Veliocasses

In pre-Roman Gaul the Belgic tribe of the Veliocasses or Velocasses controlled a large area in the lower Seine valley, which retains a trace of their name, as the Vexin.[1] According to Julius Caesar' Commentary on the Gallic Wars the Veliocasses participated in the tribal coalition of the Belgae that resisted the Romans in 57 BCE. In 52 they raised 3000 men to support Vercingetorix, and fought alongside the Bellovaci in the final rebellion against Roman hegemony. Pliny mentions the Vellocasses in his Naturalis Historia (4.18), and Ptolemy (2.8 §8) the Oueneliokasioi.[2]

In the time of Augustus they were included in Gallia Lugdunensis. Their capital was Rotomagus (Rouen).

Notes

  1. ↑ Veliocassinus > Veuguessin > Vexin; the medieval division along the Epte between Norman Vexin and French Vexin is a much later development.
  2. ↑ Noted in Sir William Smith, ed. A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography,s.v. "Vellocasses".


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 4/23/2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.