Cottius
Encyclopedia
Marcus Julius Cottius was king of the Ligurian tribes
inhabiting the mountainous region now known as the Cottian Alps
early in the 1st century BC He was the son and successor of King Donnus
, who had previously opposed but later made peace with Julius Caesar
. Cottius initially maintained his independence in the face of Augustus' effort to subdue the various Alpine tribes, but finally submitted when Augustus named him prefect of the dozen tribes in his region. Cottius later honored his patron with a triumphal arch in his capital of Segusio
.
Cottius was succeeded by his son, also named Marcus Julius Cottius, who was granted the title of king by the emperor Claudius
. On his death, Nero
annexed his kingdom as the province
of Alpes Cottiae
.
Another of the elder Cottius' sons was the Roman centurian Julius Vestalis, who retook the frontier post of Aegyssus (modern Tulcea
) on the Danube
after it was captured by the Getae
, a deed celebrated by Ovid
in his Epistulae ex Ponto
IV.
Ligures
The Ligures were an ancient people who gave their name to Liguria, a region of north-western Italy.-Classical sources:...
inhabiting the mountainous region now known as the Cottian Alps
Cottian Alps
The Cottian Alps are a mountain range in the southwestern part of the Alps. They form the border between France and Italy...
early in the 1st century BC He was the son and successor of King Donnus
Donnus
Donnus was king of the Ligurian tribes inhabiting the mountainous region now known as the Cottian Alps in the middle of the 1st century BC. Although initially an opponent of Julius Caesar during the latter's conquest of Gaul, Donnus later made peace with Caesar...
, who had previously opposed but later made peace with Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
. Cottius initially maintained his independence in the face of Augustus' effort to subdue the various Alpine tribes, but finally submitted when Augustus named him prefect of the dozen tribes in his region. Cottius later honored his patron with a triumphal arch in his capital of Segusio
Susa, Italy
Susa is a city and comune in Piedmont, Italy. It is situated on at the confluence of the Cenischia with the Dora Riparia, a tributary of the Po River, at the foot of the Cottian Alps, 51 km west of Turin.-History:...
.
Cottius was succeeded by his son, also named Marcus Julius Cottius, who was granted the title of king by the emperor Claudius
Claudius
Claudius , was Roman Emperor from 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, he was the son of Drusus and Antonia Minor. He was born at Lugdunum in Gaul and was the first Roman Emperor to be born outside Italy...
. On his death, Nero
Nero
Nero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death....
annexed his kingdom as the province
Roman province
In Ancient Rome, a province was the basic, and, until the Tetrarchy , largest territorial and administrative unit of the empire's territorial possessions outside of Italy...
of Alpes Cottiae
Alpes Cottiae
Alpes Cottiae was a province of the Roman Empire, one of three small provinces straddling the Alps between modern France and Italy. Its name survives in the modern Cottian Alps. In antiquity, the province's most important duty was the safeguarding of communications over the Alpine passes...
.
Another of the elder Cottius' sons was the Roman centurian Julius Vestalis, who retook the frontier post of Aegyssus (modern Tulcea
Tulcea
Tulcea is a city in Dobrogea, Romania. It is the administrative center of Tulcea county, and has a population of 92,379 as of 2007. One village, Tudor Vladimirescu, is administered by the city.- History :...
) on the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
after it was captured by the Getae
Getae
The Getae was the name given by the Greeks to several Thracian tribes that occupied the regions south of the Lower Danube, in what is today northern Bulgaria, and north of the Lower Danube, in Romania...
, a deed celebrated by Ovid
Ovid
Publius Ovidius Naso , known as Ovid in the English-speaking world, was a Roman poet who is best known as the author of the three major collections of erotic poetry: Heroides, Amores, and Ars Amatoria...
in his Epistulae ex Ponto
Epistulae ex Ponto
Epistulae ex Ponto is a work of Ovid, in four books. It is especially important for our knowledge of Scythia Minor in his time....
IV.
See also
- Alpes CottiaeAlpes CottiaeAlpes Cottiae was a province of the Roman Empire, one of three small provinces straddling the Alps between modern France and Italy. Its name survives in the modern Cottian Alps. In antiquity, the province's most important duty was the safeguarding of communications over the Alpine passes...
(the original Roman province) - Cottian AlpsCottian AlpsThe Cottian Alps are a mountain range in the southwestern part of the Alps. They form the border between France and Italy...
- DonnusDonnusDonnus was king of the Ligurian tribes inhabiting the mountainous region now known as the Cottian Alps in the middle of the 1st century BC. Although initially an opponent of Julius Caesar during the latter's conquest of Gaul, Donnus later made peace with Caesar...