Menapii

Reconstruction of a Menapian dwelling at Destelbergen.

The Menapii were a Belgic tribe of northern Gaul in pre-Roman and Roman times. Their territory according to Strabo, Caesar and Ptolemy stretched from the mouth of the Rhine in the north, and southwards along the west of the Schelde. Their civitas under the Roman empire was Cassel (northern France), near Thérouanne. (The positions of such Roman tribal capitals did not always correspond to pre-Roman political geography.^[1]) In later geographical terms their territory corresponds roughly to the modern coast of Flanders, extended into neighbouring France and possibly the Netherlands.

Their neighbours were:

• north (within the islands of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta: Batavi
• northeast (beyond the Rhine in Germany): Sicambri and other Germanic tribes
• east of northern part: Eburones (until Caesar's time) and Tungri (after Augustus' time)
• east of southern part: Nervii
• south: Atrebates
• south-west (along the coast): Morini

The Menapii were persistent opponents of Julius Caesar's conquest of Gaul, resisting until 54 BC. They were part of the Belgic confederacy defeated by Caesar in 57 BC, contributing 9,000 men.^[2] The following year they sided with the Veneti against Caesar.^[3] Caesar was again victorious, but the Menapii and the Morini refused to make peace and continued to fight against him. They withdrew into the forests and swamps and conducted a hit-and-run campaign. Caesar responded by cutting down the forests, seizing their cattle and burning their settlements, but this was interrupted by heavy rain and the onset of winter, and the Menapii and Morini withdrew further into the forests.^[4] In 55 BC the Menapii tried to resist a Germanic incursion across the Rhine, but were defeated.^[5] Later that year, while Caesar made his first expedition to Britain, he sent two of his legates and the majority of his army to the territories of the Menapii and Morini to keep them under control.^[6] Once again, they retired to the woods, and the Romans burned their crops and settlements.^[7] The Menapii joined the revolt led by Ambiorix in 54 BC. Caesar says that they, alone of all the tribes of Gaul, had never sent ambassadors to him to discuss terms of peace, and had ties of hospitality with Ambiorix. For that reason he decided to lead five legions against them. A renewed campaign of devastation finally forced them to submit, and Caesar placed his ally Commius of the Atrebates in control of them.^[8]

The Menapii are attested in Strabo's 1st-century Geographica, situated north of the Nervii at the mouth of the Rhine.^[9] They are also referred to in Ptolemy's 2nd century Geographia, situated between the Tungri and the Nervii.^[10] Ptolemy also mentions a tribe called the Manapi living in south-eastern Ireland.^[11] Place-names such as Fermanagh are thought to reflect their presence in north-western Ireland.^[12]

A cohort of Menapian auxiliaries is attested by inscriptions dating to the 2nd century in Britain.^[13] Carausius, the 3rd century commander of the Roman fleet who declared himself emperor of Britain and northern Gaul, was a Menapian, born in Batavia.^[14] A legion called the Menapii Seniores is mentioned in the Notitia Dignitatum, a 5th century register of Roman government positions and military commands.^[15]

Etymology

It is commonly suggested that the Menapii share the same name as (and may indeed be related to) the ancient Irish tribe Manapi (for whom County Fermanagh is named), first mentioned by Ptolemy.^[16][17] Both names are considered P-Celtic and may be derived from a Proto-Celtic root *mano- (alternately *meno- or *mono-) meaning either "thought" or "treading" (another possibility being a derivative of another root *mono-, from Proto-Indo-European *men- meaning "to tower", which gives us the Brythonic words for "mountain").^[18]

References

1. ^ Wightman, Edith (1985), Gallia Belgica, p. 75 
2. ^ Julius Caesar, Commentarii de Bello Gallico 2.4
3. ^ Julius Caesar, Commentaries on the Gallic War 3.9
4. ^ Julius Caesar, Commentaries on the Gallic War 3.28-29
5. ^ Julius Caesar, Commentaries on the Gallic War 4.4
6. ^ Julius Caesar, Commentaries on the Gallic War 4.22
7. ^ Julius Caesar, Commentaries on the Gallic War 4.38
8. ^ Julius Caesar, Commentaries on the Gallic War 6.2-6
9. ^ Strabo, Geographica 4:3.4
10. ^ Ptolemy, Geographia 2.8
11. ^ Ptolemy, Geographia 2.1
12. ^ Ireland's History in Maps: Ptolemy's Ireland
13. ^ Cohors Primae Menapiorum at Roman-Britain.org
14. ^ Aurelius Victor, Liber de Caesaribus 39.20
15. ^ Notitia Dignitatum, West, 5
16. ^ Sims-Williams, Patrick, ‘Common Celtic, Gallo-Brittonic and Insular Celtic’, in Lambert, Pierre-Yves & Pinault, Georges-Jean (eds.), Gaulois et Celtique Continental, Geneva: Droz, 2007, p. 329-330.
17. ^ Koch, John, "Celtic Culture: a historical encyclopedia", ABC-CLIO, 2006, p. 199.
18. ^ Isaac, Graham, "Place-Names in Ptolemy’s Geography : An Electronic Data Base with Etymological Analysis of Celtic Name Elements". CD-ROM. 2004, CMCS Publications, Aberystwyth.