia is within the boundaries of Garray.-References:...
– Sória). Other towns often mentioned in the sources, such as Segovia, Ocilis, Comfluenta, Tucris, Lutia, Mallia, Lagni and Colenda have not yet been located.
Culture
They shared with the Vaccaei the same social structure of collectivist type which enabled the latter to exploit successfully the wheat- and grass-growing areas of the western plateau, though acheological evidence suggests that the Arevaci were predominantely stock-raisers who practiced transhumanceTranshumance
Transhumance is the seasonal movement of people with their livestock between fixed summer and winter pastures. In montane regions it implies movement between higher pastures in summer and to lower valleys in winter. Herders have a permanent home, typically in valleys. Only the herds travel, with...
in the grazing lowlands of the upper Ebro
Ebro
The Ebro or Ebre is one of the most important rivers in the Iberian Peninsula. It is the biggest river by discharge volume in Spain.The Ebro flows through the following cities:*Reinosa in Cantabria.*Miranda de Ebro in Castile and León....
valley.
Religion
They practiced the rite of excarnation by exposing the corpses of warriors slain in battle to the vultures, as described by Silius ItalicusSilius Italicus
Silius Italicus, in full Tiberius Catius Asconius Silius Italicus , was a Roman consul, orator, and Latin epic poet of the 1st century CE,...
and Claudius Aelianus
Claudius Aelianus
Claudius Aelianus , often seen as just Aelian, born at Praeneste, was a Roman author and teacher of rhetoric who flourished under Septimius Severus and probably outlived Elagabalus, who died in 222...
and attested by funerary stelae and painted pottery from Numantia.
History
Regarded as the most militaristic people of the eastern Meseta, the Arevaci embarked early on an expansionist policy by taking part on the CelticiCeltici
]The Celtici were a Celtic tribe or group of tribes of the Iberian peninsula, inhabiting three definite areas: in what today are the provinces of Alentejo and the Algarve in Portugal; in the Province of Badajoz and north of Province of Huelva in Spain, in the ancient Baeturia; and along the...
migrations of the 5th century BC alongside off-shoots of Lusones
Lusones
The Lusones were an ancient Celtic Celtiberian people of the Iberian peninsula , who lived in the high Tajuña River valley, northeast of Guadalajara...
’ and Vaccaei peoples to settle in the Iberian southwest. In the late 4th-early 3rd centuries BC however, the Arevaci shifted the direction of their expansion to the east, towards the upper Duero and south into the central Iberian system mountains. Here they displaced the earlier inhabitants the Pellendones
Pellendones
The Pellendones were an ancient people living on the Iberian Peninsula. Since the early 4th century BC they inhabited the region of the source of the river Duero in what today is north-central Spain...
, conquering the towns of Savia and Numantia and submitted the Uraci
Uraci
The Uraci or ‘Duraci’ were a little-known Celtic people of pre-Roman Iberia who dwelt to the east of the Vaccaei, occupying the southern Soria, northern Guadalajara and western Zaragoza provinces since the 4th century BC.- Origins :...
, thus gaining control over the strategic towns of Aregrada (Ágreda
Ágreda
Ágreda is a town located in the province of Soria, Castile and León, Spain.Ágreda is the regional services center in the Northeast of the province of Soria. Its abundant heritage as well as the local fiestas of the Virgin, and the Archangel Michael attract a large number of tourists.-History:In the...
? – Sória; Celtiberian mints: Areicoraticos/Arecorataz), Cortona (Medinacelli? – Sória), Segontia (Sigüenza
Sigüenza
Sigüenza is a city in the province of Guadalajara in Spain.-History:The site of the ancient Segontia of the Celtiberian Arevaci, now called Villavieja , is half a league distant from the present Sigüenza...
– Guadalajara
Guadalajara
Guadalajara may refer to:In Mexico:*Guadalajara, Jalisco, the capital of the state of Jalisco and second largest city in Mexico**Guadalajara Metropolitan Area*University of Guadalajara, a public university in Guadalajara, Jalisco...
) and Arcobriga (Monreal de Ariza
Monreal de Ariza
Monreal de Ariza is a municipality located in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 257 inhabitants....
– Zaragoza
Zaragoza
Zaragoza , also called Saragossa in English, is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain...
).
In around the mid-3rd century BC, the Arevaci founded with their neighbours the Lusones
Lusones
The Lusones were an ancient Celtic Celtiberian people of the Iberian peninsula , who lived in the high Tajuña River valley, northeast of Guadalajara...
, Belli
Belli
The Belli, also designated ‘Beli’ or ‘Belaiscos’ were an ancient pre-Roman Celtic Celtiberian people that lived in the modern Spanish province of Zaragoza from the 3rd Century BC.- Origins :.The Belli were of Celtic origin and part of the Celtiberians...
and Titii
Titii (Celtiberian)
The Titii were a small and obscure Celtic Celtiberian people whose lands where located along the middle Jalón and upper Tajuña valleys, somewhere between Alhama de Aragón in Zaragoza and Molina de Aragón in Guadalajara provinces.- Culture :...
a tribal federation designated the Celtiberian confederacy, with Numantia as federal capital.
During the Second Punic War
Second Punic War
The Second Punic War, also referred to as The Hannibalic War and The War Against Hannibal, lasted from 218 to 201 BC and involved combatants in the western and eastern Mediterranean. This was the second major war between Carthage and the Roman Republic, with the participation of the Berbers on...
the confederacy kept itself neutral, though Celtiberian mercenaries are mentioned fighting for both sides on a number of occasions.
The Arevaci and the Belli
Belli
The Belli, also designated ‘Beli’ or ‘Belaiscos’ were an ancient pre-Roman Celtic Celtiberian people that lived in the modern Spanish province of Zaragoza from the 3rd Century BC.- Origins :.The Belli were of Celtic origin and part of the Celtiberians...
revolted against Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
rule in the Celtiberian War.
Upon the fall of Numantia in 134-133 BC, the Romans forcibly disbanded the Celtiberian confederacy and allowed the Pellendones’ and Uraci to regain their independence from the Arevaci, who were now technically submitted and absorved into Hispania Citerior
Hispania Citerior
During the Roman Republic, Hispania Citerior was a region of Hispania roughly occupying the northeastern coast and the Ebro Valley of what is now Spain. Hispania Ulterior was located west of Hispania Citerior—that is, farther away from Rome.-External links:*...
province.
Nevertheless, the remaining Arevacian cities managed to keep much of their military capabilities intact, and led by Clunia and Termantia they helped defending Celtiberia from invasion attempts by both the Lusitani in 114 BC and the Cimbri
Cimbri
The Cimbri were a tribe from Northern Europe, who, together with the Teutones and the Ambrones threatened the Roman Republic in the late 2nd century BC. The Cimbri were probably Germanic, though some believe them to be of Celtic origin...
, who poured from the Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
around 104-103 BC. Emboldened by these successes – and resented by the lack of roman recognition for their efforts – the Arevaci began secretly hatching plots against roman rule by stirring up their equally disgruntled Celtiberian neighbours into the 99-81 BC uprisings (aka 3rd Celtiberian ‘War’). However, not only were the Arevacians ruthlessly quashed by Proconsul
Proconsul
A proconsul was a governor of a province in the Roman Republic appointed for one year by the senate. In modern usage, the title has been used for a person from one country ruling another country or bluntly interfering in another country's internal affairs.-Ancient Rome:In the Roman Republic, a...
Titus Didius
Titus Didius
Titus Didius was a general and politician of the Roman Republic. He is credited with the restoration of the Villa Publica, and is notorious for his proconsulship in Hispania Citerior ....
in 92 BC, but also had to endure the destruction of their new capital, Termantia.
Romanization
In spite of being technically submitted and finally aggregated to Hispania Citerior after 93 BC, the Arevacians’ own relationship with RomeRome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
remained uneasy. In fact, they still continued to resist Roman integration and assimilation policies for decades, a situation coupled by fiscal abuse that led to sporadic outbursts of violence well into the 1st century AD.
Although the Arevaci later contribued with an auxiliary cavalry unit (the Ala Hispanorum Aravacorum) in 29 BC to fight in the first Astur-Cantabrian war
Cantabrian Wars
The Cantabrian Wars occurred during the Roman conquest of the modern provinces of Cantabria, Asturias and León, against the Asturs and the Cantabri. They were the final stage of the conquest of Hispania.-Antecedents:...
alongside the Roman legions, Tacitus
Tacitus
Publius Cornelius Tacitus was a senator and a historian of the Roman Empire. The surviving portions of his two major works—the Annals and the Histories—examine the reigns of the Roman Emperors Tiberius, Claudius, Nero and those who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors...
cites heavy taxation as the major reason for a revolt in the Termes region which resulted in the ambush and assassination of Lucius Piso
Lucius Piso
Lucius Calpurnius Piso was a Roman statesman of the 1st century. He was the grandson and son of men who had made huge fortunes from selling armaments which were used by the Roman legions. Piso was a close relative of Julius Caesar. His mother and Caesar's mother, Aurelia Cotta, were Rutilias of the...
, Praetor
Praetor
Praetor was a title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to men acting in one of two official capacities: the commander of an army, usually in the field, or the named commander before mustering the army; and an elected magistratus assigned varied duties...
of H. Citerior in 25 AD.
See also
- Astur-Cantabrian warCantabrian WarsThe Cantabrian Wars occurred during the Roman conquest of the modern provinces of Cantabria, Asturias and León, against the Asturs and the Cantabri. They were the final stage of the conquest of Hispania.-Antecedents:...
- Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian PeninsulaPre-Roman peoples of the Iberian PeninsulaThis is a list of the Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian peninsula .-Non-Indo-European:*Aquitanians**Aquitani**Autrigones - some consider them Celtic .**Caristii - some consider them Celtic ....