Lusones
Encyclopedia
The Lusones were an ancient Celtic Celtiberian
(Pre-Roman
) people of the Iberian peninsula
(the Roman Hispania
), who lived in the high Tajuña River
valley, northeast of Guadalajara
. They were eliminated by the Romans as a significant threat in the end of the 2nd century BC.
and were a subdivision of the Celtiberians
. It is believed that their ancestors migrated into Iberia
around the 4th century BC
They should not be confused with the Lusitanians
, on the opposite side of Iberia, even if a relation between them both is plausible.
, on the Moncayo
range (Latin
: Mons Chaunus) between the Queiles
and Huecha rivers, occupying the western Zaragoza
and most of Soria
, stretching to the northeastern fringe of nearby Guadalajara
and southern Navarra provinces.
Their presumed capital was Turiaso or Turiasso (La Oruña, Vera de Moncayo
– Zaragoza
; Celtiberian mint: Turiazu); other key Lusones’ towns were Calagurris/Galagorina (Calahorra
– La Rioja
; Celtiberian mint: Kalacoricos), Cascantum/Cascanton (Cascante
– Navarra; Celtiberian mint: Caiscata), Bursau/Bursada (Borja – Zaragoza
; Celtiberian mint: Burzao), Carabis/Caravis (Magallon
– Zaragoza
; Celtiberian mint: Carauez).
They were also involved in the foundations of both the ‘bandit town’ of Complega (site unknown; Celtiberian mint: Kemelon) and the Roman colony of Gracurris (Eras de San Martín, Alhama
– La Rioja
) by Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus
in 181 BC.
, Belli
and Titii
also of the Celtiberian Confederacy
in the 3rd-2nd centuries BC and fought alongside their allies in the Celtiberian Wars
against Rome
, until the destruction of Numantia
brought the collapse of the alliance in 134-133 BC.
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...
(Pre-Roman
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....
) people of the Iberian peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
(the Roman Hispania
Hispania
Another theory holds that the name derives from Ezpanna, the Basque word for "border" or "edge", thus meaning the farthest area or place. Isidore of Sevilla considered Hispania derived from Hispalis....
), who lived in the high Tajuña River
Tajuña River
The Tajuña is a river in central Spain, flowing through the provinces of Guadalajara and Madrid. It is a tributary of the river Jarama which in turn is a tributary of the Tagus...
valley, northeast of Guadalajara
Guadalajara (province)
Guadalajara is a province of central/north-central Spain, in the northern part of the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. It is bordered by the provinces of Cuenca, Madrid, Segovia, Soria, Zaragoza, and Teruel...
. They were eliminated by the Romans as a significant threat in the end of the 2nd century BC.
Origins
They spoke a variety of the Celtiberian languageCeltiberian language
Celtiberian is an extinct Indo-European language of the Celtic branch spoken by the Celtiberians in an area of the Iberian Peninsula lyingbetween the headwaters of the Duero, Tajo, Júcar and Turia rivers and the Ebro river...
and were a subdivision 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...
. It is believed that their ancestors migrated into Iberia
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
around the 4th century BC
They should not be confused with the Lusitanians
Lusitanians
The Lusitanians were an Indo-European people living in the Western Iberian Peninsula long before it became the Roman province of Lusitania . They spoke the Lusitanian language which might have been Celtic. The modern Portuguese people see the Lusitanians as their ancestors...
, on the opposite side of Iberia, even if a relation between them both is plausible.
Location
The Lusones' lands were located in the Aragonese region along the middle EbroEbro
The Ebro or Ebre is one of the most important rivers in the Iberian Peninsula. It is the biggest river by discharge volume in Spain.The Ebro flows through the following cities:*Reinosa in Cantabria.*Miranda de Ebro in Castile and León....
, on the Moncayo
Moncayo
Moncayo may refer to:*Moncayo, a mountain massif of the Sistema Ibérico*Monkayo, Compostela Valley, a municipality in the Philippines-People:*Oswaldo Moncayo, a painter from Ecuador*José Pablo Moncayo, a Mexican composer*Pedro Moncayo, a canton in Ecuador...
range (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...
: Mons Chaunus) between the Queiles
Queiles
The Queiles is an effluent of the Ebro. Its arises in Vozmediano . It flows through Tarazona and empties into the Ebro near Tudela, Navarre....
and Huecha rivers, occupying the western Zaragoza
Zaragoza
Zaragoza , also called Saragossa in English, is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain...
and most of Soria
Soria
Soria is a city in north-central Spain, the capital of the province of Soria in the autonomous community of Castile and León. , the municipality has a population of c. 39,500 inhabitants, nearly 40% of the population of the province...
, stretching to the northeastern fringe of nearby Guadalajara
Guadalajara
Guadalajara may refer to:In Mexico:*Guadalajara, Jalisco, the capital of the state of Jalisco and second largest city in Mexico**Guadalajara Metropolitan Area*University of Guadalajara, a public university in Guadalajara, Jalisco...
and southern Navarra provinces.
Their presumed capital was Turiaso or Turiasso (La Oruña, Vera de Moncayo
Vera de Moncayo
Vera de Moncayo is a municipality located in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 432 inhabitants....
– 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: Turiazu); other key Lusones’ towns were Calagurris/Galagorina (Calahorra
Calahorra
Calahorra, , La Rioja, Spain is a municipality in the comarca of Rioja Baja, near the border with Navarre on the right bank of the Ebro. During ancient Roman times, Calahorra was a municipium known as Calagurris.-Location:...
– La Rioja
La Rioja (Spain)
La Rioja is an autonomous community and a province of northern Spain. Its capital is Logroño. Other cities and towns in the province include Calahorra, Arnedo, Alfaro, Haro, Santo Domingo de la Calzada, and Nájera.-History:...
; Celtiberian mint: Kalacoricos), Cascantum/Cascanton (Cascante
Cascante
Cascante is a town and municipality located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre, northern Spain.During the Roman period, Cascante was known as Cascantum.-External links:**...
– Navarra; Celtiberian mint: Caiscata), Bursau/Bursada (Borja – 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: Burzao), Carabis/Caravis (Magallon
Magallón
Magallón is a municipality located in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. , the municipality has a population of 1,205 inhabitants.-Main sights:*Castle*Church of Santa María de la Huerta*Convent of the Dominicans...
– 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: Carauez).
They were also involved in the foundations of both the ‘bandit town’ of Complega (site unknown; Celtiberian mint: Kemelon) and the Roman colony of Gracurris (Eras de San Martín, Alhama
Alhama
Alhama can refer to:* Alhama de Almería, a town in the province of Almería in Spain* Alhama de Aragón, a town in the province of Zaragoza in Spain* Alhama de Granada, a town in the province of Granada in Spain...
– La Rioja
La Rioja (Spain)
La Rioja is an autonomous community and a province of northern Spain. Its capital is Logroño. Other cities and towns in the province include Calahorra, Arnedo, Alfaro, Haro, Santo Domingo de la Calzada, and Nájera.-History:...
) by Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus
Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus
Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus may refer to:*Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus , father of Tiberius and Publius Gracchus*Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus , son of the above...
in 181 BC.
History
The Lusones joined their neighbours 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...
, Belli
Belli
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.- Origins :.The Belli were of Celtic origin and part of the Celtiberians...
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 :...
also of the Celtiberian Confederacy
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...
in the 3rd-2nd centuries BC and fought alongside their allies in the Celtiberian Wars
Celtiberian Wars
The Celtiberian Wars or Spanish Wars were a series of three wars lasting, off and on, from 181 to 133 BC. They were fought between the advancing legions of the Roman Republic and the Celtiberian tribes of Hispania Citerior. The First Celtiberian War lasted from 181 to 179...
against Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, until the destruction of Numantia
Numantia
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....
brought the collapse of the alliance in 134-133 BC.
External links
- Detailed map of the Pre-Roman Peoples of Iberia (around 200 BC).
- The Lusones (in SpanishSpanish languageSpanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
).