Indigetēs

The Indigetes (latin: indigetes or indigetae or Indiketes) were an ancient Iberian (Pre-Roman) people of the Iberian peninsula (the Roman Hispania). They are believed to be of Iberian language.

They occupied the far north east area of the Iberian Peninsula known as Hispania Tarraconensis, in the gulf of Empúries and Rhoda, stretching up into the Pyrenees though the regions of Empordà, Selva and perhaps as far as Gironès, where the Ausetani could be found, and who were or related ethnically.

They were divided into four tribes, and the main towns they centered on the were: Indika (only mentioned by Esteban of Byzantium, still unidentified, but he was possibly referring to Empúries or Ullastret), ^[1] Empodrae (Empúries, where there was an extremely important Greek, Focean and Massaliotan^[2] Colony, which had their corresponding commercial “emporio”), Rhoda (Roses), Juncaria (La Jonquera), Cinniana (Cervià) and Deciana (close to La Jonquera). This land was watered by the Clodianus (Fluvià), the Sambrocas (Muga) and the Tichis (Ter). And this district in the Golf of Empúrias was known as Juncaris Campus.

The Indigetes coined their own coins which bore the inscription undikesten (which means indigetes)

In 218 BC they were conquered by Rome. In 195 BC they rebelled against Rome and the council Marcus Porcius Cato quashed the rebellion defeating the Indigetes.

The main archaeological sites for the Indigetes are in Ullastret (Baix Empordà), Castell Fosca (Palamós, Baix Empordà) and Puig Castellet (Lloret de Mar, Selva).

See also

• Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula

External links

• Detailed map of the Pre-Roman Peoples of Iberia (around 200 BC)

Donate to Wikimedia