Lemovices


The Lemovices or Lemovici were a Gallic tribe, dwelling in the modern Limousin region.

Name

They are mentioned as Lemovices by Caesar and Pliny, as Lemoouíkes by Strabo, and as Limouikoí by Ptolemy.
The name Lemovices means 'those who vanquish by the elm', stemming from Gaulish lemo- attached to the suffix -uices. The Gaulish root lemo- derives from Proto-Celtic *lēmo- or *limo-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁élem or *h₁leym-.
The city of Limoges, attested as civitas Lemovicum ca. 400 CE, and the Limousin region, attested as Lemovicinum in the 6th c. CE, are named after the Gallic tribe.

History

They established themselves in Limousin and Poitou between 700 and 400 BC.
In 52 BC, some 10,000 Lemovician combatants fought against Julius Caesar at the Battle of Alesia as allies to the Arverni under Vercingetorix. Their chief, Sedullos, was killed during the battle.

Geography

Settlements

Their capital was originally Durotincum. After their incorporation into the Roman province of Aquitania, Augustoritum was the capital of the civitas Lemovicum. In the 1st c. CE, it was administered by the vergobretus, and later by a duumviri.
Briva Curretia, Blatomago and Carovicus were known vici within the Lemovices' territory.
Other locations associated with them were Acitodunum, Argentate, Cassinomagus, Roncomagus, Excingidiacum et Uxellum. One of their main sanctuaries was recently found in Tintignac including several unique objects in the world such as "carnyx".

Economy

Their territory was a region rich in gold, tin and iron.
Archaeologists during the latter part of the 19th century found gold mines in the Lemovices' settlement in Limousin, particularly in the south-western region of the Massif Central in west-central France. This discovery allowed the identification of techniques and the chronology of the mining activity because the Lemovices did not mention their mining heritage and their gold.