The Brigianii (Gaulish: * Brigianioi) were a Gauls tribe dwelling around present-day Briançon during the Iron Age and the Roman period.
Name
They are mentioned as
Brigianii by Pliny (1st c. AD),
and as
Brigiani,
Brigantionis and
Bricianiorum on inscriptions.
[CIL 5:7817, 12:94, 80.][, s.v. Brigianii.]
Their name may be based on the Gaulish root brig- ('high, elevated'),
Geography
The Gallitae lived in the region of , in the center of the
Alpes Cottiae. Their territory was located north of the
Caturiges, west of the
Quariates, east of the
Tricorii, south of the
Segovii.
[, Map 17: Lugdunum.]
Their chief town was known as Brigantio (modern Briançon), meaning 'eminence, high/elevated place' in Gaulish.
History
They are mentioned by Pliny the Elder as one of the Alpine tribes conquered by Rome in 16–15 BC, and whose name was engraved on the
Tropaeum Alpium.
[Pliny. Naturalis Historia, 3:20.]
Primary sources
Bibliography
