Germani (Oretania)
Encyclopedia
The Germani were an obscure pre-Roman
ancient Spanish
people which settled around the 4th century BC in western Oretania, an ancient region corresponding to the south of Ciudad Real
and the eastern tip of Badajoz
provinces in eastern Andalusia
.
and Germanic
descend, the Germani migrated to the Iberia
around the fourth Century BC. They also included people of Celtiberian
and native Iberian
-Tartessian
affiliation, and it has been suggested that their language
was a form of Proto-Germanic.
hillforts
such as Alarcos(Ciudad Real
) and Cerro de las Cabezas confirm that Germani culture was strongly influenced by their southeastern Iberian
neighbours and the Celtiberians
.
, they are credited of founding on western Oretania the towns of Mirobriga
(near Capilla
– Badajoz
), their Capital Orissia or Oria, also designated Oretum Germanorum (Cerro Dominguez, near Granátula de Calatrava
– Ciudad Real
), Gemella Germanorum (Almagro
– Ciudad Real
), Lacurris (Alarcos – Ciudad Real
), Sisapo (La Bienvenida, Almodóvar
– Ciudad Real
) and Mentesa Oretana (Villanueva de la Fuente
– Ciudad Real
).
Oretani
people during the 3rd Century BC remains unclear, though they certainly supported the powerful Oretanian King Orison at the battle of Helicen in 228 BC (Helike in the Greek
sources, perhaps Elche de la Sierra
, Elche or another oretanian city) against the Carthaginians
under Hamilcar Barca
. Orison’s defeat in 227 BC and its subsequent alliance with Carthage
, however, caused a major friction between the Oretani
and their Germani allies who continued to resist Punic expansion until being subdued by Hannibal Barca in 221 BC; the latter were certainly amongst the Oretani
troops sent to Africa
at the outbreak of the 2nd Punic War
.
and in 156 BC they too were included into Hispania Citerior
Province, being gradually assimilated by the Oretani
though retaining their Celto-Germanic cultural identity for several more centuries.
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....
ancient Spanish
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
people which settled around the 4th century BC in western Oretania, an ancient region corresponding to the south of Ciudad Real
Ciudad Real
Ciudad Real is a city in Castile-La Mancha, Spain, with a population of c. 74,000. It is the capital of the province of Ciudad Real. It has a stop on the AVE high-speed rail line and has begun to grow as a long-distance commuter suburb of Madrid, located 115 miles to the north. A high capacity...
and the eastern tip of Badajoz
Badajoz
Badajoz is the capital of the Province of Badajoz in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain, situated close to the Portuguese border, on the left bank of the river Guadiana, and the Madrid–Lisbon railway. The population in 2007 was 145,257....
provinces in eastern Andalusia
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
.
Origins
Apparently of mixed BelgaeBelgae
The Belgae were a group of tribes living in northern Gaul, on the west bank of the Rhine, in the 3rd century BC, and later also in Britain, and possibly even Ireland...
and Germanic
Germanic peoples
The Germanic peoples are an Indo-European ethno-linguistic group of Northern European origin, identified by their use of the Indo-European Germanic languages which diversified out of Proto-Germanic during the Pre-Roman Iron Age.Originating about 1800 BCE from the Corded Ware Culture on the North...
descend, the Germani migrated to the Iberia
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
around the fourth Century BC. They also included people of Celtiberian
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...
and native Iberian
Iberians
The Iberians were a set of peoples that Greek and Roman sources identified with that name in the eastern and southern coasts of the Iberian peninsula at least from the 6th century BC...
-Tartessian
Tartessian
Tertessian may refer to:*an ancient civilization based in Tartessos in modern-day Andalusia*the Tartessian language*the Tartessian script...
affiliation, and it has been suggested that their language
Language
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
was a form of Proto-Germanic.
Culture
Archeological evidence retrieved from local Iron AgeIron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
hillforts
Hill fort
A hill fort is a type of earthworks used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze and Iron Ages. Some were used in the post-Roman period...
such as Alarcos(Ciudad Real
Ciudad Real
Ciudad Real is a city in Castile-La Mancha, Spain, with a population of c. 74,000. It is the capital of the province of Ciudad Real. It has a stop on the AVE high-speed rail line and has begun to grow as a long-distance commuter suburb of Madrid, located 115 miles to the north. A high capacity...
) and Cerro de las Cabezas confirm that Germani culture was strongly influenced by their southeastern Iberian
Iberians
The Iberians were a set of peoples that Greek and Roman sources identified with that name in the eastern and southern coasts of the Iberian peninsula at least from the 6th century BC...
neighbours and the Celtiberians
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...
.
Location
Located to the west of the OlcadesOlcades
The Olcades were an ancient stock-raising pre-Roman people from Hispania that lived to the west of the Turboletae in the southeastern fringe of the Iberian system mountains.- Origins :...
, they are credited of founding on western Oretania the towns of Mirobriga
Ciudad Rodrigo
Ciudad Rodrigo is a small cathedral city in the province of Salamanca, in western Spain, with a population of about 14,000. It is the seat of a judicial district as well....
(near Capilla
Capilla
Capilla is a Spanish municipality in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura. It has a population of 189 and an area of 147 km².-External links:* *...
– Badajoz
Badajoz
Badajoz is the capital of the Province of Badajoz in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain, situated close to the Portuguese border, on the left bank of the river Guadiana, and the Madrid–Lisbon railway. The population in 2007 was 145,257....
), their Capital Orissia or Oria, also designated Oretum Germanorum (Cerro Dominguez, near Granátula de Calatrava
Granátula de Calatrava
Granátula de Calatrava is a municipality in the province of Ciudad Real, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. Itwas known as Oretum in ancient Iberian times....
– Ciudad Real
Ciudad Real
Ciudad Real is a city in Castile-La Mancha, Spain, with a population of c. 74,000. It is the capital of the province of Ciudad Real. It has a stop on the AVE high-speed rail line and has begun to grow as a long-distance commuter suburb of Madrid, located 115 miles to the north. A high capacity...
), Gemella Germanorum (Almagro
Almagro
Almagro may refer to:*Diego de Almagro , Spanish explorer*Diego Almagro II , assassin of Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro*Nicolás Almagro , Spanish tennis player*Almagro, Buenos Aires...
– Ciudad Real
Ciudad Real
Ciudad Real is a city in Castile-La Mancha, Spain, with a population of c. 74,000. It is the capital of the province of Ciudad Real. It has a stop on the AVE high-speed rail line and has begun to grow as a long-distance commuter suburb of Madrid, located 115 miles to the north. A high capacity...
), Lacurris (Alarcos – Ciudad Real
Ciudad Real
Ciudad Real is a city in Castile-La Mancha, Spain, with a population of c. 74,000. It is the capital of the province of Ciudad Real. It has a stop on the AVE high-speed rail line and has begun to grow as a long-distance commuter suburb of Madrid, located 115 miles to the north. A high capacity...
), Sisapo (La Bienvenida, Almodóvar
Pedro Almodóvar
Pedro Almodóvar Caballero is a Spanish film director, screenwriter and producer.Almodóvar is arguably the most successful and internationally known Spanish filmmaker of his generation. His films, marked by complex narratives, employ the codes of melodrama and use elements of pop culture, popular...
– Ciudad Real
Ciudad Real
Ciudad Real is a city in Castile-La Mancha, Spain, with a population of c. 74,000. It is the capital of the province of Ciudad Real. It has a stop on the AVE high-speed rail line and has begun to grow as a long-distance commuter suburb of Madrid, located 115 miles to the north. A high capacity...
) and Mentesa Oretana (Villanueva de la Fuente
Villanueva de la Fuente
Villanueva de la Fuente is a small village in the geographical centre of Spain, in the region of Castile-La Mancha.In the past it was a Roman village called Mentesa which was a typical crossroads in the Roman period....
– Ciudad Real
Ciudad Real
Ciudad Real is a city in Castile-La Mancha, Spain, with a population of c. 74,000. It is the capital of the province of Ciudad Real. It has a stop on the AVE high-speed rail line and has begun to grow as a long-distance commuter suburb of Madrid, located 115 miles to the north. A high capacity...
).
History
Whatever the Germani were clients or allies of the wealthy IberianIberians
The Iberians were a set of peoples that Greek and Roman sources identified with that name in the eastern and southern coasts of the Iberian peninsula at least from the 6th century BC...
Oretani
Oretani
The Oretani were a pre-Roman ancient Iberian or Celtic people of the Iberian peninsula , in Estremadura, La Mancha, eastern Andalusia and Múrcia...
people during the 3rd Century BC remains unclear, though they certainly supported the powerful Oretanian King Orison at the battle of Helicen in 228 BC (Helike in the Greek
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, perhaps Elche de la Sierra
Elche de la Sierra
Elche de la Sierra is a municipality in Albacete, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. It had a population of 3,944 at the beginning of 2010 as reported by the country's National Statistics Institute.-References:...
, Elche or another oretanian city) against the Carthaginians
Carthage
Carthage , implying it was a 'new Tyre') is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC...
under Hamilcar Barca
Hamilcar Barca
Hamilcar Barca or Barcas was a Carthaginian general and statesman, leader of the Barcid family, and father of Hannibal, Hasdrubal and Mago. He was also father-in-law to Hasdrubal the Fair....
. Orison’s defeat in 227 BC and its subsequent alliance with Carthage
Carthage
Carthage , implying it was a 'new Tyre') is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC...
, however, caused a major friction between the Oretani
Oretani
The Oretani were a pre-Roman ancient Iberian or Celtic people of the Iberian peninsula , in Estremadura, La Mancha, eastern Andalusia and Múrcia...
and their Germani allies who continued to resist Punic expansion until being subdued by Hannibal Barca in 221 BC; the latter were certainly amongst the Oretani
Oretani
The Oretani were a pre-Roman ancient Iberian or Celtic people of the Iberian peninsula , in Estremadura, La Mancha, eastern Andalusia and Múrcia...
troops sent to Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
at the outbreak of the 2nd 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...
.
Romanization
The Germani appear to have adopted a less hostile stance towards 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...
and in 156 BC they too were included 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, being gradually assimilated by the Oretani
Oretani
The Oretani were a pre-Roman ancient Iberian or Celtic people of the Iberian peninsula , in Estremadura, La Mancha, eastern Andalusia and Múrcia...
though retaining their Celto-Germanic cultural identity for several more centuries.
See also
- GermaniGermanic peoplesThe Germanic peoples are an Indo-European ethno-linguistic group of Northern European origin, identified by their use of the Indo-European Germanic languages which diversified out of Proto-Germanic during the Pre-Roman Iron Age.Originating about 1800 BCE from the Corded Ware Culture on the North...
- GermaniaGermaniaGermania was the Greek and Roman geographical term for the geographical regions inhabited by mainly by peoples considered to be Germani. It was most often used to refer especially to the east of the Rhine and north of the Danube...
- Oretania
- 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 ....
- Proto-Germanic