Diviciacus (Aedui)
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Diviciacus or Divitiacus of the Aedui is Latinised name of the only druid from Antiquity whose existence is historically attested. He should not be confused with the king of the Suessiones, also called Diviciacus; however coins issued by the latter confirm the spelling (Gaulish written in Greek script), δειοιχυαχοϲ. The name means "avenger" (Delamarre p.145).
His date of birth is not known, but he was an adult during the 60s BC at which time he was a senator of the Aedui and escaped a massacre by the forces of the Sequani, Arverni and Germanic troops under a leader whose Latinised name was Ariovistus (Brunaux, p.282).
He was in favour of alliance with Rome, and in the year 63 BC he went to Rome and spoke before the Senate to ask for military aid; he was a guest of Cicero, who spoke of his knowledge of divination, astronomy and natural philosophy (De Divinatione I xli). Julius Caesar, who knew him well, speaks of him several times in his Commentarii de Bello Gallico and noted his particular skills as a diplomat.
In addition to holding the religious office of druid, he was the Uergobretos (political head or magistrate - see Delamarre p.315)) of the Aedui, one of the most powerful nations in Gaul. In this combination of military and religious office he was similar to Julius Caesar, who was Pontifex Maximus in addition to being a general.
Diviciacus had a brother, Dumnorix, who was strongly anti-Roman. Dumnorix was executed on the orders of Caesar.
Diviciacus had ceased to be Uergobretos by 52 BC, when the election was contested between Convictolitavis and Cotos (Brunaux, p.283). The date Diviciacus's death is not known, but Cicero speaks of him in the present tense in 44 BC.
[edit] References
- Julius Caesar, Commentarii de Bello Gallico 1.3, 1.16-20, 1.31-32, 2.5, 2.14-15, 6.12, 7.39
- Cicero, De Divinatione 1.41
- Brunaux, Jean-Louis (2005) Les Gaulois. Paris, Les Belles Lettres. ISBN 2-251-41028-7
- Delamarre, X. (2003). Dictionnaire de la Langue Gauloise (2nd ed.). Paris: Editions Errance. ISBN 2877722376
