The Celtic Tribes of Scotland

When you say celtic tribes of Scotland, most people think of one tribe, “The Caledonii” from which we get the word Caledonia.  The following list taken from the time of the Romans and for the most part were recorded by the geographer Ptolomy c.150.

CAERENI ~ lived in what is now the modern West Sutherland.

CALEDONII ~ occupied land from modern Inverness to Fort William “The Great Glen”

CARNONACAE ~ far Northwest of Scotland (Ross and Cromarty)

CATENI ~ lived in the North and West of Sutherland

CORNAVII ~ Northern tip of Scotland Caithness.  A tribe of this name was also in Wales.

CREONES ~ Western coast of Scotland, from Skye in to Mull.

DAMNONII ~ lived in Strathclyde, also in Devon, Cornwall and Somerset in England.

DECANTAE ~ Northeastern Scotland, North of the Moray Firth

EPIDII ~ lived in what is now Argyll, Kintyre and the islands of Islay and Jura.

LUGI ~ lived along the Western coast of the Moray Firth

NOVANTAE ~ lived in what is now Galloway and Carrick

SELGOVAE~ lived in what is now The stewartry of Kirkcudbright and Dumfriesshire

SMERTAE~  recorded in what is now central Sutherland

TAEXALI ~ coastal regions of S.E. Grampian and N.E. Tayside

VACOMAGI ~ recorded in the area of the Cairngorms

VENICONES ~ recorded around the firth of Tay

VOTADINI ~ Lothian and boarders region of eastern Scotland

As you can see there was more than the “Caledonii” in Caledonia.

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