European Kingdoms

Taurisci / Norici (Gauls / Belgae?)
Incorporating the Arabiates & Cornacates

Indo-Europeans - Celtic Tribes (Intro) Anatolian Tribes Balkans Tribes Baltic Tribes Celtic Tribes Germanic Tribes Italic Tribes Indo-Iranian/Aryan Tribes Slavic Tribes Tocharians (Intro)

In general terms, the Romans coined the name 'Gaul' to describe the Celtic tribes of what is now central, northern, and eastern France. The Gauls were divided from the Belgae to the north by the Marne and the Seine, and from the Aquitani to the south by the River Garonne, while also extending into Switzerland, northern Italy, and along the Danube (see feature link for a discussion of the origins of the Celtic name).

The Taurisci were a major tribe or confederation which also seems to have included the Norici (Strabo refers to the Taurisci as a tribe and the Norici as a collective). By the middle of the first century BC, both groups and their attached minor tribes were occupying what is now central Austria, extending into western Slovenia and part of northern Croatia, with the Danube forming the northern border.

The Norici and Taurisci were neighboured across the Danube by the vast homeland of the Boii, to the east by the Dacian Racatae and the Illyrian Azali, to the south by the Latovici, Carni, and Ambidravi and Ambilici, and to the west by the Ambisontes, a pocket of Alauni, and a mass of Celto-Alpine, Celto-Ligurian, and Celticised Raeti tribes.

For the moment putting aside the meaning of the Taurisci name, the (adjective-forming) suffix, '-isc' (removing the Latin '-i') which is found in 'Taurisci', 'Norici', and 'Scordisci' appears to be the Germanic suffix, recreated as '-iskaz' in proto-Germanic, and familiar in modern English and German as '-ish' and '-isch' respectively.

The Latin and Greek cognates are '-icus' and '-ikos' respectively. It is uncertain whether proto-Germanics added the 's' sound or Latins and Greeks lost it, but the latter option is preferred here as it provides a simpler explanation for the Taurisci and Norici using the '-isc' sound.

The proto-Indo-European root is unattested but would have led to all of the forms shown above. Both forms of the suffix are used in the names applied here: Norici and Taurisci. The latter meant 'bull-like', while the former probably meant 'from the north' (these are all adjectives which are used as nouns).

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(Information by Peter Kessler and Edward Dawson, with additional information from The La Tene Celtic Belgae Tribes in England: Y-Chromosome Haplogroup R-U152 - Hypothesis C, David K Faux, from The Harleian Miscellany: A Collection of Scarce, Curious and Entertaining Tracts Volume 4, William Oldys & Thomas Park, from Geography, Ptolemy, from The Illyrians, John Wilkes (Blackwell Publishers Inc, 1995 & 1996), from The Cambridge Ancient History, Vol 10: The Augustan Empire, 43 BC-AD 69, Alan K Bowman, Edward Champlin, & Andrew Lintott (Eds, Second Edition, University of Oxford, 1996), from Die Kelten in Österreich nach den ältesten Berichten der Antike, Gerhard Dobesch (in German), from Urbanizzazione delle campagne nell'Italia antica, Lorenzo Quilici & Stefania Quilici Gigli (in Italian), from La frontiera padana, Mauro Poletti (in Italian), and from External Links: On the Celtic Tribe of Taurisci, Mitka Guštin, and the Indo-European Etymological Dictionary, J Pokorny, and Indo-European Chronology - Countries and Peoples, and Geography, Strabo (H C Hamilton & W Falconer, London, 1903, Perseus Online Edition), and The Natural History, Pliny the Elder (John Bostock, Ed), and The Illyrian Wars, Appian (Livius.org), and Polybius, Histories, and Noricum (The Provinces of the Roman Empire), G Alföldy (Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1974, available for purchase via Cambridge University Press), and Emergence of Civitas capitals in Pannonia (Leibniz Centre for Archaeology), and Le Alpi (Università di Trento).)

c.300 BC

By the late Iron Age the area between the southern edge of the eastern Alps and the northern Adriatic has long been inhabited by diverse prehistoric populations, such as Raeti and Ligurians.

The modern southern Austrian region of Carinthia marked the upper edge of the Adriatic hinterland which was first occupied by Celts towards the end of the fourth century BC

Some newcomers arrive into the area around this time in the form of Celtic or Belgic communities from north of the Danube, the heart of Celtic culture. The archaeological presence of Celts in this area is first noted after AD 1829, when hoards of Celtic coins are discovered in the area of Celje, in Vrhnika, and in Šmarjeta.

The tribes concerned are determined by the historian Albert Muchar to be the Latovici, Serapili, Sereti, and Taurisci. The Serapili and Sereti would appear to be minor units (or else they become so, dominated in time within the confederation by the Taurisci). The Norici are not mentioned, apparently because the term has not yet been formed.

The native communities in the hinterland of the Adriatic between Carinthia and Carniola are relatively rapidly assimilated by the Celtic newcomers, soon completely losing their identity.

Existing Celtic tribes in Carinthia are also soon dominated, including the Ambidravi and Ambisontes. The aforementioned Celtic coins are classed as 'Tauriscan coinage' (also known as the 'Eastern Norican' type). They display the motif of Apollo with a diadem on the adverse, and a horseman who is identified with the name of a prince on the reverse.

The origins of the Euganei, Ligurians, Raeti, Veneti, and Vindelici are confused and unclear, but in the last half of the first millennium BC they were gradually being Celticised or were combining multiple influences to create hybrid tribes (click or tap on map to view full sized)

However, at the same time this very process is happening in reverse where Gauls venture too far to the south. Archaeological remains speak of indigenous Illyrian tribes which, in the fourth century BC conquer Gauls in territory to the south-east of Zagreb, in the confluences between the River Odra in Kupa and the Kupa in Sava.

These Gauls become ethnically and culturally mixed with Illyrians and establish a settlement in the area by the name of Segestica (modern Sisak in Croatia). The settlement resists Roman conquest until 35 BC when it is captured by Octavian. The location puts the Gauls on the southern edge of the Gaulish advance in this area, very close to the Belgites tribe.

c.300 BC

Taurisci. Named on the reverse of coins.

fl 171 - 170 BC

Norici. His brother, Cincibulus, complained to Rome's senate.

171 - 170 BC

The Taurisci are briefly mentioned as allies of the Norici (although such usage would seem to be from a later period). This takes place during the pillaging march of the Roman consul, Gaius Cassius Longinus, whose route passes partially through their territory.

The Taurisci burial site at Zvonimirovo lies midway between Zagreb and Osijek in modern Croatia, and has yielded artefacts which can be dated between the Middle Ages and the third century BC, including this ritually destroyed sword

Cincibulus is the brother of the Norican king, and he complains to the Roman senate about the devastation which has been wreaked by Longinus during his march, not only on the Norici and Taurisci, but also on their neighbours, the Carni, Histri, and Iapydes. Compensation is supplied in the form of a licence to buy highly-prized horses from the Adriatic Veneti.

149 - 146 BC

The Taurisci are affected by Cornelius Lentulus' invasion of Segestica, a town of a mixed Celto-Illyrian people who can be identified as the Segestani. By this stage, a Taurisci cremation burial site at Zvonimirovo is entering its latter phase of use.

Archaeology discovers sixty-three cremation burials at the site (by the end of 2013), which is at the height of its use between the early third and late second centuries BC. It is not completely abandoned, however. Initial archaeological work on the site is to examine a medieval cemetery.

An idealised illustration of Gauls on an expedition, from A Popular History of France From The Earliest Times Volume I by Francois Pierre Guillaume Guizot

c.140 - 129 BC

Gold is discovered in the territory of the Taurisci. The influx of this new potential lowers the value of gold in the Italian peninsula. When threatened with the rapid depletion of this resource, Italic miners are eventually banished from the territory, leading to a Roman reaction in 129 BC.

Roman consul, Gaius Sempronius Tuditanus, is sent on a punitive retaliatory march against the Taurisci and the adjacent tribes of the Iapydes and Histri. Presumably the Carni and Liburni are also involved.

c.115 BC

During the year of his consulship in Rome, Marcus Aemilianus Scaurus succeeds in defeating the Carni and probably also the Taurisci. Cicero mentions this briefly in his Orations, but provides no additional depth.

According to Strabo, in this century the Roman town of Nauportus in the soon-to-be province of Pannonia Superior (from 103 BC) is one of the most important Celtic trade centres to the east of the Italian peninsula.

The significance of the trade route, which passes over Ocra (Nanos) to the Caput Adriae and along the River Nauportus (the modern Ljubljanica), is also described by Apollonius of Rhodes in his version of the voyage of the Mycenaean Argonauts.

Jason, rightful heir to the throne of Iolkos, returned home to claim his kingdom to the surprise of the usurper Pelias, who had promised to abdicate only if Jason came back (from Kolkis) with the golden fleece of a winged ram which originally belonged to the god Hermes

According to him, the Argonauts who were led by Jason of Iolkos had sailed from the Black Sea, up the Istros (the Danube) and Sava (at the junction of which is the modern Serbian city of Belgrade) to reach the Nauportus.

Pliny the Elder states that they had founded the trading port of Nauportus while they were there. Then they carried their legendary ship, the Argo, on their shoulders all the way to the eastern shore of the Adriatic, thereby demonstrating the effectiveness of the trade route.

Pliny in his Natural History also comments that the Taurisci are sited on the western side (in tergo) of Mons Claudius (presumably the modern Moslovačka Gora) and the Scordisci on the eastern side (in fronte).

Inventories of contiguous tribes, the Carni, Norici, and Boii, as well as the Histri and Iapydes, mean that the Taurisci can be located during the second and first centuries BC in an area which extends from Nauportus (Vrhnika) on the southern perimeter of the Ljubljana plain to the River Kolpa in the south-east, and from the Drava valley in the north-east to Mons Claudius in the east.

Nauportus was established as an important Celtic trading centre, one which also flourished under the later Roman administration following the conquest of the Gauls

113 - 109 BC

Teutobod and Boiorix lead a large-scale migration of Cimbri and Teutones from their homeland in what later becomes central and northern Denmark. Along the way they pick up Celto-Germanic Helvetii peoples (in territory which later becomes Franconia).

Their passage sparks a partial tribal movement by elements of the Boii who invade the Taurisci region south of the Danube. They assault the principal Taurisci settlement of Noreia and eventually settle in western Pannonia, to the south of the modern city of Bratislava in Slovakia.

This places them on the Taurisci's south-eastern border, which means that they have cut through the whole of Taurisci territory to reach the south-east.

c.60 - 40 BC

From the latter part of the first century BC and into the next century, various historians mention a variety of tribes and their affiliates which are uniformly identified as being Taurisci, together with a variety of other Cisalpine tribes which include the Norici and Iapydes (not all of which are Celtic in origin).

An illustration depicting the Teutones wandering in Gaul, part of a large-scale migration from modern Denmark into northern Italy in the second century BC

Strabo mentions the Taurisci in his Natural History as being strictly Celtic, as does Livy writing the History of Rome around 10 BC. Pliny the Elder, writing his own Natural History in the mid-first century AD, does the same, along with Apian and Cassius Dio in the second and third centuries AD, saying that the Taurisci are a warrior-like tribe which often plunders Roman territory in the hinterlands of Tergestica (modern Trieste).

By this time, the Taurisci have picked up a good deal of local influence, partially from the Scordisci and partially from the remaining indigenous population.

Other tribes which are mentioned as individual groups of the Taurisci confederation include the Carni, who occupy the Carnian Alps on the edge of the south-eastern Alps, the Latovici between Krka and Sava, the Varciani along the Sava towards Sisak, the Serapili and Sereti along the River Drava on the edge of Pannonia, and the Iasi towards Varaždin.

Ancient authors also list several smaller indigenous communities, such as the Illyrian Colapiani along the River Kolpa, the Celtic Ambisontes in the Soča Valley, the Subocrini around Razdrto, and the Rundicti in the Kras and Notranjska regions.

A silver or gilt plate depicting a Scordisci chieftain, part of the Jakimovo horde which was discovered in north-western Bulgaria, dated to the second or first century BC

The greater Tauriscan tribal community with some identified smaller associated tribes (such as the Agones (probably), Laianci, Latovici, and Uperaci) has never developed into a state formation, but it is becoming known collectively as the Norici.

fl c.60s BC

His daughter m Ariovistus of the Suevi.

60 - 59 BC

Following a recent success in battle at Histria, relations between the Getae and their neighbours in the Balkans undergoes a notable deterioration. Suddenly, under the leadership of Burebista, who is apparently guided by a wizard called Deceneus, the Getae launch a succession of brutal attacks on their former allies.

The Celts seem to be first on the list, although the Eravisci escape unscathed. The territory of the Boii and Taurisci are laid waste, with the Boii especially being almost genocidally exterminated by Burebista's brutal onslaught.

Their territory is subsequently known as the deserta Boiorum (effectively meaning the Boii wastelands, with 'deserta' meaning 'empty lands', or at least land which is sparsely populated).

A Taurisci silver tetradrachm produced by the regionally-dominant Taurisci around 100 BC showing the stylised head of Apollo and a Celtic horseman throwing a spear

The Scordisci in Thrace follow, their previously unassailable heartland laid open. Next to face Burebista's onslaught are the Bastarnae in Dobruja, who are apparently 'conquered', and then the largely defenceless western Greek Pontic cities.

56 BC

Following the establishment of secure Roman forts in northern Friuli, the Taurisci, together with the Liburni and Iapydes are forced to pay tribute to Rome.

50 or c.41 BC

On or around one of these dates the Taurisci unite with the Boii under their commander, Critasiros, but are defeated by the Dacian King Burebistas. Some modern sources show this command system in the form of Critasiros ruling over both people, whereas he is simply commanding a joint force.

This vast map covers just about all possible tribes which were documented in the first centuries BC and AD, mostly by the Romans and Greeks, and with an especial focus on 52 BC (click or tap on map to view at an intermediate size)

35 - 33 BC

Appian's account of the Illyrian Wars proves highly useful in documenting the fall of the Taurisci. Following the conquest of several Illyrian tribes, the eastern Tauriscan tribes are also defeated by Octavian between these dates, while the western tribes which border the Carni come under the dominion of the 'Kingdom of Noricum'.

This means that the Norici name is starting to take over from that of the Taurisci as a description not only of that tribe but of all the region's Celts, probably as a result of the defeat by Rome.

The Roman state gradually absorbs the Celtic and indigenous populations and completely Romanises them through a combination of military force, economic pressure, political organisation, and their own way of life.

The indigenous population survives in the towns and village settlements, whose names frequently denote the area of a specific tribal group (such as, for example, Praetorium Latobicorum (modern Trebnje), and Municipium Flavium Latobi-corum Neviodunum (modern Drnovo, near Krško). The Laianci and Saevates form their own mini-confederation, becoming the civitas Saeuatum et Laiancorum.

During his long 'reign' as Rome's first citizen, Augustus brought peace to the city and oversaw its transition from failing republic to vigorous and expanding empire

25 - 15 BC

Augustus determines that the Alpine tribes need to be pacified in order to end their warlike behaviour, alternately attacking or extracting money from Romans who pass through the region, even when they have armies in tow.

He wages a steady, determined campaign against them during the Alpine Wars, and in a period of ten years he 'pacifies the Alps all the way from the Adriatic to the Tyrrhenian seas' (written by Augustus himself).

The Ambisontes are included in this defeat after throwing in their lot with the Raeti and Vindelici. Given the fact that the Catubrini lie between Italy and this tribe, they should also be included, as should the Elveti, although the Alauni remained peaceful. Following this, the history of the Alpine region's population of Celts and others is tied to that of the empire.

16 - 15 BC

The Norican kingdom is subdued by Rome, at the hands of Drusus and Tiberius. The Ambidravi are included in this defeat, although they seem not to have been included in the recent Alpine Wars.

The Tropaeum Alpium ('Trophy of the Alps') stands majestically in the commune of La Turbie on the French Riviera, overlooking the principality of Monaco, and marking the final victory over the Alpine tribes by Augustus

Later in the Augustinian period Roman weaponry, such as the short gladii and Wiesenau-type helmets, appear in the territory of the Taurisci. Their presence indicates that these Celts, especially those above Gorjanci, frequently opt to serve in Roman auxiliary units and preserve some rights in the middle and end of the first century BC and into the beginning of the first century AD.

1st century AD

The interior of what is now Croatia is dominated by tribal peoples, with the Celts and native Elyrs (modern Kosovars and Albanians) most significant just before the Roman conquest. The Celtic Norican kingdom, which covers modern Austria, Slovenia and part of northern Croatia, briefly survives the conquest as a Roman tributary.

According to the Annals of Passau, the Norici have the Gospel preached to them by St Laurentius about thirty years after the death of Christ, which would place this event around AD 63. He is followed by Syrus and Juventius, disciples of St Hermagoras.

A similar coin to the one above which was issued in the province of Noricum, again showing the stylised head of Apollo and a Celtic horseman

453

While the Norici have received Christian preachers in their past, it is now that St Severinus apparently brings about their full conversion to Christianity.

456 - 457

In their fight for independence from the Huns, the Ostrogoths defeat and rout Attila's sons. They inherit control of Pannonia as a result, and absorb elements from other, smaller tribes, such as the Scirii.

The Rugii avoid this fate by settling Bohemia and Lower Austria, to the north-west, areas which recently have been vacated by the Marcomanni. Their territory becomes known as the kingdom of Rugiland, but its creation helps in the collapse of the Roman province of Noricum. Roman troops begin to be withdrawn.

470s

Eugippius, in his Life of St Severinus (Vita Sev, 20, vi. 5, i) highlights the worsening picture in the Noricum as the empire gradually fades away. Payments to troops have been severely disrupted, so units have begun to fall apart, the troops drifting off or disbanding themselves when it becomes evident that they are no longer going to be paid.

Soon after the middle of the fifth century AD the Hunnic empire crashed into extinction, starting with the death of Attila in 453. His son and successor, Ellac, was killed in battle in 454, and the Huns were defeated by the Ostrogoths in 456, ending Hunnic unity (click or tap on map to view full sized)

There are still many regular units stationed at various cities in the province, but when their pay ceases to arrive they are disbanded, and the frontier is abandoned with them. The same effect is to be seen across the empire. One last unit dispatches a deputation to Italy to collect what is due, but when this fails to return, this unit also disbands itself. The province is abandoned.

6th century

Those areas of northern Croatia which previously had belonged to the Taurisci now witness the arrival of migrating Slavs. A century later, a new group of Slavs arrives to found the early state of Croatia.

8th century

After having witnessed periods of domination by the Langobards and Bavarii, the central areas of the former Norican kingdom are drawn into the Carolingian empire of the Western Franks.

King Louis 'the Pious' of the Frankish empire attempted to leave the empire intact for his eldest son, Lothar, but the others rebelled at the idea, and the Treaty of Verdun in AD 843 confirmed the empire's official division between Charlemagne's three surviving grandsons (click or tap on map to view full sized)

The Treaty of Verdun of 843 sees the Western Franks secede from the Germanic empire, and Austria is controlled by the East Frankish rulers of the fledgling Holy Roman empire.

In the tenth century a margraviate emerges in Austria. It bears no relation to the Norican kingdom, and is by no means a direct successor, but it will eventually dominate Central Europe.