Atrebates
Attested: Caesar Atrebates; Ptolemy Ατρεβατιοι with one πολις at Καληουα
Galleva Atrebatum on iter 7 of the Antonine Itinerary ; Caleba Arbatium at position 67 in the Ravenna Cosmography
Where: Ptolemy's people, with a focus around Silchester, are generally assumed to be a British offshoot of the Belgic tribe of the same name in Gaul, centered around modern Arras, both under king Commius.
Name Origin: It is customary to cite Celtic parallels, such as Irish ad-treba ‘inhabits, possesses’, but that is just one among many words across Indo-European languages that are related to the place-name element -thorpe, very common in the former Danelaw of England. Szemerenyi (1977: 99-100), whose crucial piece of text has been scanned and posted here, explained that words describing various forms of dwelling and their inhabitants evolved from an original word that meant ‘crowd, throng’. It follows that Atrebates meant essentially ‘ad-troop-ed’, which sounds like a description of their social organisation.
Notes: Little is known about the Atrebates beyond Caesar's account of finding them tough opponents at the battle of the Sabis. Did they choose that name themselves, or was it applied by outsiders?
You may copy this text freely, provided you acknowledge its source as www.romaneranames.uk, recognise that it is liable to human error, and try to offer suggestions for improvement.
Last edited 28 April 2023 To main Menu