Belli
Encyclopedia
The Belli, also designated ‘Beli’ or ‘Belaiscos’ were an ancient pre-Roman
Celtic Celtiberian
people that lived in the modern Spanish province of Zaragoza from the 3rd Century BC.
.
The Belli were of Celtic origin and part of the Celtiberians
. The most complete Celtiberian text we have on the bronze 'hospitality tokens' that acted as a sort of identity card is from the Belli and reads lubos alisokum aualoske kontebias belaiskas meaning 'Lubos of the Aliso family, son of Aualos, from Contrebia Belaisca' showing the self-description of this man, by paternity, extended family and territory which is characteristically Celtic.
province with their territories streching up to the Guadalope
and upper Turia
valleys, close to their neighbours and clients, the Titii
.
Their early capital was Segeda
(Poyo de Maya – Zaragoza
; Celtiberian mint: Sekaiza), subsequently transferred to nearby Dúron de Belmonte and later offset by Bilbilis (Valdeherrera, near Calatayud
– Zaragoza
; Celtiberian mint: Bilbiliz). Other Belli urban centers included Nertobriga (La Almunia de Doña Codina – Zaragoza
; Celtiberian mint: Nertobis), Contrebia Belaisca (Zaforas de Botorita – Zaragoza
; Celtiberian mint: Contebacom Bel), Beligiom (Piquete de la Atalaya de Azuara – Zaragoza; Celtiberian mint: Belikiom), Lesera (El Forcal) and Belgeda (Belchite
– Zaragoza). It is plausible that by the 2nd Century BC they exerted some form of control over the strategic frontier towns of Belia (sited somewhere between the Huerva' and Aguas Vivas' rivers; Celtiberian mint: Belaiscom), Osicerda (El Palau de Alcañiz – Teruel
; Iberian designation: Usercerte), Damania (Hinojosa de Jarque
– Teruel; Celtiberian mint: Tamaniu) and Orosis (La Caridad de Caminreal – Teruel; Celtiberian mint: Orosiz), facing the Iberian peoples of the modern Valencia coastal region.
tribe to adopt coinage in the aftermath of the 2nd Punic War and to post laws in written form on bronze tablets (Tabulae), using a modified Northeastern Iberian script
for their own language. In this script and language they inscribed the characteristic Celtiberian 'hositality tokens' which are small bronze objects, in two halves, each half being retained by people who stood in hospitality relationship to one another. These would act as a sort of identity card, and were probably used as safe-conducts or other warranties. The two halves have been found in places several hundreds of kilometres apart, which implies that the various Celtic groups maintained a system of communications throughout at least central Spain.
, Lusones
and Titii
, with whom they developed close political and military ties – in 153 BC the Numantines even elected the Belli General Caros as leader of the Celtiberian coalition army that ambushed the Consul
Quintus Fulvius Nobilior
at the battle of Ribarroya, at the Baldano river valley in the beginning of the first Numantine War
. Prior to that, they had been forced in 181 BC to accept roman suzerainty by Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus
, but this did not prevented them of resisting further Roman encroachment of their lands as well as fighting off Turboletae
raids and the Iberian Lobetani
people.
in 133 BC and the subsequent collapse of the Celtiberian confederacy, the Belli territory was incorporated into Hispania Citerior
province though little is known of their history afterwards. The Belli appear to have remained independent until the Sertorian Wars of the early 1st Century BC, when they were gradually pushed back from the upper Jiloca by the Edetani
who seized Beligiom, Belgeda, Damania and Orosis, therefore losing all the lands east of the Huerva River. Around 72 BC they and their Titii allies merged with the pro-Roman
Uraci
, Cratistii
and Olcades
tribes to form the Late Celtiberian people (Latin
: Celtiberi) of romanized southern Celtiberia.
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
Celtic Celtiberian
Celtiberians
The Celtiberians were Celtic-speaking people of the Iberian Peninsula in the final centuries BC. The group used the Celtic Celtiberian language.Archaeologically, the Celtiberians participated in the Hallstatt culture in what is now north-central Spain...
people that lived in the modern Spanish province of Zaragoza from the 3rd Century BC.
Origins
The Belli were of Celtic origin and part of the Celtiberians
Celtiberians
The Celtiberians were Celtic-speaking people of the Iberian Peninsula in the final centuries BC. The group used the Celtic Celtiberian language.Archaeologically, the Celtiberians participated in the Hallstatt culture in what is now north-central Spain...
. The most complete Celtiberian text we have on the bronze 'hospitality tokens' that acted as a sort of identity card is from the Belli and reads lubos alisokum aualoske kontebias belaiskas meaning 'Lubos of the Aliso family, son of Aualos, from Contrebia Belaisca' showing the self-description of this man, by paternity, extended family and territory which is characteristically Celtic.
Location
Upon arrival, the Belli settled along the middle Jiloca and Huerva rivers in ZaragozaZaragoza
Zaragoza , also called Saragossa in English, is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain...
province with their territories streching up to the Guadalope
Guadalope
The Guadalope River is a river in Aragon, Spain. It is a tributary of the Ebro .-Course:...
and upper Turia
Turia Valley
The Turia Valley is a small valley on the western border of the Cantabrian Mountains in the northwest of Spain which is close to beaches and is divided by two autonomous communities: Asturias and Galicia. It consists of an area of 90 km2, 3,910 inhabitants and is 200 m above sea level...
valleys, close to their neighbours and clients, the Titii
Titii (Celtiberian)
The Titii were a small and obscure Celtic Celtiberian people whose lands where located along the middle Jalón and upper Tajuña valleys, somewhere between Alhama de Aragón in Zaragoza and Molina de Aragón in Guadalajara provinces.- Culture :...
.
Their early capital was Segeda
Segeda
Segeda is an ancient settlement, near today's Zaragoza in modern-day Spain. Originally it was a Celtiberian town, whose inhabitants, the Belli, gave it the name Sekeida. In 153 BC it was destroyed in a war with the Romans. Soon after, a new settlement was built on a nearby site...
(Poyo de Maya – Zaragoza
Zaragoza
Zaragoza , also called Saragossa in English, is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain...
; Celtiberian mint: Sekaiza), subsequently transferred to nearby Dúron de Belmonte and later offset by Bilbilis (Valdeherrera, near Calatayud
Calatayud
Calatayud is a city and municipality in the province of Zaragoza in Aragón, Spain lying on the river Jalón, in the midst of the Sistema Ibérico mountain range. It is the second-largest city in the province after the capital, Zaragoza, and the largest town in Aragón other than the three provincial...
– Zaragoza
Zaragoza
Zaragoza , also called Saragossa in English, is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain...
; Celtiberian mint: Bilbiliz). Other Belli urban centers included Nertobriga (La Almunia de Doña Codina – Zaragoza
Zaragoza
Zaragoza , also called Saragossa in English, is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain...
; Celtiberian mint: Nertobis), Contrebia Belaisca (Zaforas de Botorita – Zaragoza
Zaragoza
Zaragoza , also called Saragossa in English, is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain...
; Celtiberian mint: Contebacom Bel), Beligiom (Piquete de la Atalaya de Azuara – Zaragoza; Celtiberian mint: Belikiom), Lesera (El Forcal) and Belgeda (Belchite
Belchite
Belchite is a village in the province of Zaragoza, Spain, about 40 km southeast of Zaragoza. It is the capital of Campo de Belchite comarca and is located in a plain surrounded by low hills, the highest of which is Lobo...
– Zaragoza). It is plausible that by the 2nd Century BC they exerted some form of control over the strategic frontier towns of Belia (sited somewhere between the Huerva' and Aguas Vivas' rivers; Celtiberian mint: Belaiscom), Osicerda (El Palau de Alcañiz – Teruel
Teruel
Teruel is a town in Aragon, eastern Spain, and the capital of Teruel Province. It has a population of 34,240 in 2006 making it one of the least populated provincial capitals in the country...
; Iberian designation: Usercerte), Damania (Hinojosa de Jarque
Hinojosa de Jarque
Hinojosa de Jarque is a municipality located in the province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 158 inhabitants....
– Teruel; Celtiberian mint: Tamaniu) and Orosis (La Caridad de Caminreal – Teruel; Celtiberian mint: Orosiz), facing the Iberian peoples of the modern Valencia coastal region.
Culture
The most culturally advanced of the peoples of southern Celtiberia, the Belli were the first CeltiberianCeltiberians
The Celtiberians were Celtic-speaking people of the Iberian Peninsula in the final centuries BC. The group used the Celtic Celtiberian language.Archaeologically, the Celtiberians participated in the Hallstatt culture in what is now north-central Spain...
tribe to adopt coinage in the aftermath of the 2nd Punic War and to post laws in written form on bronze tablets (Tabulae), using a modified Northeastern Iberian script
Northeastern Iberian script
The northeastern Iberian script is also known as Levantine Iberian or Iberian, because it is the Iberian script that was most frequently used, and was the main means of written expression of the Iberian language. The language is also expressed by the southeastern Iberian script and by the...
for their own language. In this script and language they inscribed the characteristic Celtiberian 'hositality tokens' which are small bronze objects, in two halves, each half being retained by people who stood in hospitality relationship to one another. These would act as a sort of identity card, and were probably used as safe-conducts or other warranties. The two halves have been found in places several hundreds of kilometres apart, which implies that the various Celtic groups maintained a system of communications throughout at least central Spain.
History
During the 3rd-2nd centuries BC, the Belli joined the Celtiberian confederacy alongside the ArevaciArevaci
The Arevaci or ‘Aravaci’ , were a pre-Roman Celtic people who settled in the Meseta Central of northern Hispania and which dominated most of Celtiberia from the 4th to late 2nd centuries BC...
, Lusones
Lusones
The Lusones were an ancient Celtic Celtiberian people of the Iberian peninsula , who lived in the high Tajuña River valley, northeast of Guadalajara...
and Titii
Titii (Celtiberian)
The Titii were a small and obscure Celtic Celtiberian people whose lands where located along the middle Jalón and upper Tajuña valleys, somewhere between Alhama de Aragón in Zaragoza and Molina de Aragón in Guadalajara provinces.- Culture :...
, with whom they developed close political and military ties – in 153 BC the Numantines even elected the Belli General Caros as leader of the Celtiberian coalition army that ambushed the Consul
Consul
Consul was the highest elected office of the Roman Republic and an appointive office under the Empire. The title was also used in other city states and also revived in modern states, notably in the First French Republic...
Quintus Fulvius Nobilior
Quintus Fulvius Nobilior
Quintus Fulvius Nobilior was a Roman consul who obtained the consulship in 153 BC.His father Marcus Fulvius Nobilior and his brother Marcus Fulvius Nobilior were also consuls.Nobilior and his father were patrons of the writer Quintus Ennius....
at the battle of Ribarroya, at the Baldano river valley in the beginning of the first Numantine War
Numantine War
The Numantine War was the last conflict of the Celtiberian Wars fought by the Romans to subdue those people along the Ebro. It was a twenty year long conflict between the Celtiberian tribes of Hispania Citerior and the Roman government. It began in 154 BC as a revolt of the Celtiberians of...
. Prior to that, they had been forced in 181 BC to accept roman suzerainty by Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus
Tiberius Gracchus Major
Tiberius Gracchus major or Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus was a Roman politician of the 2nd century BC...
, but this did not prevented them of resisting further Roman encroachment of their lands as well as fighting off Turboletae
Turboletae
The Turboletae or 'Turboleti' were an obscure pre-Roman people from ancient Spain, which lived in the northwest Teruel province since the early 3rd Century BC.- Origins :...
raids and the Iberian Lobetani
Lobetani
The Lobetani , were a small pre-Roman Iberian people of ancient Spain mentioned only once by Ptolemy in the 2nd century AD, situated at the southwest Teruel province around the Albarracín area...
people.
Romanization
With the fall of NumantiaNumantia
Numantia is the name of an ancient Celtiberian settlement, whose remains are located 7 km north of the city of Soria, on a hill known as Cerro de la Muela in the municipality of Garray....
in 133 BC and the subsequent collapse of the Celtiberian confederacy, the Belli territory was incorporated into Hispania Citerior
Hispania Citerior
During the Roman Republic, Hispania Citerior was a region of Hispania roughly occupying the northeastern coast and the Ebro Valley of what is now Spain. Hispania Ulterior was located west of Hispania Citerior—that is, farther away from Rome.-External links:*...
province though little is known of their history afterwards. The Belli appear to have remained independent until the Sertorian Wars of the early 1st Century BC, when they were gradually pushed back from the upper Jiloca by the Edetani
Edetani
The Edetani were an ancient Iberian people of the Iberian peninsula . They are believed to have spoken a form of the Iberian language.-External links:*...
who seized Beligiom, Belgeda, Damania and Orosis, therefore losing all the lands east of the Huerva River. Around 72 BC they and their Titii allies merged with the pro-Roman
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
Uraci
Uraci
The Uraci or ‘Duraci’ were a little-known Celtic people of pre-Roman Iberia who dwelt to the east of the Vaccaei, occupying the southern Soria, northern Guadalajara and western Zaragoza provinces since the 4th century BC.- Origins :...
, Cratistii
Cratistii
The Cratistii were an ancient Spanish , stock-raising people whose lands were situated along the upper Tagus valley, in the elevated plateau region of the western Cuenca and northeast Teruel provinces.- Origins :...
and Olcades
Olcades
The Olcades were an ancient stock-raising pre-Roman people from Hispania that lived to the west of the Turboletae in the southeastern fringe of the Iberian system mountains.- Origins :...
tribes to form the Late Celtiberian people (Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
: Celtiberi) of romanized southern Celtiberia.