chiefdom · France and the Low Countries

Pictones

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

Gallic people of Poitou who built ships for Caesar against the Veneti and gave their name to Poitiers and Poitou.

Origins

The Pictones held the land south of the lower Loire, around Lemonum (Poitiers), with a coastline on the Atlantic. They were among the larger peoples of western Gaul.

Rule and society

Caesar used their shipyards in 56 BCE for the fleet that defeated the Veneti. Their leader Duratius remained loyal to Rome, which split the people during the revolts.

Decline and legacy

In 51 BCE Duratius was besieged in Lemonum by Dumnacus of the Andecavi until Roman forces relieved him. Under Rome Lemonum, later called Pictavi, became Poitiers, a major city and bishopric, and the region kept the name Poitou.

Connections (1)

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

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻