The Pictons ( Pictones ) are a people of the Gaulle. According to the sources and the times, one names them initially Pictes which is also the name of people of the ancient Scotland, or well after the conquest Pictaves ( Pictavi ).

The period of independence

Territory

Pictes occupied the territory coarsely limited to north by the Loire, the east by the Vienna and to the west by the Atlantic Ocean. This zone today although parcelled out represents a coherent unit includes/understands the current departments of the the Vendée, the Two-Sevres, and the Vienna (department), increased south of the Loire-Atlantique, south Maine-et-Loire, of part of the Indre, nords Charente and Charente-Maritime. -->

The limits of the territory of Pictons are deductible starting from three elements:

• the Toponymy: the toponym Equoranda or Ewiranda indicates a watery element being used as border; one finds it in Ingrandes in the commune of Couziers, where it made the border with the Andécaves or the Andes ( Anjou ); with Ingrandes, with the Turons (Touraine); with Ingrandes close to the White , with the Cubic Bituriges; one also finds it in the name of the brook of Équilandes, close to Borough-Archambault, at the border with the Lémovices (the Limousin); in the forest of Argenson; with a Guirande river, in the south of Niort;
• the Numismatic : one finds primarily the currencies pictonnes in the south of the Loire-Atlantique inside the current departments of the the Vendée, the Two-Sevres and the Vienna.
• limits from old évêché from Poitiers, which was established at the 3rd century and thus took again the cutting of the quoted of IIIe century, which extended on all the Cité (Roman division administrative) from Pictons, and which became then the county of Poitou, until at the 10th century the Poitou is amputee of the Pays of Retz and the Mauges, then in 1317 the évêché S of Maillezais and Luçon are detached from it.

Starting from these elements, one can establish that the territory picton extended, before the Roman conquest, with certainty on the current departments of the Vienna and the Two-Sevres, i.e. the Haut-Poitou. It is probable, but noncertain that the the Vendée did not form part of it (probably occupied by the Ambilatres). The extension of their territory until the the Loire on all its lower course before the Roman conquest is an about abandoned assumption. In any case, after the Conquest, the three departments form a unit which lasts until the French revolution, that is to say more than eighteen centuries.

Cities and economy

The “capital” of Pictons was Lemonum , name Celtique of current the Poitiers, meaning “Ormeraie”. This term would come from the Gallic “Lemo-” Orme , which compares exactly with the Irish “Lem-” Orme , Latinized Lemonum then which became “the city of Pictons”, i.e. “Poitiers”. Lemonum was a Oppidum located on a vast headland at the confluence of the Clain and Boivre.

Political organization and worships

Right before the conquest Roman E, it appears that the State picton is organized around the old royal Celtic system, and not of a vergobret.

Several names of the tribes close to Pictons arrived to us, like the Ambiliates or Ambilatres (the current Vendée), Agésinates, and the Agnutes or Anagnutes .

Duratios was king of Pictons at the time of the conquest, but its capacity seemed limited by that of the war leaders pictons.

See also Gallic Religion, Druidisme.

Coining

The Celtic Poitou knew an original money circulation as of the end of second century BC. They are currencies of electrum (ternary alloy Or, of money and Cuivre). Like the majority of the Gallic currencies, it is inspired by the Statère Macedonian, and by the Greek currencies. colony of Empuries in Catalonia.

• With the right, one finds a human head, with arabesques and points;

• With the reverse, one has a surmounted horse with human head of a aurige which holds up a crown.

These reasons inspired directly the coining of the Namnètes, so much the political influence, as well as economic stability pictonne, were important on this area of the Loire. The currencies pictonnes grow rich quickly by a reason which is specific to the Picte nation: the hand open under the horse.

One abundantly finds these currencies in the Vienna and the Two-Sevres, and in small quantity in the Vendée.

There also exists at first century BC a series of money, decorated of a winged rider which jumps a flower of the type lily, near to coining Bituriges. Its character properly Picton is however less certain.

The War of Gaules and end of independence

Pictons belonged to the people which could feel threatened by the migration of the Helvètes towards the territory of the Santons, if it would have been carried out by the north of the Massif Central. They thus had any interest with the intervention of Jules César.

Just like Santons, they provided a fleet to César in 56 av. J. - C. Their chief Duratios remained faithful to César at the time of the insurrection of 52 av. J. - C. Cependant, Vercingétorix asked reinforcements all the people of Gaulle, including 8000 men in Pictons, who were sent to him. The Picton people were thus divided. The quota favorable to Vercingétorix joined the chief of the the Andes Dumnacos with Angers, which moved then towards Lemonum to besiege Duratios there. This one sent a mail to the Légat Roman Caius Caninius, which came since the territory from the Rutènes to give support to him. But having only troops of little value, it built a fortified camp in order to resist Dumnacos. This one attacked it during several days without succeeding in penetrating it.

Dumnacos escaped by learning that the legate Caius Fabius, who obtained allegiance of the people between Beauvais and Tours, went to the help of Caninius.

Having remained faithful as a majority to César, the Quoted pictonne, i.e. the Roman administrative subdivision which was allotted to Pictons at the time of the organization of Gaulle in Roman provinces between 16 av. J. - C. and 13 av. J. - C., was probably increased territory of the Ambilatres and Agnutes (probably the the Vendée).

Roman peace

Although profiting from Roman peace, in particular by many urban constructions (see History of Poitiers), the people of Pictons, like all the Gallic people, are not romanisé in-depth. As of the middle of the 2nd century, the milliary columns indicate the distances in Gallic miles, and more in Roman miles. In 237, one finds the first mention of the progressive change of the name of Limonum in Poitiers.

The city of Pictons is nevertheless prosperous, as the agglomerations testify some which developed around rural sanctuaries, like Sanxay, and the Tours Mirandes with Vendeuvre in the first both century of the Christian era. Other agglomerations still developed as from the 3rd century, like the Old man-Poitiers with Naintré, commune which also delivered two exceptional tombs (the Dames of Naintré ). This borough disappears only with the invasions Normans from the 9th century. With the 1ersiècle after J-C., the geographer Strabon also mentions the two pictonnes main cities of the time: Lemonum (Poitiers) and Ratatium (Rezé). This port was useful with the trade with the British Isles .

After Constantin I {{er}} gave established among with Christianity, this one is spread more and more quickly. Saint Hilaire is the first bishop assured Poitiers towards 350. It accommodates the future holy Martin de Tours, which founds with Ligugé the oldest de Gaulle monastery, still in activity today.

See too

• Gallic People

Sources of the article

• the Gallic Language. X. Delamarre, ED. Wandering

• Jean Hiernard, Coining picton, in the Prehistory of Poitou, Ouest-France University