This, combined with Arverni control of the northern trade routes, made them very wealthy and powerful - at their height, the warriors of the Averni had the best weapons and armour in all of Gaul, while their nobles could also import Greek-produced luxury goods. Gergovia, the Arverni capital, is now believed to have been home to the greatest kilns in Gaul, in terms in quality and sheer numbers. It is said there was no home in Gaul which did not have Arverni pottery, as so great was their reputation for making pots. The Averni were also master craftsmen specialised in ceramics. This power also bought great prosperity for the Averni, as they not only controlled the many tribes around them, but they also enjoyed the benefits of owning the trade routes which snaked across all Gaul all the way down to Helvetia and the Greek enclave of Massilia. At their height in the 2nd century BCE, the Arverni Confederacy extended its influence well across the territory of present-day France, and was rightfully feared by even the Belgae, whom the Romans would label as the fiercest of all Gallic tribes in Western Europe. Instead, like many of the tribal societies of Europe, the Arverni instead chose to enact limited wars to secure compliance and by this manner they managed to create a confederacy, with the Arverni being the lead powermongers. Unlike the many "eastern" empires of China and the Near East which attempted to create a centralised state, the Arverni did not absorb their neighbours with force. To them the natural place of the Verrix was to be high king of all Gaul. The king, whom they called the Verrix, was believed to be divine, the incarnation of Arvernos. The Arverni choose their kings by election, in which all free men took part. The Arverni, who were present in southern Gaul (the French region of Auvergne is named after them), eventually proved to be the most powerful as early as the 3rd century BCE and had begun a great conquest of Gaul, exterminating or subjugating neighbouring tribes under its suzerainty. It is thought that the Averni believed that they were destined to rule the lands they came to: indeed, in the Gallic language "Averni" means "the Superior Ones". However, Rome managed to contain them as their warlike society often put them at odds with other Gallic tribes as much as they did with Rome.Īccording to the Roman historian Livy, the Arverni, like their Aedui foes, were part of the great migration to Italy under Bellovesus in the 6th century BCE. They were also introduced to Greek culture through contact along the Mediterranean coast during this time. They were divided into several tribes which were not politically united, but which would often accede hegemony to whichever tribe was strongest in the region. They moved into the area from east of the Rhine in 900BCE and by 500BCE established a distinct and uniform Gallic culture. "The Gauls" were actually the Roman name for the Celtic tribes that inhabited the areas now known as France.
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