Ambrones
Encyclopedia
The Ambrones were a tribe that appeared briefly in the Roman sources relating to the 2nd century BC. They formed part of a coalition of peoples with the Cimbri
of Jutland
and the Teutones
who were forced south by the flooding of their homeland.
region was suffering from catastrophic salt-water flooding; this section of seacoast had been barely above sea level
during the BCE period of human history, but was now in the process of sinking below it.
The Ambrones were part of the fleeing multitude. Plutarch gives the numbers advancing on Italy as 300,000 armed fighting men, and much larger hordes of women and children. The Barbarians divided themselves into two bands, and it fell to the lot of the Cimbri to proceed through Noricum
in the interior of the country against Catulus, and of a passage there, while the Teutones and Ambrones were to march through Liguria
along the sea-coast against the consul Gaius Marius
, who had set up camp on the Rhône
. Plutarch tells us that Ambrones alone numbered more than 30,000 and were the most warlike division of the enemy, who had earlier defeated the Romans under Manlius and Caepio. It was the Battle of Arausio
in 105 in which the Romans were defeated under Servilius Caepio and Gnaeus Mallius.
The Teutones and Ambrones assaulted the camp of Marius and were repulsed. They decided to go on and streamed around the camp, giving the Roman soldiers messages for the wives they should encounter as domestics when enslaved. Marius followed swiftly and again encamped next to them at Aquae Sextiae
at the foot of the Alps. The year was 102 BC.
The battle began as a chance encounter but the Romans turned it into a victory. Roman camp followers attempting to draw water from a nearby river were attacked by the Ambrones, who were still using it. The Ligurian
s acting as Roman auxiliaries came to their rescue and were repulsed across the river. The opportunity was not lost on Marius. The Romans quickly formed ranks and caught the Ambrones trying to recross the river. The Ambrones lost the main part of their force. Two days later Marius repulsed an attack on the camp and caught the enemy force between his own main force in the front and an ambush of 3000 men in the enemy rear. Marius took 100,000 prisoners. The Ambrones were destroyed. Although Caesar mentions that the remnants of the Cimbri and Teutones formed a new tribe in Belgic Gaul, the Aduatuci
, he does not mention any remnants of the Ambrones.
, old name Imbria, and Amrum
. If so they may be the Ymbers of Widsith
. However the inundation of the Wadden Sea
region during this period suggests that they lived west of Jutland, not east of Jutland.
As to their ethnicity there is no agreement. While the Teutones were likely Germanic
there is evidence that the Ambrones and Cimbri may may have been a different or amalgamated people. Later in their brief and sanguinary course across Europe, the Cimbri were ruled by Boiorix
, a Celtic
name, "King of the Boii." The amb- in Ambrones is an initial segment of many Celtic tribal names. It is related to Greek amphi and Latin ambi, meaning "around" or "on both sides" from a Proto-Indo-European root. The Ambrones followed a Celtic custom in shouting the name of their tribe going into battle. However they apparently came from an area that had been recently Germanized from the North, and this was also a time when the Germanic tribes were influenced by Celtic culture.
Cimbri
The Cimbri were a tribe from Northern Europe, who, together with the Teutones and the Ambrones threatened the Roman Republic in the late 2nd century BC. The Cimbri were probably Germanic, though some believe them to be of Celtic origin...
of Jutland
Jutland
Jutland , historically also called Cimbria, is the name of the peninsula that juts out in Northern Europe toward the rest of Scandinavia, forming the mainland part of Denmark. It has the North Sea to its west, Kattegat and Skagerrak to its north, the Baltic Sea to its east, and the Danish–German...
and the Teutones
Teutons
The Teutons or Teutones were mentioned as a Germanic tribe by Greek and Roman authors, notably Strabo and Marcus Velleius Paterculus and normally in close connection with the Cimbri, whose ethnicity is contested between Gauls and Germani...
who were forced south by the flooding of their homeland.
History
The three neighbors began their career in Roman history as an alliance determined to emigrate to the lands of the south. A roman source reports that "The Cimbri, Teutones and Tigurini, fugitives from the extreme parts of Gaul, since the Ocean had inundated their territories, began to seek new settlement throughout the world." The Zuider ZeeZuider Zee
The Zuiderzee was a shallow bay of the North Sea in the northwest of the Netherlands, extending about 100 km inland and at most 50 km wide, with an overall depth of about 4 to 5 metres and a coastline of about 300 km . It covered...
region was suffering from catastrophic salt-water flooding; this section of seacoast had been barely above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
during the BCE period of human history, but was now in the process of sinking below it.
The Ambrones were part of the fleeing multitude. Plutarch gives the numbers advancing on Italy as 300,000 armed fighting men, and much larger hordes of women and children. The Barbarians divided themselves into two bands, and it fell to the lot of the Cimbri to proceed through Noricum
Noricum
Noricum, in ancient geography, was a Celtic kingdom stretching over the area of today's Austria and a part of Slovenia. It became a province of the Roman Empire...
in the interior of the country against Catulus, and of a passage there, while the Teutones and Ambrones were to march through Liguria
Liguria
Liguria is a coastal region of north-western Italy, the third smallest of the Italian regions. Its capital is Genoa. It is a popular region with tourists for its beautiful beaches, picturesque little towns, and good food.-Geography:...
along the sea-coast against the consul Gaius Marius
Gaius Marius
Gaius Marius was a Roman general and statesman. He was elected consul an unprecedented seven times during his career. He was also noted for his dramatic reforms of Roman armies, authorizing recruitment of landless citizens, eliminating the manipular military formations, and reorganizing the...
, who had set up camp on the Rhône
Rhône
Rhone can refer to:* Rhone, one of the major rivers of Europe, running through Switzerland and France* Rhône Glacier, the source of the Rhone River and one of the primary contributors to Lake Geneva in the far eastern end of the canton of Valais in Switzerland...
. Plutarch tells us that Ambrones alone numbered more than 30,000 and were the most warlike division of the enemy, who had earlier defeated the Romans under Manlius and Caepio. It was the Battle of Arausio
Battle of Arausio
The Battle of Arausio took place on October 6, 105 BC, at a site between the town of Arausio and the Rhône River. Ranged against the migratory tribes of the Cimbri under Boiorix and the Teutoni were two Roman armies, commanded by the proconsul Quintus Servilius Caepio and consul Gnaeus Mallius...
in 105 in which the Romans were defeated under Servilius Caepio and Gnaeus Mallius.
The Teutones and Ambrones assaulted the camp of Marius and were repulsed. They decided to go on and streamed around the camp, giving the Roman soldiers messages for the wives they should encounter as domestics when enslaved. Marius followed swiftly and again encamped next to them at Aquae Sextiae
Battle of Aquae Sextiae
The Battle of Aquae Sextiae took place in 102 BC. After a string of Roman defeats , the Romans under Gaius Marius finally defeated the Teutones and Ambrones.-The battle:...
at the foot of the Alps. The year was 102 BC.
The battle began as a chance encounter but the Romans turned it into a victory. Roman camp followers attempting to draw water from a nearby river were attacked by the Ambrones, who were still using it. The Ligurian
Ligures
The Ligures were an ancient people who gave their name to Liguria, a region of north-western Italy.-Classical sources:...
s acting as Roman auxiliaries came to their rescue and were repulsed across the river. The opportunity was not lost on Marius. The Romans quickly formed ranks and caught the Ambrones trying to recross the river. The Ambrones lost the main part of their force. Two days later Marius repulsed an attack on the camp and caught the enemy force between his own main force in the front and an ambush of 3000 men in the enemy rear. Marius took 100,000 prisoners. The Ambrones were destroyed. Although Caesar mentions that the remnants of the Cimbri and Teutones formed a new tribe in Belgic Gaul, the Aduatuci
Aduatuci
The Aduatuci or Atuatuci were, according to Caesar, a Germanic tribe formed in east Belgium descended from the Cimbri and Teutones, who are tribes thought to have originated in the area of Denmark. They were allowed to settle in the region by local tribes...
, he does not mention any remnants of the Ambrones.
Homeland and ethnicity
The exact location of the homeland of the Ambrones is unknown. They had been driven out of it by flooding before Greek and Roman geographers began to note the locations of the tribes of northern Europe. Their name has been connected to the islands of FehmarnFehmarn
Fehmarn is an island and - since 2003 - a town on this island in the Baltic Sea, off the eastern coast of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, and ca. 18 kilometers south of the Danish island of Lolland...
, old name Imbria, and Amrum
Amrum
Amrum is one of the North Frisian Islands on the German North Sea coast, south of Sylt and west of Föhr. It is part of the Nordfriesland district in the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein...
. If so they may be the Ymbers of Widsith
Widsith
Widsith is an Old English poem of 144 lines that appears to date from the 9th century, drawing on earlier oral traditions of Anglo-Saxon tale singing. The only text of the fragment is copied in the Exeter Book, a manuscript of Old English poetry compiled in the late 10th century containing...
. However the inundation of the Wadden Sea
Wadden Sea
The Wadden Sea is an intertidal zone in the southeastern part of the North Sea. It lies between the coast of northwestern continental Europe and the range of Frisian Islands, forming a shallow body of water with tidal flats and wetlands. It is rich in biological diversity...
region during this period suggests that they lived west of Jutland, not east of Jutland.
As to their ethnicity there is no agreement. While the Teutones were likely Germanic
Germanic peoples
The Germanic peoples are an Indo-European ethno-linguistic group of Northern European origin, identified by their use of the Indo-European Germanic languages which diversified out of Proto-Germanic during the Pre-Roman Iron Age.Originating about 1800 BCE from the Corded Ware Culture on the North...
there is evidence that the Ambrones and Cimbri may may have been a different or amalgamated people. Later in their brief and sanguinary course across Europe, the Cimbri were ruled by Boiorix
Boiorix
Boiorix was a king of the Cimbri tribe. His most notable achievement was a spectacular victory against the Romans at the Battle of Arausio in 105 BC. He was later defeated and slain at the Battle of Vercellae in 101 BC.-References:...
, a Celtic
Celtic languages
The Celtic languages are descended from Proto-Celtic, or "Common Celtic"; a branch of the greater Indo-European language family...
name, "King of the Boii." The amb- in Ambrones is an initial segment of many Celtic tribal names. It is related to Greek amphi and Latin ambi, meaning "around" or "on both sides" from a Proto-Indo-European root. The Ambrones followed a Celtic custom in shouting the name of their tribe going into battle. However they apparently came from an area that had been recently Germanized from the North, and this was also a time when the Germanic tribes were influenced by Celtic culture.