Gabali

They are mentioned as Gabalos or Gabalis by Caesar (mid-1st c. BC),Caesar. Commentarii de Bello Gallico, 7:7:2, 75:2. as Gabalei͂s (Γαβαλεῖς) by Strabo (early 1st c. AD),Strabo. Geōgraphiká, 4:2:2. as Gabales by Pliny (1st c. AD),Pliny. Naturalis Historia, 4:109. and as Tábaloi (Τάβαλοι) by Ptolemy (2nd c. AD).Ptolemy. Geōgraphikḕ Hyphḗgēsis, 2:7:11.{{Harvnb|Falileyev|2010}}, s.v. Gabali.

The ethnonym Gabali is a Latinized form of Gaulish *Gabloi. It derives from the stem {{lang|xtg|gablo-}} (cf. Olr. gabul, Middle Welsh gafl, OBret. gabl), initially designating the 'forked branch of a tree', then more generally a 'fork'. The name is related to the Gallo-Latin *gabalottus ('spear'), which may have given the word javelot in French.{{Sfn|Delamarre|2003|pp=172–173}}{{sfn|Matasović|2009|pp=147–148}}

The city of Javols, attested ca. 400 AD as civitas Gabalum ('civitas of the Gabali', Javols in 1109), and the Gévaudan region, attested in the 1st c. AD as Gabalicus pagus (Gavuldanum in the 10th c., Gavalda in the 13th c.), are named after the Gallic tribe.{{Sfn|Nègre|1990|p=154}}

The Gabali dwelled in the Gévaudan region, on the north-western foot of the Cevennes. Their territory was located south of the Arveni, and north of the Ruteni.{{Sfn|Lafond|2006}}

Their chief town was Anderitum (present-day Javols).{{Sfn|Lafond|2006}}

They were subject, and allied to the Averni. They are mentioned in Book VII of Caesar's Commentaries. During Caesar's conquest of Gaul they were raiding the country of the Provincial Ruteni, and they were among the tribes that sent relief troops to the Gallic army trying to break the siege in Alesia.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

The Gabali were cattle breeders. Many of them were also miners, as their region was rich in silver mines.{{Sfn|Lafond|2006}}

{{Reflist}}

{{refbegin}}

• {{Cite book|last=Delamarre|first=Xavier|title=Dictionnaire de la langue gauloise: Une approche linguistique du vieux-celtique continental|date=2003|publisher=Errance|isbn=9782877723695|author-link=Xavier Delamarre}}
• {{Cite book|last=Falileyev|first=Alexander|title=Dictionary of Continental Celtic Place-names: A Celtic Companion to the Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World|publisher=CMCS|year=2010|isbn=978-0955718236}}
• {{Cite journal|last=Lafond|first=Yves|date=2006|title=Gabali|journal=Brill's New Pauly|doi=10.1163/1574-9347_bnp_e417210}}
• {{Cite book|last=Nègre|first=Ernest|title=Toponymie générale de la France|date=1990|publisher=Librairie Droz|isbn=978-2-600-02883-7|author-link=Ernest Nègre}}
• {{Cite book|last=Matasović|first=Ranko|title=Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic|year=2009|publisher=Brill|isbn=9789004173361|author-link=Ranko Matasović}}

{{refend}}

{{Gallic peoples}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Historical Celtic peoples

Category:Gauls

Category:Tribes in pre-Roman Gaul

{{europe-ethno-group-stub}}