6°47′03″E / 45.0167°N 6.7841°E / 45.0167; 6.7841
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Roman province
Eburodunum , mentioned by Greeks Strabo and Ptolemy as part of the Jerusalem Itinerary , in the Hautes-Alpes , FranceThe Alpes Cottiae (Latin pronunciation: [ˈaɫpeːs ˈkɔttɪ.ae̯] ; English: 'Cottian Alps') was a small province of the Roman Empire founded in 63 AD by Emperor Nero . It was one of the three provinces straddling the Alps between modern France and Italy , along with the Alpes Graiae et Poeninae and Alpes Maritimae .
The capital of the province was Segusio (modern Susa, Piedmont ). Other important settlements were located at Eburodunum and Brigantio (Briançon ). Named after the 1st-century BC ruler of the region, Marcus Julius Cottius , the toponym survives today in the Cottian Alps .
History The province had its origin in a local chiefdom controlled by the enfranchised king Marcus Julius Donnus , who ruled over Ligurian tribes of the region by the middle of the 1st century BC. He was succeeded by his son, Marcus Julius Cottius , who offered no opposition to the integration of his realm into the Roman imperial system under Emperor Augustus in 15–14 BC, then kept on ruling on native tribes as a praefectus civitatium of a Regnum Cotti .
After the death of his son Cottius II in 63 AD, the region was annexed by Emperor Nero and made into a procuratorial province known as provincia Alpium Cottiarum .
During the reign of Diocletian (284–305), the western part of the province was transferred to the Alpes Maritimae , and the eastern part allocated under a praeses to the Diocese of Italy .
Settlements Settlements in Alpes Cottiae included:
Ad Fines (Malano ) ("mansio", customs post)Ocelum (Celle ) ("oppidum", Celtic village)Ad Duodecimum (Saint-Didier ) ("mutatio")Segusio (Susa ) (capital)Venausio (Venaus ) (oppidum)Scingomagus / Excingomagus (Exilles ) (oppidum, possibly Donnus's capital)Caesao / Goesao (Cesana Torinese ) ("castrum")Ad Martes Ultor (late imperial "Ulcense") (Oulx ) ("castrum")Brigantium (Briançon ) (mansio)Mons Matronae (Mont Genèvre )See also References Bibliography Further reading Tilmann Bechert: Die Provinzen des römischen Reiches: Einführung und Überblick . von Zabern, Mainz 1999. Bartolomasi : Valsusa Antica . Alzani, 1975. Prieur, Jean (1968). La province romaine des Alpes Cottiennes . Impr. R. Gauthier. OCLC 834310867 .
† Italy was never constituted as a province, instead retaining a special juridical status until
Diocletian 's reforms.
45°01′00″N 6°47′03″E / 45.0167°N 6.7841°E / 45.0167; 6.7841