The Coritani were an unified Celtric Tribe located in Leicester - the East Midlands, between the rivers Welland and Humber, fringed on the west by the southern Pennines. It is estimated to be a recent tribe prior to the Roman invasion in 43 AD.
Name Dispute
Also called the Coritavi or Corieltauvi from the Ptolemy lists. "Their name appears as Coritani and Coritavi in Ptolemy's 2nd century Geography. However, the Ravenna Cosmography gives the name of their capital, in apparently corrupt form, as Rate Corion Eltavori, and an inscribed tile found in Churchover calls the administrative district Civitas Corieltauvorum, indicating that the true form should be Corieltauvi" (Tomlin)
Farmers
The Coritani were "A mild and agricultural people who were receptive to Roman rule, perhaps because the presence of the Romans on their territory deterred the raids by their neighbours, the aggressive and warlike Brigantes. Ostorius Scapula established the frontier zone delineated by the Fosse Way through the middle of the Coritani territory." (Roman-Britain) So they didn't have their Braveheart yet, but they had political leaders if nothing else.
RATAE CORIELTAVORVM (Leicester, Leicestershire) - The site of a possible vexillation fortress or at least an auxiliary fort.
Five "Undefended" Native Lowland Settlements:
- RATAE
- Old Sleaford (Lincolnshire) - On the banks of the River Slea. Evidently the site of a Celtic mint, as enormous quantities of mould trays were found during excavations. The coin-moulds were in three sizes, denoting three denominations; Gold, Silver and Bronze.
- CAVSENNAE? (Ancaster, Lincolnshire) - An important early Roman military site on Ermine Street, was built on the site of an existing Celtic settlement. Later a small Romano-British town on Ermine Street between Lindum and Durobrivae (Godmanchester).
- Dragonby, nr. Scunthorpe (Humberside) - A large, un-nucleated Celtic settlement, sited near the Humber estuary, at the confluence of the River Trent. Roman pottery kilns have been unearthed here.
- LINDVM (Lincoln, Lincolnshire) - The site of the later colonia, It is possible that an auxiliary or vexillation fort preceeded the legionary fortress. The existence of a pre-Roman settlement has only recently been discovered, evidently, a major Iron-age site existed here by the side of the river Witham.
Rulers
- AVN COST
- ESVP ASV
- VEP OCI.}ES
- VEP CORF
- VEP
- DVMNO TIGIR SENO
- VOLISIOS DVMNOCOVEROS
- VOLISIOS DVMNOVELLAV
- VOLISIOS CARTIVEL
The rulers are mainly based from the coinage.
Sources:
http://www.roman-britain.org/tribes/coritani.htm
Tomlin, R S O (1983). "Roman Leicester, a Corrigendum: For Coritani should we read Corieltauvi?". Transactions of the Leicester Archaeological and Historical Society
http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1O43-Coritani.html