The Cenomani (Greek: Κενομάνοι, Strabo, Ptol.; Γονομάνοι, Polyb.) were an ancient tribe of the Cisalpine Gauls. They lived in the area north of the Padus (modern Po River), between the Insubres to the west and the Veneti to the east. Their land seems to have covered the region from the Addua River (or possibly the Ollius, the modern Oglio) to the Athesis River (modern Adige).
It is unclear whether these Cenomani are the same group as the Cenomani in Gallia Celtica mentioned by Julius Caesar. This question remains a topic of discussion (see Cenomani).
History
Both Polybius and Livy specifically named them as part of the Gaul tribes that crossed the Alps within recorded history. These tribes drove the Etruscans out of the area where they settled and continued to live there.
Another group, made up of the Cenomani and led by Etitovius, followed the same path. With the support of Bellovesus, they crossed the Alps through the same pass and settled near today’s cities of Brescia and Verona. Later, the Libui, Salyes, Boii, and Lingones arrived in the Po Valley, pushing both the Etruscans and Umbrians out of their lands.
The route they took can be found in a statement by Cato, as recorded by Pliny in Natural History (III.130). Cato wrote that some of these people settled near Massilia, in the territory of the Volcae. He also noted that the Cenomani once lived near the Volcae, close to Massilia.
Historical records often describe the Cenomani as being friendly to the Romans and refusing to join other tribes in fighting against Rome. During the great Gaulish war in 225 BC, when the Boii and Insubres attacked Rome, the Cenomani and their neighbors, the Veneti, formed an alliance with the Roman Republic. Together, they provided 20,000 soldiers to threaten the Insubres’ borders.
Even when Hannibal invaded Cisalpine Gaul, the Cenomani remained loyal to the Romans. They sent soldiers to help the Romans fight at the Battle of the Trebia. After the Second Punic War, however, the Cenomani joined a Gaulish revolt led by Hamilcar in 200 BC. A few years later, they fought alongside the Insubres, but their betrayal was not complete. After being defeated by the Roman consul Gaius Cornelius Cethegus in 197 BC, they quickly surrendered and continued to support Rome.
After this time, the Cenomani no longer appear in historical records, as they slowly became part of the Roman population. In 49 BC, along with other Transpadane Gauls, they gained full Roman citizenship.
Geographical area
The exact boundaries of the area they lived in are not clearly known. Strabo does not mention them in his description of Gallia Cisalpina and instead says their cities belonged to the Insubres. Livy writes that Brixia (modern Brescia) and Verona were the main cities in their area.
Pliny lists Cremona and Brixia as part of their territory, but Ptolemy describes their area as much larger, including Bergamum (modern Bergamo), Mantua, and Tridentum, which was likely a Rhaetian city. (Strab. v. p. 213; Plin. iii. 19. s. 23; Ptol. iii. 1. § 31.)
Polybius once wrote that the river Clusius (modern Chiese) separated them from the Insubres, but this is likely incorrect. The borders described earlier (the Addua to the west, the Athesis to the east, and the Padus to the south) are probably close to accurate.
The Alpine tribes of the Camunni and the Triumpilini, who lived to their north, are described by Pliny as part of the Euganean race. This means they were not closely connected to the Cenomani in terms of nationality. However, during Pliny’s time, they were at least grouped together for administrative purposes.
Genetics
Laffranchi et al. 2024 studied 12 samples of Cenomani Cisalpine Gauls from Verona who lived between the 3rd and 1st centuries BCE. Five Y-DNA samples were found to belong to either haplogroup I2a1b1a1b1 or subclades of R1b1a1b (R-M269). Twelve mtDNA samples were identified as belonging to various subclades of haplogroups H, T, U, K, J, and X. Ancient samples from the Bell Beaker, Hallstatt, and Tumulus cultures in Central Europe also belonged to these haplogroups.