Leuci

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The Leuci, or Leucoi in Gaulish, were a Belgic tribe that lived in the southern part of what is now Lorraine during the Iron Age and Roman times. Their name means “the bright ones” or “the lightning ones.” They are mentioned by ancient writers as Leucos, Leūkoi, Leuci, and Leukoì. They occupied land east and southeast up to the Vosges, between the Marne and Moselle rivers, lying north-west of the Sequani and south-west of the Mediomatrici. In Roman times their capital was Tullum (modern Toul), though Ptolemy also lists Nasium (Naix-aux-Forges) as a capital. Their important hillforts included a large oppidum at Boviolles in the Ornain valley and several smaller forts in the Vosges; the Ornain route helped link Champagne with the Langres plateau, making Boviolles especially notable. Another possible oppidum was at Geneviève (Essey). The Leuci worshipped Apollo at Graux and Malaincourt or Apollo Grannus at Tullum, Nasium, and Grand, especially around springs. Julius Caesar notes them as wheat suppliers to the Roman army in 58 BC, alongside the Lingones and Sequani.