Bracari
Encyclopedia
The Bracari were an ancient Celt
ic tribe of Gallaecia
, akin to the Calaicians or Gallaeci
, living in the northwest of modern Portugal
, in the province of Minho, between the rivers Tâmega and Cávado
, around the area of the modern city of Braga
(the Roman
Bracara Augusta).
Appian
wrote they were a very warlike people. According to him, The Bracari women warrior
s fought defending their town "never turning, never never showing their backs, or uttering a cry", preferring death to captivity.
It has been long known that they spoke a Celtic language
, as can be seen in the inscription dedicated to the goddess Nabia
at Braga's Fonte do Ídolo (Portuguese
for the Fountain of the Idol
), or in the name of their town Tongobriga (in Marco de Canaveses
).
At the beginning of the 1st century, the Citânia de Briteiros
was their political main hill fort and seat of the "consilium gentis". It is possible that the Celtic Nemetati
were an allied tribe of the Bracari, known previously as Kallaikoi.
Celt
The Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies in Iron Age and Roman-era Europe who spoke Celtic languages.The earliest archaeological culture commonly accepted as Celtic, or rather Proto-Celtic, was the central European Hallstatt culture , named for the rich grave finds in Hallstatt, Austria....
ic tribe of Gallaecia
Gallaecia
Gallaecia or Callaecia, also known as Hispania Gallaecia, was the name of a Roman province and an early Mediaeval kingdom that comprised a territory in the north-west of Hispania...
, akin to the Calaicians or Gallaeci
Gallaecia
Gallaecia or Callaecia, also known as Hispania Gallaecia, was the name of a Roman province and an early Mediaeval kingdom that comprised a territory in the north-west of Hispania...
, living in the northwest of modern Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, in the province of Minho, between the rivers Tâmega and Cávado
Cávado River
The Cávado River is a river located in north Portugal.It has its source in Serra do Larouco at 1520 meters. It runs 135 km from Gouveia to its mouth into the Atlantic Ocean next to the city of Esposende...
, around the area of the modern city of Braga
Braga
Braga , a city in the Braga Municipality in northwestern Portugal, is the capital of the Braga District, the oldest archdiocese and the third major city of the country. Braga is the oldest Portuguese city and one of the oldest Christian cities in the World...
(the Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
Bracara Augusta).
Appian
Appian
Appian of Alexandria was a Roman historian of Greek ethnicity who flourished during the reigns of Trajan, Hadrian, and Antoninus Pius.He was born ca. 95 in Alexandria. He tells us that, after having filled the chief offices in the province of Egypt, he went to Rome ca. 120, where he practised as...
wrote they were a very warlike people. According to him, The Bracari women warrior
Timeline of women in ancient warfare
Warfare throughout written history mainly has been portrayed in modern times as a matter for men, but women also have played a role. Until very recently, little mention of these exploits was included in the historical records made available in most countries....
s fought defending their town "never turning, never never showing their backs, or uttering a cry", preferring death to captivity.
It has been long known that they spoke a Celtic language
Celtic languages
The Celtic languages are descended from Proto-Celtic, or "Common Celtic"; a branch of the greater Indo-European language family...
, as can be seen in the inscription dedicated to the goddess Nabia
Nabia
Nabia was the goddess of rivers and water in Gallaecian and Lusitanian mythology, in the territory of modern Galicia and Portugal.The present-day Navia River and Avia_ in Galicia, was named in honor of the deity...
at Braga's Fonte do Ídolo (Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
for the Fountain of the Idol
Idol's Fountain
The Fountain of the Idol is a Roman fountain located in the civil parish of São José de São Lázaro, in the municipality of Braga, northern Portugal...
), or in the name of their town Tongobriga (in Marco de Canaveses
Marco de Canaveses
Marco de Canaveses is a city and municipality of the Porto district, in northern Portugal. The city itself has a population of 9,042.It is the birth place of Carmen Miranda.- Geography :...
).
At the beginning of the 1st century, the Citânia de Briteiros
Citânia de Briteiros
The Citânia de Briteiros is an archaeological site of Castro culture in the north-western Iberian Peninsula, significant for its size, urbanism, and architecture...
was their political main hill fort and seat of the "consilium gentis". It is possible that the Celtic Nemetati
Nemetati
The Nemetati were an ancient Celtic tribe of Gallaecia, living in the north of modern Portugal between the Cávado and Ave Rivers, in the province of Minho, north of the Douro.They lived near the valley of the Ave River and may have some link with inscriptions to the war god Cosus Nemedecus. The...
were an allied tribe of the Bracari, known previously as Kallaikoi.