Auscer

Aquitaine tribes

Campaign in Aquitaine 56 BC Chr.

The Auscer ( Latin Ausci ; Greek Αὔσχιοι ) were probably originally a non-Celtic tribe , but already Celtic in pre-Roman times , whose residence was on the Adour River in the later Roman province of Gallia Aquitania .

history

The Auscers were a respected and wealthy people who are mentioned in some ancient authors and in inscriptions. The main town was Eliumberrum , Eliberre or Climberrum , in the middle Roman Empire in Augusta Auscorum renamed, today too, in the French department of Gers .

During the Gallic War , a sub-general of Caesar , the Legate Publius Licinius Crassus , marched in 56 BC. In Aquitaine (the later Roman province of Novempopulana ). After some victories of the Romans, most of the Aquitaine tribes surrendered ; to be named the Tarbeller , bigerriones , Ptianier , Vasaten (also Vocaten ) Tarusaten , elusates , Gater , ausci, Garumner , Sibulaten and Cocosaten . The Auscer received Latin rights for this . Whether the names mentioned by Caesar, including those of the Ausci , are clearly Celtic cannot be stated with certainty. Modern authors consider some of them to be among the Celtiberians or Proto- Basques .

literature

• Helmut Birkhan : Celts. Attempt at a complete representation of their culture. 2nd corrected and enlarged edition. Publishing house of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna 1997, ISBN 3-7001-2609-3 .
• Max Him : Ausci . In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume II, 2, Stuttgart 1896, Col. 2557.
• Harry Mountain: The Celtic Encyclopedia (= Harry Mountain [Hrsg.]: Celtic Encyclopedia Series . Volume 1 ). Universal-Publishers, 1998, ISBN 1-58112-890-8 , pp. 133 (English, limited preview in Google Book Search).
• Carl Waldman, Catherine Mason: Encyclopedia of European Peoples (=  Facts on File library of world history ). Infobase Publishing, New York 2006, ISBN 1-4381-2918-1 , pp. 41 (English, limited preview in Google Book search).

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Pomponius Mela Cosmographia 3, 20: Aquitanorum clarissimi sunt Ausci ; Pliny Naturalis historia 4, 108 et al
2. ↑ Caesar De bello Gallico 3, 27: Maxima Pars Aqutaniae sese Crasso dedit: Tarbelli, Bigerriones, Ptianii, Vocates, Tarusates, Elusates, gates, Ausci, Garumni, Sibulates, Cocosates: paucae ultimae nationesanni tempore confisae, hod hiocems suberat neglexerunt.
3. ↑ Strabon Geographika 4, 2, 2, p. 191.
4. ↑ Helmut Birkhan: Celts. Attempt to present an overall picture of their culture p. 204