Allobroges

Tribe in the region between the Western Alps, Lake Geneva, and the Rhône; their "capital" was Vienna, and their northern bordertown Genava (modern Geneva). Hannibal's famous crossing of the Alps began in the region of the Allobroges; about a hundred years later (121 BCE), they were conquered by the Romans, and their region incorporated into the province of Gallia Narbonensis.

This name, however, is curious, as it is a Gaulish word essentially meaning "stranger, forigner"--not unlike the Welsh word allfro (and not unlike the word "Welsh", Anglo-Saxon for "foreigner").

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Mary Jones © 2009