Brigantia (ancient region)

The size of Brigantia is shown in ancient Britain also showing the neighboring tribal borders

Brigantia is the term often given to the regional land inhabited by the Brigantes,^[1][2][3] a British Celtic tribe which occupied the largest territory in ancient Britain. The territory of Brigantia which now forms Northern England and part of The Midlands covered the majority of the land between the River Tyne and the River Humber forming the largest Brythonic Kingdom in ancient Britain.^[4] It was recorded by Ptolemy in the 2nd century AD to extend sea to sea, from the Irish sea on the west coast to the North sea in the east

History

The name Brigantia is derived from the Goddess Brigantia who was worshiped by the Brigantes. The word itself means 'high' or 'elevated' and it is unclear whether other settlements named Brigantium meaning 'high ones' is in reference to nobility or the highlands they lived around, such as the Pennines. In the form of a loose confederation, Brigantia existed as the territory of a number of small tribes with the Pennines being described as composing the heart^[5] Extending from this, Brigantia was further formed by a number of sub-tribes whose territory is sometimes coined by some researchers as being part of Greater Brigantia ^[6] as it is often debated as to which tribes formed a sept of Brigantia and which may have been independent. Some of the sub-tribes often included are the Setantii who occupied western and southern Lancashire, Textoverdi in the upper valley of the River South Tyne and the Carvetii who occupied what is now Cumbria.

Isurium or Isurium of the Brigantes (Latin: Isurium Brigantum) the historical capital of the kingdom became a Roman fort and town in the province of Britannia at the site of present-day Aldborough, North Yorkshire, England, in the United Kingdom. Its remains—the Aldborough Roman Site—are in the care of English Heritage. Bremetennacum Veteranorum (Ribchester) and Mamucium (Manchester) as well as Coccium (Wigan) were all Roman forts stationed in Brigantia.

Around 43 AD when the Brigantes were first recorded, Brigantia consisted of mossland, marshes and forests which they inhabited; such ancient forests include the Forest of Lyme and the Forest of Bowland.^[7] At the time they would have been wild with fauna that were hunted, including: eurasian brown bear, wild boar, bison, wolves, deer and eagles.^[8][9]

See also

• Brigantes
• Ancient Britons
• Prehistoric Britain
• Stanwick Iron Age Fortifications

References

1. A. R. Birleya1. "Britannia - Petillius Cerialis and the Conquest of Brigantia - Cambridge Journals Online". Journals.cambridge.org. Retrieved 2015-08-25.
2. "Thoughts on ancient metallurgy and mining in Brigantia and other parts of Britain, suggested by a page of Pliny's Natural History". Philosophical Magazine. 34: 247–260. 1849. doi:10.1080/14786444908646226.
3. J. G. F. Hinda1. "Britannia - The 'Genounian' Part of Britain - Cambridge Journals Online". Journals.cambridge.org. Retrieved 2015-08-25.
4. Britain Express. "Brigantes". Britain Express. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
5. "BBC - History - Ancient History in depth: Native Tribes of Britain". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
6. Kenyon, Denise (2015-04-23). The Origins of Lancashire. Retrieved 2015-04-23.
7. "Eburacum: Or York Under the Romans - Charles Wellbeloved - Google Books". Books.google.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-08-25.
8. "Our ancestors and the Roman invasion - Museum of Liverpool, Liverpool museums". Liverpoolmuseums.org.uk. Retrieved 2015-08-25.
9. "Bears, lynx, wolves and elk considered for reintroduction into British countryside". Telegraph. Retrieved 2015-08-25.