The Venisami (Gaulish: *Uenisamoi) or Venisamores were a Gallic tribe dwelling in the Alps during the Iron Age.

Name

They are mentioned as Venisamorum on the Arch of Susa.[1]

The ethnic name Venisami is a latinized form of Gaulish *Uenisamoi (sing. Uenisamos). It can be derived from the stem ueni- ('family, clan, friends') attached to -sāmo- ('calm'),[1] and translated as the 'friendly ones'.[2] It is comparable with the personal names Uenisamus (in Cisalpina) and Uenixama (in Lepontia).[3]

Geography

They may have dwelled around Forum Germanici (modern Busca), south of the Binbelli, north of the Epanterii, and east of the Statielli.[4]

History

They appear on the Arch of Susa, erected by Cottius in 9–8 BC.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b Falileyev 2010, s.v. Venisami.
  2. ^ de Bernardo Stempel 2015, p. 85.
  3. ^ Delamarre 2003, p. 313.
  4. ^ Talbert 2000, Map 39: Mediolanum.
  5. ^ Barruol 1969, p. 32.

Bibliography

  • Barruol, Guy (1969). Les Peuples préromains du Sud-Est de la Gaule: étude de géographie historique. E. de Boccard. OCLC 3279201.
  • de Bernardo Stempel, Patrizia (2015). "Zu den keltisch benannten Stämmen im Umfeld des oberen Donauraums". In Lohner-Urban, Ute; Scherrer, Peter (eds.). Der obere Donauraum 50 v. bis 50 n. Chr. Frank & Timme. ISBN 978-3-7329-0143-2.
  • Delamarre, Xavier (2003). Dictionnaire de la langue gauloise: Une approche linguistique du vieux-celtique continental. Errance. ISBN 9782877723695.
  • Falileyev, Alexander (2010). Dictionary of Continental Celtic Place-names: A Celtic Companion to the Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World. CMCS. ISBN 978-0955718236.
  • Talbert, Richard J. A. (2000). Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0691031699.
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