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The Atrebates (meaning settlers) were a Belgic tribe of Gaul and Britain before the Roman conquests. The Gaulish Atrebates lived around what is now Arras in northern France. The British tribe lived in modern Hampshire, West Sussex and Surrey, centred on the capital Calleva Atrebatum (Silchester Roman Town).
The Gaulish tribe participated in the Belgic alliance against Julius Caesar in 57 BC. When that alliance broke up and some tribes surrendered, they joined with the Nervii and Viromandui and attacked Caesar at the river Sambre. Their attack was so quick and unexpected that some of the Romans didn't have time to take the covers off their shields or even put on their helmets. The element of surprise briefly left the Romans exposed. However Caesar grabbed a shield, made his way to the front line, and quickly organised his forces. The two legions who had been guarding the baggage train at the rear arrived and helped to turn the tide of the battle. Caesar says the Nervii were almost anihilated in the battle, and is is effusive in his tribute to their bravery, calling them "heroes". The Atuatuci, who were on the march to join the battle, turned back when they heard of the defeat.
After conquering the Atrebates, Caesar appointed one of their countrymen, Commius, as their king. Commius was involved in Caesar's two expeditions to Britain in 55 and 54 BC and negotiated the surrender of Cassivellaunus. However he turned against the Romans and joined in the revolt led by Vercingetorix in 52 BC. After Vercingetorix's defeat at the Siege of Alesia, Commius fled to Britain, and by about 30 BC had established himself as king of the British Atrebates, a kingdom he may have founded. Coins stamped with his name continued to be issued from from Calleva until about 20 BC.
(Some have suggested that given the length of his floruit there may have been two kings, father and son, of the same name, but if Commius was a young man when appointed by Caesar he could very well have lived until 20 BC.)
Commius (the younger if there were two) had three notable sons, Tincommius, Epillus and Verica. Tincommius seems to have ruled jointly with his father from about 25 BC until Commius's death in about 20 BC. After that, Tincommius ruled the northern part of the kingdom from Calleva, whicle Epillus ruled the southern half from Noviomagus (Chichester). At some point, probably before 7 AD, Tincommius was ousted and appears as a supplicant to the Roman emperor Augustus in his Res Gestae.
In about 15, Epillus was succeeded by Verica. At about the same time, a king by the name of Epillus appears as ruler of the Cantiaci in Kent. But Verica's kingdom was being pressed by the expansion of the Catuvellauni under Cunobelinus. Calleva fell to Cunobelinus's brother Epaticcus by about 25. Verica regained some territory following Epaticcus's death in about 35, but Cunobelinus's son Caratacus took over the campaign and by the early 40s the Atrebates were conquered. Verica fled to Rome, giving the new emperor Claudius the pretext for the Roman invasion of Britain.
After Roman conquest, part of the Atrebates' lands were organized into the pro-Roman kingdom of the Regnenses under Tiberius Claudius Cogidubnus, possibly Verica's son. The tribal territory was later organised as the civitates (administrative districts within a Roman province) of the Atrebates, Regnenses and possibly the Belgae.
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The following text was moved from the Arras article and should be merged with the above.
The Atrebates were also a tribe which migrated from France to England and practiced ceremonial burial rites (500-400 B.C.) where the chariot was interred with the chieftain.
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