TheNearchi were an ancient tribe dwelling in lowerProvence. They are mentioned only once, byAvienus (4th century AD), who is thought to have drawn on a source dating to the 6th or 4th century BC, although some scholars have questioned the actual antiquity of Avienus's account.
Their ethnic identity remains uncertain. Early Greek writers described the region as part of 'Ligury' (Ligustica), but it lay close to the Greek colony ofMassalia (founded ca. 600 BC), and both their ethnonym and the name of their chief settlement (Berginè) appear to be of Greek origin. One hypothesis suggests that the nameNearchi originally referred to a Greek-founded settlement that came to be applied to the nearby tribe.
They are mentioned asNearchi byRufus Festus Avienus (4th c. AD).[1][2]
The ethnonym can be compared with the Ancient Greek personal nameNéarkhos (Νέαρχος; LatinNearchus). It may have originally referred to a local settlement founded in southern Gaul by a Greek explorer bearing this name, then applied to the nearby tribe.[3]
HistorianGuy Barruol argues that the great age of the sources used byAvienus could make the Nearchi one of the earliest documented tribes of lower Provence along with theSalyes.[2]
According to anthropologist Michael Dietler, however, even though Avienus'Ora Maritima, which was composed in the 4th century AD, "is thought to have been derived from aperiplus written by aMassalian sailor of the sixth or fourth century BC", it "can hardly be used as evidence of the earlier presence of this name" since the text contains "many anachronisms and errors".[4]
From what can be inferred from Avienus' account, the Nearchi dwelled in lower Provence, near the Salyes and the Rhône river. Their territory was probably situated in theCrau region, between the Rhône delta and theAlpilles.[2]
According to Barruol, they were part of theSalluvian confederation.[5]
Berginè, the name of their chief town, has been traditionally identified withErnaginum [fr] (near modernTarascon), in the western part of the Alpilles.[2][6] The name is most likely linked toBergion, the eponymous local fortress of the mythical heroBergion.[2]
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