Brigantia is the land inhabited by theBrigantes,[1][2][3] a British Celtic tribe which occupied the largest territory in ancient Britain. The territory of Brigantia which now formsNorthern England and part ofThe Midlands covered the majority of the land between theRiver Tyne and theHumber estuary forming the largest Brythonic Kingdom in ancient Britain.[4] It was recorded byPtolemy in the 2nd century AD to extend sea to sea, from theIrish Sea on the west coast to theNorth Sea in the east.
It is unclear if theCeltic name Brigantia is derived from the highland topography of the area or from the GoddessBrigantia who was worshiped by theBrigantes themselves. In modern Welsh the wordbraint means 'privilege, prestige' and comes from the same root*brigantī. Other related forms from the modern Celtic languages are: Welshbrenin 'king' (< *brigantīnos); Welsh/Cornish/Bretonbri 'prestige, reputation, honour, dignity', Scottish Gaelicbrìgh 'pith, power', Irishbrí 'energy, significance', Manxbree 'power, energy' (all < *brīg-/brigi-); and Welsh/Cornish/Bretonbre 'hill' (<*brigā). The name Bridget fromOld IrishBrigit (Modern IrishBríd) also comes fromBrigantī, as does the English river nameBrent.
This mirrors the debate as to whether settlements namedBrigantium (meaning 'settlement of the high ones') is in reference to nobility or the highlands they lived around, such as thePennines. There are several ancient settlements namedBrigantium around Europe, such as Berganza inAlava (Spain),Betanzos andBergondo inGalicia (Spain),Bragança inPortugal andBriançon,[5][6]Brigetio on the border ofSlovakia andHungary,[7]Brigobanne situated on theBreg river and near theBrigach river in southGermany (pre-RomanVindelicia[8])[9] andBregenz in theAlps. From the same origin also stems the name of the Italian sub-region ofBrianza.
In the form of a loose confederation, Brigantia existed as the territory of a number of small tribes with the Pennines being described as composing the heart.[10] Extending from this, Brigantia was further formed by a number of sub-tribes whose territory is sometimes coined by some researchers as being part ofGreater Brigantia[11] as it is often debated as to which tribes formed asept of Brigantia and which may have been independent. Some of the sub-tribes often included are theSetantii who occupied western and southernLancashire,Textoverdi in the upper valley of the River South Tyne and theCarvetii who occupied what is nowCumbria.
Isurium or Isurium of the Brigantes (Latin:Isurium Brigantum) the historical capital of the kingdom became a Roman regional capital (civitas) in the province of Britannia at the site of present-dayAldborough, North Yorkshire, England, in the United Kingdom. Its remains—the Aldborough Roman Site—are in the care of English Heritage.Bremetennacum Veteranorum (Ribchester) andMamucium (Manchester) as well asCoccium (Wigan) were all Roman forts stationed in Brigantia.
Around43 AD when the Brigantes were first recorded, Brigantia consisted of mossland, marshes and forests which they inhabited; such ancient forests include theForest of Lyme and theForest of Bowland.[12] At the time they would have been wild with fauna that were hunted, including:eurasian brown bear,wild boar,wolves,deer and eagles.[13][14]
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link){{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)PTOLEMY DESCRIBES BRIGANTES.
