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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