Leuci
The Leucī were a Belgic tribe dwelling in the southern part of the modern Lorraine region during the Iron Age and the Roman period.
Name
They are mentioned as Leucos by Caesar, Leūkoi by Strabo, Leuci by Pliny, and as Leukoì by Ptolemy.The ethnonym Leucī is a latinized form of Gaulish Leucoi, which literally means 'the bright ones, the lightning ones'. It stems from Proto-Celtic *lowkos, itself from Proto-Indo-European *leukós.
Geography
Territory
The territory of the Leuci extended in the east and the southeast up to the Vosges mountains, between the Marne and Moselle rivers. They were located north-west of the Sequani, and southwest of the Mediomatrici.Settlements
During the Roman era, their capital was Tullum. Ptolemy, who normally gives one capital for each civitas, also lists Nasium as a capital of the Leuci.Hillforts held by the Leuci included a large oppidum at Boviolles, west of their territory, and some smaller ones located in the Vosges. The Roman-era successor of Boviolles was more imposing than the central city Tullum, since the Ornain river served as an important trade route between Champagne and the plateau of Langres, on the territory of the Lingones. Another possible oppidum was located at Geneviève.