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Lepontii

The '''Lepontii''' were an ancient people occupying portions of Rhaetia (in modern Switzerland and northern Italy) in the Alps during the time of the Ancient Rome|Roman conquest of that territory. The Lepontii have been variously described as a Celtic, Ligures|Ligurian, Raetian, and Germanic tribes|Germanic tribe. Recent archeological excavations and their association with the Golasecca culture of Northern Italy may point to a Celtic affiliation, although an amalgamation of Rhaetians (who were partly of Etruscan civilization|Etruscan-related origin) may not be excluded. The chief towns of the Lepontii were ''Oscela'', now Domodossola, Italy, and ''Bilitio'', now Bellinzona, Switzerland. Their territory included the southern slopes of the St. Gotthard Pass and Simplon Pass, corresponding roughly to present-day Ossola and Ticino. This map of Rhaetia http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Maps/Periods/Roman/Places/Europe/Rhaetia/1.html shows the location of the Lepontic territory, in the south-western corner of Rhaetia. The area to the South, including what was to become the Insubres|Insubrian capital Mediolanum (modern Milan), was Etruscan civilization|Etruscan around 600-500 BC, when the Lepontii began writing tombstone inscriptions in their alphabet, one of several Etruscan-derived alphabets in the Rhaetian territory.

Notes

Sources

- Tibiletti Bruno, M. G. (1978). "Ligure, leponzio e gallico". In ''Popoli e civiltà dell'Italia antica'' vi, ''Lingue e dialetti'', ed. A. L. Prosdocimi, 129–208. Rome: Biblioteca di Storia Patria.
- Tibiletti Bruno, M. G. (1981). "Le iscrizioni celtiche d'Italia". In ''I Celti d'Italia'', ed. E. Campanile, 157–207. Pisa: Giardini.
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- Category:Ancient peoples of Italy Category:Celts|

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