The Aulerci were a group of Gallic peoples inhabiting regions of Gaul during the Iron Age and the Roman period.
They were divided into the Cenomani, the most powerful of them, the Eburovices, the Diablintes, and the Brannovices.[1][2]
Name
[edit]The Gaulish ethnonym Aulerci is generally interpreted as meaning 'those who are far away from their traces' (tracks, paths), composed of the ablative prefix au- ('out of, away from') attached to the root lerg- ('trace', cf. MIr. lorg, OBret. lerg).[3][4][5] Pierre-Yves Lambert has also proposed a comparison with the Old Irish lerg ('slope, brink'), or with the Welsh/Breton alarch ('swan').[6]
History
[edit]According to Livy, they joined Bellovesus' legendary migrations towards Italy ca. 600 BC, along with the Aeduii, Ambarri, Arverni, Carnutes and Senones.[7][2]
The relationship that linked the different tribes together remains uncertain. According to historian Venceslas Kruta, they could have been pagi that got separated from a larger ethnic group during the pre-Roman period.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Kruta 2000, p. 440.
- ^ a b Lafond 2006.
- ^ Lambert 1994, p. 36.
- ^ Delamarre 2003, pp. 60, 199.
- ^ Matasović 2009, p. 244.
- ^ Lambert 2005, p. 223.
- ^ Livius, Ab Urbe condita 5.34-35.3.
Bibliography
[edit]- Delamarre, Xavier (2003). Dictionnaire de la langue gauloise: Une approche linguistique du vieux-celtique continental. Errance. ISBN 9782877723695.
- Lafond, Yves (2006). "Aulerci". Brill's New Pauly. doi:10.1163/1574-9347_bnp_e208920.
- Lambert, Pierre-Yves (1994). La langue gauloise: description linguistique, commentaire d'inscriptions choisies. Errance. ISBN 978-2-87772-089-2.
- Lambert, Pierre-Yves (2005). "The place names of Lugdunensis [Λουγδουνησία]". In de Hoz, Javier; Luján, Eugenio R.; Sims-Williams, Patrick (eds.). New approaches to Celtic place-names in Ptolemy's Geography. Ediciones Clásicas. pp. 215–251. ISBN 978-8478825721.
- Kruta, Venceslas (2000). Les Celtes, histoire et dictionnaire : des origines à la romanisation et au christianisme. Robert Laffont. ISBN 2-221-05690-6.
- Matasović, Ranko (2009). Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic. Brill. ISBN 9789004173361.
