Eppillus(Celtic:"little horse" ) was the name of aRoman client kingof theAtrebatestribe of theBritish Iron Age.He appears to have ruled part of the territory that had previously been held byCommius,theGaulishformer ally ofJulius Caesarwho fled to Britain following the uprising ofVercingetorix,or possibly of his son. Eppillus is not mentioned in any historical sources. Coins bearing his name also bear the inscription COMMI.FILI which is generally read asCommios filiusindicating at least a claim to beCommius's son.[1]
| Eppillus | |
|---|---|
| King of theAtrebates | |
| Reign | c. 20 BC – c. 15 (southern Atrebatic kingdom) c. 7 – c. 15 (northern Atrebatic kingdom) |
| Predecessor | Commius(southern Atrebatic kingdom) Tincomarus(northern Atrebatic kingdom) |
| Successor | Verica,king of the Atrebates |
| Father | Commius |
After Commius's death in about 20 BC, based onnumismaticevidence, Eppillus seems to have ruled jointly with another ruler namedTincomarus.The COMMI.FILI inscription also appears on Tincomarus's coins suggesting they could have been brothers.[1]Eppillus's capital wasNoviomagus Reginorum(Chichester) in the south of the kingdom, while Tincomarus ruled fromCalleva Atrebatum(Silchester) in the north.
Eppillus became ruler of the whole territory a little before 7 AD, and Tincomarus appears as a supplicant to theEmperorAugustusin hisRes Gestae,so he would seem to have been driven out in some sort of domestic intrigue. After this, Eppillus's coins are marked "Rex", indicating that he was recognised as king byRome.
A singlestaterhas been found inDoverbearing the name of Eppillus and an otherwise unknownAnarevito.[2][3]The relationship between the two is unclear although it has been suggested that they were allied rulers.[2][3] In about 15 AD, Eppillus was succeeded as king of the Atrebates byVerica.Verica again issues coins with the COMMI.FILI inscription suggesting perhaps a third brother although Verica's possible presence in Rome in 47 AD would have required Commius to have lived a very long life.[1]At about the same time, coins of theCantiacistamped with the name Eppillus start to appear inKent,replacing those ofDubnovellaunus.It is possible that Eppillus was deposed by Verica, fled to Kent and established himself as king there, but equally possible that he was invited to become king by the Cantiaci, peacefully handing the rule of the Atrebates to Verica, or that he died and was succeeded by Verica, and that Eppillus of Kent was another man of the same name.
References
edit- ^abcBean, Simon C (1994). "Coinage of Commios".The coinage of Atrebates and Regni(PDF)(Ph.D.). University of Nottingham. pp. 239–240.Retrieved14 July2016.
- ^ab"Iron Age gold coin of Anarevito and Eppillus".culturalinstitute.britishmuseum.org.British Museum.Retrieved8 April2016.
- ^ab"Coin".British museum Collection Online.British museum.Retrieved8 April2016.