Salassi
Encyclopedia
The Salassi were an Alpine
tribe whose lands lay on the Italian side of the Little St Bernard Pass
across the Graian Alps to Lyons, and the Great St Bernard Pass over the Pennine Alps. They were finally defeated and many enslaved in 25 BCE by the Romans, who founded the city of Augusta Praetoria Salassorum, modern Aosta
, in their territory.
) was founded in the basin at the bottom of the area. Relations with the Romans were not uniformly peaceful; Strabo
mentions that the Salassi robbed Julius Caesar
's treasury and threw rocks on his legions on the grounds that they were making roads and building bridges. There may have been a Roman campaign against the Salassi in 35 or 34 BCE under Marcus Valerius Messalla Corvinus
or Antistius Vetus.
For their last decade of freedom the Salassi (with some other, mainly Alpine, tribes subjugated by 14 BCE) were almost the only remaining groups not under Roman control in the Mediterranean basin. After the Battle of Actium
in 31 BCE the Roman world was united under one ruler, Augustus
, who could concentrate Roman forces against remaining holdouts. The end of independence for the Salassi came at the hands of Aulus Terentius Varro Murena
in 25 BCE. Strabo
records that two thousand Salassi were killed and all the survivors, nearly 40,000 men, women, and children, were taken to Eporedia and sold into slavery. However, some remained; an inscription found near the west gate of Augusta Praetoria Salassorum
is a dedication to Augustus dated 23 BCE of a statue (?) by "the Salassi who had joined the colony from its beginning."
, a well-fortified city protected by two streams. In the ensuing centuries of Roman peace, the Salassi disappear from history.
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
tribe whose lands lay on the Italian side of the Little St Bernard Pass
Little St Bernard Pass
The Little St Bernard Pass is a mountain pass in the Alps on the France–Italy border. Its saddle is at 2188 metres above sea level. It is located between Savoie, France and Aosta Valley, Italy to the south of the Mont Blanc Massif, precisely on the main alpine watershed. There is also a Great St...
across the Graian Alps to Lyons, and the Great St Bernard Pass over the Pennine Alps. They were finally defeated and many enslaved in 25 BCE by the Romans, who founded the city of Augusta Praetoria Salassorum, modern Aosta
Aosta
Aosta is the principal city of the bilingual Aosta Valley in the Italian Alps, north-northwest of Turin. It is situated near the Italian entrance of the Mont Blanc Tunnel, at the confluence of the Buthier and the Dora Baltea, and at the junction of the Great and Little St. Bernard routes...
, in their territory.
Relations with the Romans
At the lower end of their territory were gold mines, which the Roman Republic took in 143 BCE. In 100 B.C., the city of Eporedia (modern IvreaIvrea
Ivrea is a town and comune of the province of Turin in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy. Situated on the road leading to the Aosta Valley , it straddles the Dora Baltea and is regarded as the centre of the Canavese area. Ivrea lies in a basin that, in prehistoric times, formed a great lake...
) was founded in the basin at the bottom of the area. Relations with the Romans were not uniformly peaceful; Strabo
Strabo
Strabo, also written Strabon was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher.-Life:Strabo was born to an affluent family from Amaseia in Pontus , a city which he said was situated the approximate equivalent of 75 km from the Black Sea...
mentions that the Salassi robbed Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
's treasury and threw rocks on his legions on the grounds that they were making roads and building bridges. There may have been a Roman campaign against the Salassi in 35 or 34 BCE under Marcus Valerius Messalla Corvinus
Marcus Valerius Messalla Corvinus
Marcus Valerius Messalla Corvinus was a Roman general, author and patron of literature and art.-Family:He was the son of politician Marcus Valerius Messalla Niger Although, some dispute his parentage and claim another descendant of Marcus Valerius Corvus to be his father.Messalla Corvinus is...
or Antistius Vetus.
For their last decade of freedom the Salassi (with some other, mainly Alpine, tribes subjugated by 14 BCE) were almost the only remaining groups not under Roman control in the Mediterranean basin. After the Battle of Actium
Battle of Actium
The Battle of Actium was the decisive confrontation of the Final War of the Roman Republic. It was fought between the forces of Octavian and the combined forces of Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII. The battle took place on 2 September 31 BC, on the Ionian Sea near the city of Actium, at the Roman...
in 31 BCE the Roman world was united under one ruler, Augustus
Augustus
Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
, who could concentrate Roman forces against remaining holdouts. The end of independence for the Salassi came at the hands of Aulus Terentius Varro Murena
Aulus Terentius Varro Murena
Aulus Terentius Varro Murena was a Roman general and politician of the 1st Century BC.- Biography :Murena was the natural born son of Aulus Terentius Varro, and adopted brother to Lucius Lucinius Varro Murena...
in 25 BCE. Strabo
Strabo
Strabo, also written Strabon was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher.-Life:Strabo was born to an affluent family from Amaseia in Pontus , a city which he said was situated the approximate equivalent of 75 km from the Black Sea...
records that two thousand Salassi were killed and all the survivors, nearly 40,000 men, women, and children, were taken to Eporedia and sold into slavery. However, some remained; an inscription found near the west gate of Augusta Praetoria Salassorum
Aosta
Aosta is the principal city of the bilingual Aosta Valley in the Italian Alps, north-northwest of Turin. It is situated near the Italian entrance of the Mont Blanc Tunnel, at the confluence of the Buthier and the Dora Baltea, and at the junction of the Great and Little St. Bernard routes...
is a dedication to Augustus dated 23 BCE of a statue (?) by "the Salassi who had joined the colony from its beginning."
Roman city
Varro founded a Roman colony in the territory of the Salassi, Augusta Praetoria SalassorumAosta
Aosta is the principal city of the bilingual Aosta Valley in the Italian Alps, north-northwest of Turin. It is situated near the Italian entrance of the Mont Blanc Tunnel, at the confluence of the Buthier and the Dora Baltea, and at the junction of the Great and Little St. Bernard routes...
, a well-fortified city protected by two streams. In the ensuing centuries of Roman peace, the Salassi disappear from history.