TheCaletes orCaleti (Gaulish:Caletoi "the hard [stubborn, tough] ones";Latin:Calētēs orCalētī) were aBelgic orGallic tribe dwelling inPays de Caux, in present-dayNormandy, during theIron Age and theRoman period.
They are mentioned asCaletes (var.Caletos,Cadetes) byCaesar (mid-1st c. BC),[1] asKáletoi (Κάλετοι) andKalétous (Καλέτους) byStrabo (early 1st c. AD),[2] asGaletos (var.Galletos) byPliny (1st c. AD),[3] asKalē̃tai (Καλη̃ται) byPtolemy (2nd c. AD),[4] and asCaleti byOrosius (early 5th c. AD).[5][6]
TheGaulishethnonymCaletoi literally means 'the hard ones', that is to say 'the stubborn' or 'the tough'. It derives from theProto-Celtic stem*kaleto- ('hard, cruel, strong'; cf.Old Irishcalath 'heroic',Middle Welshcaled 'hard'), itself fromProto-Indo-European*ḱelto-, meaning 'cold' (cf.Avest.sarǝta- 'cold',OEng.haeled 'hero',Lat.callēre 'to be hardened [by the experience], insensible').[7]
ThePays de Caux, attested in 843 asPago Calcis (Kaleto in 1206), is named after the Belgic tribe.[8][9]
The territory of the Calates closely corresponded to thePays de Caux.[8] They dwelled north of the neighbouringVeliocasses, and were separated from theAmbiani in the northeast by a minor tribe, theCatoslugi.[9]
They occupied a section of the coast, between theSequana and thePhrudis rivers.Harfleur (Caracotinum) was their principalport.[citation needed]
Whether the Catales should be regarded asGallic orBelgic is debatable.[9] Caesar appears to attribute them to Belgica, their coins were of Belgic type, and they joined the Belgic opposition to Rome 57 BC. But, elsewhere, Caesar lists them alongArmorican peoples, and they were not, unless briefly, part of the province ofGallia Belgica under theRoman Empire.[9]
