Pictones

The Piktonen (Latin Pictones, later also called Pictavi ) were a Celtic tribe in Gaul. Their settlement area lay to the south of the lower Loire. Its main town, was Lemonum or Limonum, today Poitiers, which derives its name from the Piktonen ( renamed in Roman times on Pictavium ). After Geographike Hyphegesis (Book 2, Chapter 7) of Ptolemy was a second city in their territory Ratiatum (now Rezé ). Your northwestern neighbors were the Namneten, its eastern the Bituriges their southeastern Lemoviken the southwestern and its the Santones.

In the year 56 BC, Caesar ordered the Piktonen and Santones to provide him with ships for an expedition against the Veneti and their allies are available. The Arvernerfürst Vercingetorix could move 52 BC the Piktonen to participate in the pan- Gallic war. For the relief army of Alesia they represented a force of 8000 warriors. From the year 51 BC they fought on the side of the Romans. Duratius, a leader of the Piktonen, was besieged in this year because of its Romtreue by the leader of Andecaven, Dumnacus in Lemonum, but freed by Caesar's legate Gaius and Gaius Fabius Caninius Rebilus. Since Augustus Piktonen belonged to the province of Gallia Aquitania.

The piktonische coinage was greatly influenced by Mediterranean models. Thus, a nymph head, as it is known from coins from Emporiae (Empúries ) and Rhoda (Roses) in Catalonia, seen in barbarisierter version on their coins.

Significant sectors of Piktonen were fishing and shipbuilding. The bottom of their territory was suitable for oil and wine. Christianity held early in their catchment area; doctors of the Church and Bishop Hilary of Poitiers died 367

In Avanton (Canton Neuville -de- Poitou ) in the former settlement area of ​​the Piktonen the gold sheet cone of Avanton in 1844 during fieldwork found from the Bronze Age.