chiefdom · France and the Low Countries

Santones

300 BCE – 51 BCE (approx.) · capital Mediolanum Santonum

Gallic people of Saintonge on the Atlantic coast, whose land was the goal of the Helvetian migration of 58 BCE.

Origins

The Santones lived north of the Gironde estuary, along the Charente, in the modern Charente-Maritime. Caesar records that the Helvetii planned to settle in their land, which alarmed him because it lay close to the Roman Province.

Rule and society

Their coast gave them ships and seamen, which Caesar requisitioned in 56 BCE for the war against the Veneti. They struck coins in large numbers and traded salt and goods along the Atlantic.

Decline and legacy

They joined the revolt of 52 BCE with twelve thousand men. Under Rome Mediolanum Santonum (Saintes) became the first capital of Aquitania, with the Arch of Germanicus and a large amphitheatre. The region kept their name as Saintonge.

Connections (1)

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

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻