Euganei

The Euganei were an ancient group of people who lived in the areas of Northeast Italy, between the Eastern Alps and the Adriatic Sea. They were a bit hard to describe clearly because they were made up of many different groups. When another group called the Adriatic Veneti arrived, the Euganei moved to the valleys in the Alps and mixed with the Rhaetians.

The writer Pliny the Elder mentioned that the Euganei had three main families or lineages. These were the Triumpilini from Val Trompia, the Camunni from Val Camonica, and the Stoni. All of these groups became part of the Roman world before the start of what we call the Common Era.

History

The name "Euganei" might come from a Greek word meaning "of noble lineage." But it could also be linked to a group of people called the Ingauni from Liguria. It is more likely that the term was used by the Adriatic Venetians to describe a group of different tribes living in Northeast Italy, from Istria to Garda and Oglio.

According to an old story, the Adriatic Venetians pushed the Euganeans away. The Euganeans then moved to the Alpine valleys and mixed with the Rhaetians. Later, when Gauls arrived in the 5th century BC, the Euganean tribes stayed independent until the end of the 2nd century BC. Roman leaders like Quintus Marcius Rex and Marcus Aemilius Scaurus brought the Stoni under Roman control. Later, Emperor Augustus brought the Camuni and Triumpilini under Rome's rule in 16 BC. The Euganeans accepted Roman rule and even built monuments to honor the Augustan dynasty. Pliny mentioned that the Euganeans lived in 34 settlements, with a main place called Stoenos. Verona was also a city with Rhaetian and Euganean roots.

Toponymy

People in ancient times used the word "Euganean" to talk about Northeast Italy, or sometimes to mean the area around Padua, called Patavinus.

The name "Euganean Hills" came about much later, during the Renaissance. An even newer name, "Venezia Euganea", was created by a linguist named Graziadio Isaia Ascoli.