The Alpes Cottiae (; English: 'Cottian Alps') was a small Roman province of the Roman Empire founded in 63 AD by Emperor Nero. It was one of the three provinces straddling the Alps between modern France and Italy, along with the Alpes Graiae et Poeninae and Alpes Maritimae.
The capital of the province was Segusio (modern Susa, Piedmont). Other important settlements were located at Ebrodunum and Brigantio (Briançon). Named after the 1st-century BC ruler of the region, Cottius, the toponym survives today in the Cottian Alps.
History
The province originated in a local chiefdom ruled by the enfranchised king
Donnus, who governed the
Ligures of the region by the middle of the 1st century BC. He was succeeded by his son,
Cottius, who offered no resistance to the incorporation of his realm into the Roman imperial system under Emperor
Caesar Augustus in 15–14 BC, and continued to rule the native tribes as
praefectus civitatium of the
Cottii Regnum.
After the death of his son, Cottius II, in 63 AD, the region was annexed by Emperor Nero and reorganised as a procuratorial province under the name provincia Alpium Cottiarum.
Under Diocletian (284–305), the western portion of the province was transferred to the Alpes Maritimae, while the eastern part was placed under a praeses within the Diocese of Italy.
Settlements
Settlements in Alpes Cottiae included:
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Ad Fines (Malano) ("mansio", customs post)
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Ocelum (Caprie) ("oppidum", Celtic village)
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Ad Duodecimum (San Didero) ("mutatio")
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Segusio (Susa) (capital)
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Venausio (Venaus) (oppidum)
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Scingomagus / Excingomagus (Exilles) (oppidum, possibly Donnus's capital)
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Caesao / Goesao (Cesana Torinese) ("castrum")
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Ad Martes Ultor (late imperial "Ulcense") (Oulx) ("castrum")
-
Brigantium (Briançon) (mansio)
-
Mons Matronae (Mont Genèvre)
See also
Bibliography
Further reading
-
Tilmann Bechert: Die Provinzen des römischen Reiches: Einführung und Überblick. von Zabern, Mainz 1999.
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Bartolomasi : Valsusa Antica . Alzani, 1975.
