Brigianii

The Brigianii (Gaulish: *Brigianioi) were a Gallic 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),^[1] and as Brigiani, Brigantionis and Bricianiorum on inscriptions.^[2][3]

Their name may be based on the Gaulish root brig- ('high, elevated'),^[3] or on brīgo- ('might, strength').^[4]

Geography

The Gallitae lived in the region of Briançonnais [fr], in the center of the Cottian Kingdom.^[5] Their territory was located north of the Caturiges, west of the Quariates, east of the Tricorii, south of the Segovii.^[6]

Their chief town was known as Brigantio (modern Briançon), meaning 'eminence, high/elevated place' in Gaulish.^[5][7]

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.^[1]