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Eburones
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Eburones were a Belgic tribe based in north-eastern Gaul in the 1st century BC. Julius Caesar describes them as being of Germanic origin.
Their territory is believed to correspond with the modern province Limburg in Belgium and the province of Dutch Limburg in Holland, with the adjacent part of modern Germany up to Aachen. This region still speaks a typical (Dutch) dialect.
The etymology of Eburon is thought to be: eibe, eebe + bauer, boer(en)(=plural). "Eibe, eebe" = yew. "Bauer, boer" = farmer. So: yew farmers. Yew was (is) the best wood to make bows. The best yew is grown upon sandy soils, where growth is slow and the wood more fibrous. The Latin word for yew is taxus. The Romans called the region: Taxandria, later Toxandria (yew-land). The yew from the region had such a good reputation that the Gauls had a special word for it: eburo.
Ambiorix, an Eburonian chief, is known for having led a rebellion against the Romans in 54 BC. His Eburones, helped by the Nervians, managed to slaughter a complete legion (5500 men). Later they laid siege to another Roman camp, which they almost destroyed. The destruction of the camp was avoided just in time. Eventually the Eburones were defeated by the Romans and Caesar invited all people that were interested to destroy and exterminate them. The Sicambri were one of the main raiders. The name Eburoni became forbidden and was later replaced by Tungri.
- A website on the Eburones (largely in German)
