The Damnonii (also referred to as Damnii) were a Brittonic people of the late 2nd century who lived in what became the Kingdom of Strathclyde by the Early Middle Ages, and is now southern Scotland. They are mentioned briefly in Ptolemy's Geography, where he uses both of the terms "Damnonii" and "Damnii" to describe them, and there is no other historical record of them, except arguably by Gildas three centuries later.[1] Their cultural and linguistic affinity is presumed to be Brythonic. However, there is no unbroken historical record, and a partly Pictish origin is not precluded.
Ptolemy's map of Scotland south of the Forth.
The Romans under Agricola had campaigned in the area in 81, and it was Roman-occupied (at least nominally) between the time that Hadrian's Wall was built (c. 122), through the building of the Antonine Wall (c. 142), until the pullback to Hadrian's Wall in 164. Ptolemy's Geography was written within this timeframe, so his account is contemporary.
The tribe's name is nearly identical to that of the Dumnonii, a fellow British tribe who lived in Cornwall and Devon. The name is also similar to the Fir Domnann, a tribe who lived in Ireland. So far, no evidence point to the Damnonii, Dumnonii and Domnann being the same people or sharing a unique, common descent, and their similarities are likely to be based on their descriptive etymologies. Both the Dumnonii and the Domnann derive their name from the Celtic root *dumno- which means "the deep" or "inner earth". The Damnonii name could then be taken to mean "the deep ones", or the "deep valley dwellers", probably referring to their homeland being the valley of the Clyde and those of Ayrshire. A less likely theory states that the Damnonii were noted for their mining, which is where they got their names as "the deep ones" as the Clyde area has large amounts of natural ore deposits.[2]
Historiography
A medieval artist's rendition of Claudius Ptolemaeus.
The sole record of the Damnonii and their towns is their mention by Ptolemy (c. 80 – c. 168). They are found in no other source.
Ptolemy says that the towns of the Damnonii were Vanduara, Colania, Coria, Alauna, Lindum, and Victoria. However, there were no towns as such in the area at that time, so he was likely referring to Roman military camps and native strong points such as duns. Efforts have been made to determine the locations of the towns, but there is not enough information available to reach any degree of certainty, and the locations suggested are little more than guesswork.
Reflecting the lack of evidence, there is little agreement on assigning modern locations to the towns. Among the assignments made by those whose work is considered to be authoritative (to varying degrees) are those of William Baxter (1719, Glossarium Antiquitatum Britannicum),[3]William Camden (1607, Britannia),[4]John Horsley (1732, Britannia Romana),[5]William Forbes Skene (1880, Celtic Scotland, a History of Ancient Alban),[6]George Chalmers (c. 1820, Caledonia),[7] and William Roy (1793, Military Antiquities of the Romans in Britain).[8] Other historians either quote one of these as the authority for assigning locations to Ptolemy's towns, or simply assert a location in passing. A few offer lists of the assertions of the above authorities.[9]
Alauna is suggested to be the Camelon that is near and to the west of Falkirk, or at Stirling, or Kier (about 4 miles (6.4 km) NNW of Stirling, on the Allan Water), or the island of Inchkeith. Colania is suggested to be Lanark or Carstairs (about 5 miles (8.0 km) NE of Lanark), or some other place on the east side of Clydesdale. Coria is suggested to be Lynekirk (about 4 miles (6.4 km) WNW of Peebles, or some other place on the east side of Clydesdale. Lindum is suggested to be Kirkintilloch (about 16 miles (26 km) NE of Glasgow), or Linlithgow, or near Ardoch (the one about 10 miles (16 km) NNW of Stirling). Victoria is suggested to be Dalginross (about 5 miles (8.0 km) W of Crieff, or Abernethy (about 5 miles (8.0 km) SE of Perth). Vanduara is suggested to be Paisley or Renfrew (both about 6 miles (9.7 km) to the west of Glasgow), or some 20 miles south of Glasgow at Loudoun Hill.
From 1757, initial studies of the Damnonii were heavily influenced by the literary forgeryThe Description of Britain (De Situ Britanniae). The work was considered the only authoritative record of Britannia Inferior, the northern part of Roman Britain. Throughout the latter part of the 18th century until it was debunked as a forgery in 1845, it purportedly contained a lost contemporary account of the province of Britannia from a Romangeneral, new details about Roman roads in Britain in the style of the Antonine Itinerary, and an improved version of Ptolemy's map. Its credibility was such, that even after it was proven to be fake, it was still cited as a historical source until the end of the 19th century. Even Chalmers and Roy believed in its authenticity at the time they wrote.[10]De Situ Britanniae generally followed Ptolemy's map but made novel assertions regarding Damnonii towns.
Later history
After the final retreat of Rome from Scotland in the year 210 AD, the Damnonii disappear from history, it is unknown when they centralised to form Strathclyde. Letters by Saint Patrick write of the "king of Altclut" (Ceretic Guletic) in the early 400s, with his ancestors being Damnonii leaders with Romanised names, suggesting that there was some degree of Romanisation among the elite Damnonii or renewed contact with the Empire. From this point on the Kingdom of Strathclyde seems to take the place of the Damnonii in history.
Relations with Rome
No evidence, either literary or archaeological points to any battle between the Damnonii and the Romans, suggesting then that the two co-operated. However the large surge in forest cover over Scotland in the 2nd century does point to a drop in the native population, most likely due to disease. Southern Scotland essentially acted as a frontier zone between Britannia Inferior and the Caledonians to the north. However, attacks on Hadrian's Wall later in the 2nd century may show a change in relations between the two. In 364, a people known as the Attacotti despoiled Roman Britain, along with the Irish, Picts and Saxons. The Attacotti may have been the Damnonii, as one of their forts was called Alt Clut, (Rock of the Clyde), which later became the capital of Ystrad Clud.
^De Excidio 28: inmundae leaenae damnoniae tyrannicus catulus constantinus "Constantine, the tyrannical whelp of the unclean lioness of Damnonia". Gildas' reference is sometimes taken as referring to the Dumnonii of southwestern Britain, but for a northwestern origin argument, see for example Lloyd Laing (1975) The Archaeology of Late Celtic Britain and Ireland c.400-1200 AD, London, p102
^"The Damnoni". 2 February 2020. from the original on 7 January 2008.
^Baxter, William (1719), Baxter, John (ed.), Glossarium Antiquitatum Britannicum (2nd ed.), London: T. Woodward, C. Davis, J. Hazard, W. Bickerton, & R. Chandler (published 1733)
^Camden, William (1607), "Description of Scotland", in Sutton, Dana F. (ed.), Britannia, The Philological Museum (published 2004)
^Horsley, John (1732), Britannia Romana, London: John Osborne and Thomas Longman
^Skene, William Forbes (1876), Celtic Scotland: A History of Ancient Alban, vol. I, Edinburgh: Edmonston & Douglas
^Chalmers, George (1890), Caledonia, vol. VI (New ed.), Paisley: Alexander Gardner
^Roy, William (1793), , London: The Society of Antiquities of London, archived from the original on 26 April 2009
^Henry, Robert (1805), The History of Great Britain on a New Plan, vol. II (3rd ed.), London: A. Strahan, T. Cadell Jr. and W. Davies, in the Strand (published 1800), pp. 403–404
^Bertram, Charles (1757), The Description of Britain, Translated from Richard of Cirencester, London: J. White and Co (published 1809), pp. 55–59, 72, 75
March 16, 2023
damnonii, confused, with, dumnonii, also, referred, damnii, were, brittonic, people, late, century, lived, what, became, kingdom, strathclyde, early, middle, ages, southern, scotland, they, mentioned, briefly, ptolemy, geography, where, uses, both, terms, damn. Not to be confused with Dumnonii The Damnonii also referred to as Damnii were a Brittonic people of the late 2nd century who lived in what became the Kingdom of Strathclyde by the Early Middle Ages and is now southern Scotland They are mentioned briefly in Ptolemy s Geography where he uses both of the terms Damnonii and Damnii to describe them and there is no other historical record of them except arguably by Gildas three centuries later 1 Their cultural and linguistic affinity is presumed to be Brythonic However there is no unbroken historical record and a partly Pictish origin is not precluded Ptolemy s map of Scotland south of the Forth The Romans under Agricola had campaigned in the area in 81 and it was Roman occupied at least nominally between the time that Hadrian s Wall was built c 122 through the building of the Antonine Wall c 142 until the pullback to Hadrian s Wall in 164 Ptolemy s Geography was written within this timeframe so his account is contemporary Contents 1 Etymology 2 Historiography 3 Later history 4 Relations with Rome 5 See also 6 NotesEtymology EditThe tribe s name is nearly identical to that of the Dumnonii a fellow British tribe who lived in Cornwall and Devon The name is also similar to the Fir Domnann a tribe who lived in Ireland So far no evidence point to the Damnonii Dumnonii and Domnann being the same people or sharing a unique common descent and their similarities are likely to be based on their descriptive etymologies Both the Dumnonii and the Domnann derive their name from the Celtic root dumno which means the deep or inner earth The Damnonii name could then be taken to mean the deep ones or the deep valley dwellers probably referring to their homeland being the valley of the Clyde and those of Ayrshire A less likely theory states that the Damnonii were noted for their mining which is where they got their names as the deep ones as the Clyde area has large amounts of natural ore deposits 2 Historiography Edit A medieval artist s rendition of Claudius Ptolemaeus The sole record of the Damnonii and their towns is their mention by Ptolemy c 80 c 168 They are found in no other source Ptolemy says that the towns of the Damnonii were Vanduara Colania Coria Alauna Lindum and Victoria However there were no towns as such in the area at that time so he was likely referring to Roman military camps and native strong points such as duns Efforts have been made to determine the locations of the towns but there is not enough information available to reach any degree of certainty and the locations suggested are little more than guesswork Reflecting the lack of evidence there is little agreement on assigning modern locations to the towns Among the assignments made by those whose work is considered to be authoritative to varying degrees are those of William Baxter 1719 Glossarium Antiquitatum Britannicum 3 William Camden 1607 Britannia 4 John Horsley 1732 Britannia Romana 5 William Forbes Skene 1880 Celtic Scotland a History of Ancient Alban 6 George Chalmers c 1820 Caledonia 7 and William Roy 1793 Military Antiquities of the Romans in Britain 8 Other historians either quote one of these as the authority for assigning locations to Ptolemy s towns or simply assert a location in passing A few offer lists of the assertions of the above authorities 9 Alauna is suggested to be the Camelon that is near and to the west of Falkirk or at Stirling or Kier about 4 miles 6 4 km NNW of Stirling on the Allan Water or the island of Inchkeith Colania is suggested to be Lanark or Carstairs about 5 miles 8 0 km NE of Lanark or some other place on the east side of Clydesdale Coria is suggested to be Lynekirk about 4 miles 6 4 km WNW of Peebles or some other place on the east side of Clydesdale Lindum is suggested to be Kirkintilloch about 16 miles 26 km NE of Glasgow or Linlithgow or near Ardoch the one about 10 miles 16 km NNW of Stirling Victoria is suggested to be Dalginross about 5 miles 8 0 km W of Crieff or Abernethy about 5 miles 8 0 km SE of Perth Vanduara is suggested to be Paisley or Renfrew both about 6 miles 9 7 km to the west of Glasgow or some 20 miles south of Glasgow at Loudoun Hill From 1757 initial studies of the Damnonii were heavily influenced by the literary forgery The Description of Britain De Situ Britanniae The work was considered the only authoritative record of Britannia Inferior the northern part of Roman Britain Throughout the latter part of the 18th century until it was debunked as a forgery in 1845 it purportedly contained a lost contemporary account of the province of Britannia from a Roman general new details about Roman roads in Britain in the style of the Antonine Itinerary and an improved version of Ptolemy s map Its credibility was such that even after it was proven to be fake it was still cited as a historical source until the end of the 19th century Even Chalmers and Roy believed in its authenticity at the time they wrote 10 De Situ Britanniae generally followed Ptolemy s map but made novel assertions regarding Damnonii towns Later history EditAfter the final retreat of Rome from Scotland in the year 210 AD the Damnonii disappear from history it is unknown when they centralised to form Strathclyde Letters by Saint Patrick write of the king of Altclut Ceretic Guletic in the early 400s with his ancestors being Damnonii leaders with Romanised names suggesting that there was some degree of Romanisation among the elite Damnonii or renewed contact with the Empire From this point on the Kingdom of Strathclyde seems to take the place of the Damnonii in history Relations with Rome EditNo evidence either literary or archaeological points to any battle between the Damnonii and the Romans suggesting then that the two co operated However the large surge in forest cover over Scotland in the 2nd century does point to a drop in the native population most likely due to disease Southern Scotland essentially acted as a frontier zone between Britannia Inferior and the Caledonians to the north However attacks on Hadrian s Wall later in the 2nd century may show a change in relations between the two In 364 a people known as the Attacotti despoiled Roman Britain along with the Irish Picts and Saxons The Attacotti may have been the Damnonii as one of their forts was called Alt Clut Rock of the Clyde which later became the capital of Ystrad Clud See also EditPtolemy s Geography Scotland during the Roman Empire Roman Britain Novantae Otalini Selgovae Walls LochNotes Edit De Excidio 28 inmundae leaenae damnoniae tyrannicus catulus constantinus Constantine the tyrannical whelp of the unclean lioness of Damnonia Gildas reference is sometimes taken as referring to the Dumnonii of southwestern Britain but for a northwestern origin argument see for example Lloyd Laing 1975 The Archaeology of Late Celtic Britain and Ireland c 400 1200 AD London p102 The Damnoni 2 February 2020 Archived from the original on 7 January 2008 Baxter William 1719 Baxter John ed Glossarium Antiquitatum Britannicum 2nd ed London T Woodward C Davis J Hazard W Bickerton amp R Chandler published 1733 Camden William 1607 Description of Scotland in Sutton Dana F ed Britannia The Philological Museum published 2004 Horsley John 1732 Britannia Romana London John Osborne and Thomas Longman Skene William Forbes 1876 Celtic Scotland A History of Ancient Alban vol I Edinburgh Edmonston amp Douglas Chalmers George 1890 Caledonia vol VI New ed Paisley Alexander Gardner Roy William 1793 The Military Antiquities of the Romans in Britain London The Society of Antiquities of London archived from the original on 26 April 2009 Henry Robert 1805 The History of Great Britain on a New Plan vol II 3rd ed London A Strahan T Cadell Jr and W Davies in the Strand published 1800 pp 403 404 Bertram Charles 1757 The Description of Britain Translated from Richard of Cirencester London J White and Co published 1809 pp 55 59 72 75 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Damnonii amp oldid 1083578640, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
