Damnonii

views updated

Damnonii. A tribe of central Scotland. This Scottish tribe may well have been called the Dumnonii, but the spelling used by Ptolemy is retained here. There is no known connection between them and their namesakes of south-west England. They are known only from Ptolemy's Geography, and their location must be determined by the settlements that he attributes to them. These include Colania, Coria, and Alauna which are thought to be identifiable as the Roman forts at Camelon, Barochan Hill, and Ardoch, although only the latter is certain. If these identifications are correct, they place the tribe firmly in the central Lowlands.

Keith Branigan