Orobii
Encyclopedia
The Orobii also Orumobii or Orumbovii were a population that inhabited the northern Italian valleys of Bergamo
, Como
and Lecco
in the 1st millennium BC.
Pliny the Elder
ascribes to them the foundation of the cities of Como
, Bergamo
, Licini Forum and Parra
.
Classical historians such as Pliny the Elder
himself thought them as of Greek origin, tracing the etymology of their ethnonym
from the greek "Ορων βιον".
The modern interpretation by archaeologists and linguists is different, they see the Orobii as a population of celticized
Ligurians, or Celtic-Ligurians, formed with the contribution of celtic immigrants from the Rhine and the Danube
areas, in an early historical period preceding the Gallic invasions of the 4th century BC, whom settled in north-west Italy between the Oglio
and the Ticino
rivers.
Bergamo
Bergamo is a town and comune in Lombardy, Italy, about 40 km northeast of Milan. The comune is home to over 120,000 inhabitants. It is served by the Orio al Serio Airport, which also serves the Province of Bergamo, and to a lesser extent the metropolitan area of Milan...
, Como
Como
Como is a city and comune in Lombardy, Italy.It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como....
and Lecco
Lecco
Lecco is a town of c. 47,760 inhabitants in Lombardy, northern Italy, north of Milan, the capital of the province of Lecco. It lies at the end of the south-eastern branch of Lake Como...
in the 1st millennium BC.
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...
ascribes to them the foundation of the cities of Como
Como
Como is a city and comune in Lombardy, Italy.It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como....
, Bergamo
Bergamo
Bergamo is a town and comune in Lombardy, Italy, about 40 km northeast of Milan. The comune is home to over 120,000 inhabitants. It is served by the Orio al Serio Airport, which also serves the Province of Bergamo, and to a lesser extent the metropolitan area of Milan...
, Licini Forum and Parra
Parra
Parra is a Spanish surname meaning vine bower or trellis, for example an Arbor .People* Alondra de la Parra Mexican conductor* Parra family, Chilean family known for its many artists** Violeta Parra, Chilean folk singer...
.
Classical historians such as 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...
himself thought them as of Greek origin, tracing the etymology of their ethnonym
Ethnonym
An ethnonym is the name applied to a given ethnic group. Ethnonyms can be divided into two categories: exonyms and autonyms or endonyms .As an example, the ethnonym for...
from the greek "Ορων βιον".
The modern interpretation by archaeologists and linguists is different, they see the Orobii as a population of celticized
Celticization
Celticization is a supposed mechanism of the spread of the Celts and the Celtic languages in Iron Age Europe.During the first millennium BC, the early Celts expanded from a core territory in Central Europe to Iberia, the British Isles and later also the Balkans, and are assumed to have "Celticized"...
Ligurians, or Celtic-Ligurians, formed with the contribution of celtic immigrants from the Rhine and 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....
areas, in an early historical period preceding the Gallic invasions of the 4th century BC, whom settled in north-west Italy between the Oglio
Oglio
The Oglio is a left-side tributary of the Po River in Lombardy, Italy. It is 280 km long....
and the Ticino
Ticino
Canton Ticino or Ticino is the southernmost canton of Switzerland. Named after the Ticino river, it is the only canton in which Italian is the sole official language...
rivers.