TheTaurisci were a federation ofCeltic tribes who dwelt in today'sCarinthia and northernSlovenia (Carniola) before the coming of theRomans (c. 200 BC).[1] According toPliny the Elder, they are the same as the people known as theNorici.[2][3]
The etymology of the name is disputed.Taurisci may stem from a root meaning 'mountain' or 'high rock', although it has been demonstrated that it is not related to the neighbouringTauern mountain. Another proposed etymology is the Celtic root*tarwo 'bull' (seeGaulishtaruos).[4]
Affiliated with the Celto-LigurianTaurini, the Taurisci settled on the upperSava river after their defeat at theBattle of Telamon in 225 BC. Following in the wake of theBoii, they migrated to northernItalia and theAdriatic coast. The Greek chroniclerPolybius (ca. 203–120 BC) mentioned Taurisciangold mining in the area ofAquileia. Along with the troops of theRoman Republic, they were defeated by invading GermanicCimbri andTeutons at theBattle of Noreia in 112 BC.
The identity of Taurisci and Norici has not yet been conclusively established: According to historianGéza Alföldy, the Norici were one tribe of the larger highlandic Taurisci federation, while theReallexikon der germanischen Altertumskunde defines the Norici as Celts settling in theRegnum Noricum in present-dayCarinthia, with the Taurisci as their southeastern neighbours. Other people settling in the region were thePannonians in the south-east of Carniola, theIapydes, anIllyrian tribe, in the south-west, and theCarni, aVenetic tribe.
Teurisci,attested byPtolemy inDacia, were originally a group of the Celtic Taurisci from the Austrian Alps established in North-Western Dacia at the end of Iron Age.[5]
In the middle of the 1st century BC, the Taurisci together with the Boii tried to expand eastwards into modern-day Hungary, but clashed with the rising power of theDacians under their kingBurebista and were defeated. This war is often dated to the 60s or 50s BC or even precisely to 60/59 BC, but cannot be dated with that certainty. The numismatic material suggests that the clash may in fact have only happened by 41/40 BC.[6] The events resulted in the decisive defeat of the Taurisci, leading to the annexation of their territory by theDacians.Strabo vividly depicts the outcome, stating that:"Burebista not only conquered the Taurisci, but utterly eradicated them from existence."[citation needed]
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