Turones


The Turones were a Celtic tribe of pre-Roman Gaul, dwelling around modern-day Tours, in the Touraine region.

Name

They are mentioned as Turonos and Turonis by Caesar, as Turones by Pliny, as Turoni by Tacitus, and as Touroúpioi by Ptolemy.
The meaning of the name Turones, attested by the 1st c. BCE, is unclear. It is probably a Gaulish name, maybe related to the root tura-.
The city of Tours, attested as apud Toronos in the 6th c. CE, and the Touraine region, are named after the tribe.
The ancient records of Britain, cited by Geoffrey of Monmouth, Nennius, and the anonymous author of Jesus College MS LXI, attribute the name to Turnus, a nephew of Brutus of Troy who was buried there after dying in battle protecting the Britons from King Goffar of Aquitaine and the Poitevins.

Geography

Their territory spanned the actual département of Indre-et-Loire, and parts of the Indre and Vienne départements. The principal city of the Turones' territory was Caesarodunum, the modern city of Tours. Before the Roman conquest, the main oppidum of the tribe was probably the oppidum of Fondettes, or maybe the one which was found behind the Amboise Castle, called Oppidum des Châtelliers.