chiefdom · France and the Low Countries

Aulerci Cenomani

300 BCE – 51 BCE (approx.) · capital Vindinum

Gallic people of Maine, centred on Le Mans, a branch of whom crossed the Alps and founded the Celtic towns of Brescia and Verona.

Origins

The Cenomani were the largest branch of the Aulerci and held the Sarthe valley around Vindinum (Le Mans). Livy and Polybius report that part of the people migrated across the Alps around 400 BCE and settled north of the Po, where the Italian Cenomani founded Brixia (Brescia) and became allies of Rome against the other Gauls.

Rule and society

Little is known of the Gallic Cenomani at home. They struck gold coins and controlled the route between the Loire and the Channel coast.

Decline and legacy

They joined the great revolt of 52 BCE and sent five thousand men to relieve Alesia. Under Rome Vindinum grew into a walled town, later called Civitas Cenomanorum, from which come the names Le Mans and Maine.

Connections (1)

More states of France and the Low Countries →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Aulerci Cenomani. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/aulerci-cenomani
MLA
“Aulerci Cenomani.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/aulerci-cenomani. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Aulerci Cenomani.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/aulerci-cenomani.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Aulerci Cenomani’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/aulerci-cenomani (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻