Editing Aedui

{{Short description|Gallic tribe}}
{{Distinguish|Aedi}}
The '''Aedui''' or '''Haedui''' ([[Gaulish language|Gaulish]]: *''Aiduoi'', 'the Ardent'; {{langx|grc|Aἴδουοι}}) were a [[Gauls|Gallic]] tribe dwelling in what is now the region of [[Burgundy]] during the [[La Tène culture|Iron Age]] and the [[Roman Empire|Roman period]].

The Aedui had an ambiguous relationship with the [[Roman Republic]], as well as other Gallic tribes. In 121 BC, they appealed to Rome against the [[Arverni]] and [[Allobroges]]. During the [[Gallic Wars]] (58–50 BC), they gave valuable though not whole-hearted support to [[Caesar]], before eventually giving lukewarm support to [[Vercingetorix]] in 52. Although they were involved in the revolts of [[Julius Sacrovir|Iulius Sacrovir]] in 21 AD and [[Gaius Julius Vindex|Vindex]] in 68 AD, their aristocracy became highly Romanized under the Empire.{{Sfn|Drinkwater|2016|p=}}

== Name ==
They are mentioned as ''Ardues'' (Ἄρδυες) by [[Polybius]] (2nd c. BC),<ref>[[Polybius]]. ''Historíai,'' 3:47:3.</ref> ''Haedui'' by [[Cicero]] (mid-1st c. BC) and [[Julius Caesar|Caesar]] (mid-1st c. BC),<ref>[[Cicero]]. ''Epistulae ad Atticum'', 1:19:2.; [[Julius Caesar|Caesar]]. ''Commentarii de Bello Gallico'', 1:11:2</ref> ''Haeduos'' by [[Livy]] (late 1st c. BC),<ref>[[Livy]]. ''Ab Urbe Condita Libri'', 5:34:3.</ref> ''Aedui'' by [[Pliny the Elder|Pliny]] (mid-1st c. AD),<ref>[[Pliny the Elder|Pliny]]. ''Naturalis Historia,'' 4:107.</ref> ''Aidúōn'' (Αἰδύων) by [[Ptolemy]] (2nd c. AD),<ref>[[Ptolemy]]. ''Geōgraphikḕ Hyphḗgēsis,'' 2:8:12.</ref> and as ''Aídouoi'' (Aἴδουοι) by [[Cassius Dio]] (3rd c. AD).<ref>[[Cassius Dio]]. ''Rhōmaïkḕ Historía'', 38:32.</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Falileyev|2010}}, s.v. ''Aedui'' and ''Haedui''.</ref>

The [[ethnonym]] ''Aedui'' is a Latinized form of [[Gaulish]] *''Aiduoi'' (<small>sing.</small> *''Aiduos''), which means 'the Ardent ones'. It derives from the [[Proto-Celtic language|Celtic]] stem ''*aidu-'' ('fire, ardour'; cf. [[Old Irish]] ''áed'' 'fire', [[Welsh language|Welsh]] ''aidd'' 'ardour'; also the Irish deity ''[[Aed (god)|Aéd]]'' or ''[[Aodh (given name)|Aodh]]''), itself from  {{langx|ine-x-proto|*h₂eydʰos}} ('firewood'; cf. [[Sanskrit]] ''édhas'' 'bonfire', [[Latin]] ''aedes'' 'building, temple'; cf. also [[Ancient Greek]] ''[[Aether (mythology)|Aether]]'' 'god of the upper sky' and ''[[Aethra (mythology)|Aethra]]'' 'bright sky', from ''aíthō'' 'to ignite, to kindle').{{Sfn|Delamarre|2003|p=35}}{{Sfn|Matasović|2009|p=51}}

==Geography==
[[File:Map of Eduens people-fr.svg|thumb|274x274px|Aedui core territory (in red) and confederation (in brown), with allies (in pink) and enemies (in grey).{{sfn|Goudineau|1993}}]]

=== Territory ===
The territory of the Aedui was situated between the [[Saône]] and [[Loire]] rivers, in a strategic position regarding trade routes. It included most of the modern [[Departments of France|départements]] of [[Saône-et-Loire]] and [[Nièvre]], the southwestern-part of [[Côte-d'Or]] between [[Beaune]] and [[Saulieu]], and the southern part of [[Yonne]] around [[Avallon]],{{Sfn|Barral|Guillaumet|Nouvel|2002|p=276}} corresponding to the Saône plains, the [[Morvan]] granitic massif, and the low [[Nivernais]] plateau, from east to west.{{Sfn|Barral|Guillaumet|Nouvel|2002|p=271}} They dwelled between the [[Arverni]] in the west, the [[Segusiavi]] and [[Ambarri]] in the south, the [[Sequani]] in the east, and the [[Lingones]] and [[Senones]] in the north.{{Sfn|Barral|Guillaumet|Nouvel|2002|p=273}}

=== Settlements ===
Three [[Oppidum|oppida]] are known from the end of the [[La Tène culture|La Tène]] period: Vieux-Dun ([[Dun-les-Places]]), Le Fou de Verdun ([[Lavault-de-Frétoy]]), and [[Bibracte]], which occupied a central position in the Aedian economic system.{{Sfn|Barral|Guillaumet|Nouvel|2002|p=|pp=272, 274}}

During the Roman period, Bibracte was abandoned for [[Augustodunum]] ('fortress of Augustus'; modern-day [[Autun]]).{{Sfn|Drinkwater|2016|p=}}

=== Ancient sources ===
The country of the Aedui is defined by reports of them in ancient writings. The upper [[Loire|Liger]] formed their western border,<ref>{{harvnb|Caesar|BG|loc=Book vii, Section 5}}.</ref> separating them from the [[Bituriges Cubi|Bituriges]]. The [[Saône|Arar]] formed their eastern border, separating them from the [[Sequani]].<ref>{{harvnb|Caesar|BG|loc=Book I, Section 12}}.</ref> The Sequani did not reside in the region of the confluence of the [[Doubs|Dubis]] and the Arar, and of the Arar into the [[Rhône|Rhodanus]], as Caesar says that the [[Helvetii]], traveling southward along the pass between the [[Jura Mountains]] and the Rhodanus, which belonged to the Sequani, plundered the territory of the Aedui.<ref>{{harvnb|Caesar|BG|loc=Book I, Section 11}}.</ref> These circumstances explain an apparent contradiction in [[Strabo]], who in one sentence says that the Aedui lived between the Arar and the Dubis, and in the next, that the Sequani lived across the Arar (eastward).<ref>{{harvnb|Strabo|Geography|loc=Book 4, Chapter 3, Section 2}}.</ref>

==History==
=== Pre-Roman period ===
Burgundy is situated in the heartland of the early [[La Tène culture]] (see [[Vix Grave]]).
By the early 3rd century BC, the emergence of settlements with diversified functions, along with the creation of sanctuaries, suggest the beginning of a civilization centered around the [[oppidum]].{{Sfn|Barral|Guillaumet|Nouvel|2002|p=271}}

=== Roman period ===
Outside of the Roman province and prior to Roman rule, [[Gaul]] was occupied by self-governing tribes divided into cantons, and each canton was further divided into communes. The Aedui, like other powerful tribes in the region, such as the [[Arverni]], [[Sequani]], and [[Helvetii]], had replaced their monarchy with a council of magistrates called grand-judges. The grand-judges were under the authority of a senate. This senate was made up of the descendants of ancient royal families. Free men in the tribes were [[vassals]] of the heads of these families, in an exchange of military, financial, and political interests.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Malleson|first1=G.B.|title=Vercingetorix|journal=Transactions of the Royal Historical Society|date=1889|volume=4|pages=1–40|doi=10.2307/3678158|jstor=3678158|url=https://zenodo.org/record/1449763}}</ref>[[File:Eduens denier 1st century BCE 1940mg.jpg|thumb|[[Denarius]] of the Aedui, first century BC, 1.94 grams. [[Hotel de la Monnaie]].|300x300px]]

According to [[Livy]] (v. 34), the Aedui took part in the expedition of [[Bellovesus]] into Italy in the sixth century BC. Before [[Caesar]]'s time, they had attached themselves to the [[Ancient Rome|Romans]] and were honoured with the title of brothers and kinsmen of the Roman people.<ref>{{harvnb|Caesar|BG|loc=Book I, Section 33}}.</ref> When the Sequani, their traditional rivals, defeated and massacred the Aedui at the [[Battle of Magetobriga]] in 63 BC, with the assistance of the [[Germanic peoples|Germanic]] chieftain [[Ariovistus]], the Aedui sent the [[Druidry|druid]] [[Diviciacus (Aedui)|Diviciacus]] to Rome with an appeal to the [[Roman Senate|senate]] for help; but his mission was unsuccessful.<ref name="EB1911">{{EB1911|inline=1|wstitle=Aedui|volume=1|pages=244–245}} This cites:
* A. E. Desjardins, ''Géographie de la Gaule'', ii. (1876–1893)
* [[T. Rice Holmes|T. R. Holmes]], ''Caesar's Conquest of Gaul'' (1899).</ref>

After his arrival in Gaul in 58 BC, Caesar restored the independence of the Aedui. In spite of this, they subsequently joined the Gallic coalition against Caesar (''B. G.'' vii. 42), but after the surrender of [[Vercingetorix]] at the [[Battle of Alesia]], the Aedui gladly returned to their allegiance. [[Augustus]] dismantled their capital, [[Bibracte]], on [[Mont Beuvray]], and constructed a new town with a half-Roman, half-Gaulish name, [[Augustodunum]] (modern [[Autun]]).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Alpheus--Bibracte: Last Center of Celtic Occultism|url=https://www.alpheus.org/html/articles/esoteric_history/Bibracte.htm|access-date=2021-06-04|website=www.alpheus.org}}</ref>

In AD 21, during the reign of [[Tiberius]], the Aedui [[Revolt of Sacrovir|revolted]] under [[Julius Sacrovir]], and seized Augustodunum, but they were soon put down by [[Gaius Silius]] ([[Gaius Cornelius Tacitus|Tacitus]] ''[[Annals (Tacitus)|Ann.]]'' iii. 43–46). The Aedui were the first of the Gauls to receive from the emperor [[Claudius]] the distinction of ''[[jus honorum]]'', thus being the first Gauls permitted to become senators.<ref name="test">Peoples, Nations and Cultures. General Editor Prof John Mackenzie. Weidenfeld and Nicolson. 2005.</ref>

Until [[Claudius]] (41–54 AD), the Aedui were the first northern Gallic people to send senators to Rome.{{Sfn|Drinkwater|2016|p=}}

The oration of [[Eumenius]], in which he pleaded for the restoration of the schools of his native Augustodunum, suggests that the district was then neglected. The chief magistrate of the Aedui in Caesar's time was called the [[Vergobret]]us (according to [[Theodor Mommsen|Mommsen]], "judgment-worker"). He was elected annually, and possessed powers of life and death, but was forbidden to go beyond the frontiers of his territory. Certain clientes, or small communities, were also dependent upon the Aedui.<ref name="EB1911"/>

== Religion ==
[[File:Temple Janus Autun 35.jpg|thumb|[[Temple of Janus (Autun)|Temple of Janus]].|230x230px]]
The [[Temple of Janus (Autun)|Temple of Janus]] was located just outside the Aedian town of [[Augustodunum]]. It probably dates back to the second half of the 1st century AD.{{Sfn|Goudineau|Rebourg|1987|p=106}}

At the end of the [[La Tène culture|La Tène]] period, religious convergences occurred between the Aedui and the neighbouring [[Lingones]] and [[Sequani]] in the [[Saône]]-[[Doubs (river)|Doubs]] area, as evidenced by the similarity in the practices at the sanctuaries of [[Nuits-Saint-Georges]] (Aedui), [[Mirebeau-sur-Bèze]] (Lingones) and [[Mandeure]] (Sequani).{{Sfn|Barral|Guillaumet|Nouvel|2002|p=274}}

== Political organization ==
According to Julius Caesar, the Aedui were one of the strongest Gallic tribes, in rivalry with the [[Helvetii]], [[Sequani]], [[Remi]], and [[Arverni]]. Furthermore, the Aedui seemed to work in a semi-republican state, with the powerful [[Vergobret]] at least slightly being at the will of the people, similar to the [[Roman Senate|senators of Rome]].<ref name="Hamm">{{cite book|last1=Caesar-Translated by Hammond|first1=Carolyn|title=The Gallic War|publisher=Oxford World's Classics|pages=3–34}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of peoples of Gaul]]
* [[Jublains archeological site]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Primary sources===
* {{cite book |first=Julius |last=Caesar |author-link=Julius Caesar |title=De Bello Gallico |ref=CITEREFCaesarBG|title-link=De Bello Gallico }}
* {{cite book |author=Strabo |author-link=Strabo |title=Geography |ref=CITEREFStraboGeography}}

===Bibliography===
{{Refbegin|30em|indent=yes}}
*{{Cite book|last1=Barral|first1=Philippe|last2=Guillaumet|first2=Jean-Paul|last3=Nouvel|first3=Pierre|date=2002|editor-last=Garcia|editor-first=D.|editor2-last=Verdin|editor2-first=F.|chapter=Le territoire des Éduens d'après les dernières découvertes|title=Territoires celtiques, espaces ethniques et territoire des agglomérations d'Europe occidentale, actes du XXIV° congrès de l'AFEAF, Martigues, 1er - 4 juin 2000|publisher=Errance|pages=271–296|isbn=978-2877722193}}
*{{Cite book|last=Delamarre|first=Xavier|title=Dictionnaire de la langue gauloise: Une approche linguistique du vieux-celtique continental|date=2003|publisher=Errance|isbn=9782877723695|author-link=Xavier Delamarre}}
*{{Cite journal|title=Aedui|last=Drinkwater|first=John F.|author-link=John F. Drinkwater|date=2016|website=Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Classics|doi=10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.013.83|isbn=9780199381135}}
*{{Cite book|last=Falileyev|first=Alexander|title=Dictionary of Continental Celtic Place-names: A Celtic Companion to the Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World|publisher=CMCS|year=2010|isbn=978-0955718236}}
*{{Cite book|last1=Goudineau|first1=Christian|title=Les villes augustéennes de Gaule: actes du Colloque international d'Autun, 6, 7 et 8 juin 1985|last2=Rebourg|first2=Alain|date=1987|publisher=Société éduenne des lettres, sciences et arts|chapter=Les origines d'Autun|oclc=28069333}}
*{{Cite book |last=Goudineau |first=Christian |title=Bibracte et les Éduens. À la découverte d'un peuple gaulois |publisher=Érrance |year=1993}}
*{{Cite book|last=Matasović|first=Ranko|title=Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic|date=2009|publisher=Brill|isbn=9789004173361|author-link=Ranko Matasović}}
*{{Cite book|last=Nègre|first=Ernest|title=Toponymie générale de la France|date=1990|publisher=Librairie Droz|isbn=978-2-600-02883-7|author-link=Ernest Nègre}}
{{Refend}}

==Further reading==
*{{Cite book|last=Hornung|first=Sabine|title=Siedlung und Bevölkerung in Ostgallien zwischen Gallischem Krieg und der Festigung der Römischen Herrschaft. Eine Studie auf Basis landschaftsarchäologischer Forschungen im Umfeld des Oppidums "Hunnenring" von Otzenhausen (Lkr. St. Wendel)|date=2016|publisher=Philipp von Zabern|language=de|pages=319–346|chapter=Die Häduer – „Brüder“ Roms}}
*{{Cite book|last=Thévenot|first=Émile|title=Les Éduens n'ont pas trahi : essai sur les relations entre Éduens et César au cours de la guerre des Gaules et particulièrement au cours de la crise de 52|date=1960|publisher=Latomus|oclc=264975672}}

{{Celts}}
{{Gallic peoples}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Aedui| ]]
[[Category:Historical Celtic peoples]]
[[Category:Gauls]]
[[Category:Tribes involved in the Gallic Wars]]