List of ancient peoples of Italy
This article provides a summary of the ancient peoples who inhabited the Italian Peninsula and surrounding islands prior to and during the early stages of Roman expansion. These peoples are commonly grouped by linguistic affiliation, archaeological culture, and historical sources. The Romans ultimately assimilated or displaced most of these groups, but many were attested in ancient sources, particularly by Greek and Latin authors.
Linguistic Classification
[edit]Speakers of Non-Indo-European Languages
[edit]Scholars believe the following peoples spoke non-Indo-European languages, often based on limited evidence. Some may have spoken Pre-Indo-European languages, while others exhibit features that led Giacomo Devoto to propose a "peri-Indo-European" classification.[1]
Tyrrhenians (Etruscans and related peoples)
[edit]- Etruscans — Centered in Etruria, with influence extending from the Po Valley to Campania.[2][3]
- Raeti — Associated with the Alpine region.[4]
- Camunni — Likely related to the Raeti.[5]
Pre-Nuragic and Nuragic Sardinians
[edit]- Sherden — Possibly identifiable with the Sardinians.[6]
- Balares (Balari)[7]
- Ilienses/Iolaes/Diagesbes
- Corsi — Possibly related to the Ligures.[8]
Ligures
[edit]The linguistic classification of the Ligures is debated; they may have spoken a non-Indo-European or an early Indo-European language.[9][10]
Others (Uncertain Classification)
[edit]Speakers of Indo-European Languages
[edit]Italic Peoples
[edit]Italic tribes included:
- Latins, including the Romans
- Falisci
- Umbri, Sabines, Marsi, Volsci, South Picenes, Marrucini, Aequi, Hernici, Vestini, Paeligni
- Samnites, including the Pentri, Caraceni, Caudini, Hirpini
- Oscans, including the Opici, Aurunci, Sidicini, Campanians, Frentani, Lucani, and Bruttii
- Sicels
- Oenotrians, including the Itali, Morgetes
Celtic Peoples
[edit]- Cisalpine Gauls — e.g., Insubres, Boii, Senones, Cenomani, Lingones, etc.
- Lepontii, Graioceli, Salassi, Helvetii
Iapygians (Possibly Illyrian-Related)
[edit]- Messapians, Peucetians, Daunians — Located in modern-day Apulia[14]
Greek Colonists
[edit]Archaeological Cultures
[edit]Archaeological cultures do not necessarily correspond to specific ancient peoples but may represent material traditions shared by multiple groups.
Neolithic
[edit]- Cardial culture, Grotta Verde culture, Filiestru culture, Bonu Ighinu culture, San Ciriaco culture, Arzachena culture, Ozieri culture
Copper Age
[edit]- Abealzu-Filigosa culture, Monte Claro culture, Beaker culture, Remedello culture, Rinaldone culture, Laterza culture
Bronze Age
[edit]- Nuragic civilization, Torrean civilization, Apennine culture, Canegrate culture, Golasecca culture, Polada culture, Castelluccio Culture, Terramare culture
Iron Age
[edit]Genetic Studies
[edit]Genetic studies have provided insights into the origins and interactions of ancient peoples in Italy. A 2019 genetic study in Science examined ancient DNA from burials near Rome (900–200 BC). The individuals exhibited 25–35% steppe ancestry and carried haplogroups including R-M269, T-L208, and various mtDNA lineages. Despite their cultural differences, Etruscans and Latins were genetically similar, indicating significant gene flow and shared ancestry within central Italy.[15]
Additional studies have highlighted genetic continuity in other regions, such as the Nuragic civilization in Sardinia, which shows a strong link with earlier Neolithic populations and limited genetic influence from later migrations. Similarly, genetic evidence from Apulia indicates affinities between Iron Age Daunians and contemporary populations in the eastern Mediterranean and Adriatic regions, suggesting possible Illyrian influences.[16]
Overall, genetic research underscores complex demographic histories involving migration, admixture, and local continuity, significantly enhancing our understanding of ancient Italy's ethnolinguistic landscape.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1931). Gli antichi Italici (in Italian). Firenze: Vallecchi.
- ^ Goring, Elizabeth (2004). Treasures from Tuscany: the Etruscan legacy. National Museums Scotland. ISBN 978-1901663907.
- ^ Leighton, Robert (2004). Tarquinia. An Etruscan City. Duckworth Archaeological Histories Series. Duckworth Press. ISBN 0-7156-3162-4.
- ^ Haarmann, Harald (2014). "Ethnicity and Language in the Ancient Mediterranean". A Companion to Ethnicity in the Ancient Mediterranean. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 17–33.
- ^ Markey, Thomas (2008). Shared Symbolics, Genre Diffusion, Token Perception and Late Literacy in North-Western Europe. NOWELE.
- ^ "Sardi". Treccani.it.
- ^ "Ptolemy's Geography — Book III, Chapter 3". penelope.uchicago.edu.
- ^ Ugas, Giovanni (2006). L'alba dei nuraghi (in Italian). Fabula Editore. ISBN 978-88-89661-00-0.
- ^ "Liguri". Treccani.it.
- ^ "Ligurian language". Britannica.com.
- ^ Piceni popolo d'Europa. Rome: Edizioni De Luca. 1999. p. 139.
- ^ Hazlitt, William (1851). The Classical Gazetteer. p. 297.
- ^ Pietrina Anello (2005). "I Sicani nel IV secolo a.C.". Atti del convegno di studi su Diodoro Siculo e la Sicilia indigena (in Italian): 150.
- ^ "Iapigi" (in Italian). Retrieved 3 July 2023.
- ^ Antonio, Margaret L.; Gao, Ziyue (2019). "Ancient Rome: A genetic crossroads of Europe and the Mediterranean". Science. 366 (6466): 708–714. doi:10.1126/science.aay6826.
- ^ Aneli, Serena (2022). "Ancient genomes reveal structural shifts after the arrival of steppe-related ancestry in the Italian Peninsula". Current Biology. 32 (12): 2576–2591. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2022.04.024.
