Dubnovellaunus
Encyclopedia
Dubnovellaunus or Dumnovellaunus was the name of at least one, and possibly several kings of south-eastern Britain
in the late 1st century BC/early 1st century AD, known from coin legends and from a mention in the Res Gestae Divi Augusti
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Given the chronology it is possible, but not certain, that Dubnovellaunus of the Cantiaci is the same individual as Dubnovellaunus of the Trinovantes; and the Trinovantian Dubnovellaunus is most likely to be the Dumnovellaunus who presented himself to Augustus.
Prehistoric Britain
For the purposes of this article, Prehistoric Britain is that period of time between the first arrival of humans on the land mass now known as Great Britain and the start of recorded British history...
in the late 1st century BC/early 1st century AD, known from coin legends and from a mention in the Res Gestae Divi Augusti
Res Gestae Divi Augusti
Res Gestae Divi Augusti, is the funerary inscription of the first Roman emperor, Augustus, giving a first-person record of his life and accomplishments. The Res Gestae is especially significant because it gives an insight into the image Augustus portrayed to the Roman people...
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- Dubnovellaunus is the name of a king who, based on coin distribution, appears to have ruled over KentKentKent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
east of the River MedwayRiver MedwayThe River Medway, which is almost entirely in Kent, England, flows for from just inside the West Sussex border to the point where it enters the Thames Estuary....
. He was the first king of the CantiaciCantiaciThe Cantiaci or Cantii were a Celtic people living in Britain before the Roman conquest, and gave their name to a civitas of Roman Britain. They lived in the area now called Kent, in south-eastern England...
to issue inscribed coins: some of his coins appear to date from as early as 40-30 BC. Towards the end of the 1st century BC he seems to have been succeeded by a king called VodenosVodenosVodenos or Vosenios was a king of the Cantiaci of south-eastern Britain, and is known only from coin legends. He seems to have succeeded Dubnovellaunus to the throne of the Cantiaci towards the end of the 1st century BC, although their reigns may have been contemporary or overlapped. He ruled until...
or Vosenios, although it is possible the two kings' reigns were contemporary or overlapped.
- A king called Dubnovellaunus succeeded his father AddedomarusAddedomarusAddedomarus was a king of south-eastern Britain in the late 1st century BC. His name is known only from his inscribed coins, the distribution of which seem to indicate that he was the ruler of the Trinovantes....
as king of the TrinovantesTrinovantesThe Trinovantes or Trinobantes were one of the tribes of pre-Roman Britain. Their territory was on the north side of the Thames estuary in current Essex and Suffolk, and included lands now located in Greater London. They were bordered to the north by the Iceni, and to the west by the Catuvellauni...
ca. 10-5 BC and ruled for several years before being supplanted by CunobelinusCunobelinusCunobeline or Cunobelinus was a historical king in pre-Roman Britain, known from passing mentions by classical historians Suetonius and Dio Cassius, and from his many inscribed coins...
of the CatuvellauniCatuvellauniThe Catuvellauni were a tribe or state of south-eastern Britain before the Roman conquest.The fortunes of the Catuvellauni and their kings before the conquest can be traced through numismatic evidence and scattered references in classical histories. They are mentioned by Dio Cassius, who implies...
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- In the Res Gestae Divi Augusti, a British king called Dumnovellaunus appears, alongside TincomarusTincomarusTincomarus was a king of the Iron Age Belgic tribe of the Atrebates who lived in southern central Britain shortly before the Roman invasion...
of the AtrebatesAtrebatesThe Atrebates were a Belgic tribe of Gaul and Britain before the Roman conquests.- Name of the tribe :Cognate with Old Irish aittrebaid meaning 'inhabitant', Atrebates comes from proto-Celtic *ad-treb-a-t-es, 'inhabitants'. The Celtic root is treb- 'building', 'home' The Atrebates (singular...
, as a supplicant to Augustus around AD 7.
- Another Dumnovellaunus appears on coins of the Corieltauvi, dating ca. 45 AD. He appears to have been a subordinate king to VolisiosVolisiosVolisios was a king of the Corieltauvi, a tribe based in the English East Midlands, around the time of the Roman conquest of Britain.He is known only through inscriptions on coins. His name appears on three series of coins, minted ca. 45 AD, paired with the names of three presumed sub-kings,...
, probably the overall king of the territory.
Given the chronology it is possible, but not certain, that Dubnovellaunus of the Cantiaci is the same individual as Dubnovellaunus of the Trinovantes; and the Trinovantian Dubnovellaunus is most likely to be the Dumnovellaunus who presented himself to Augustus.