chiefdom · France and the Low Countries

Tungri

50 BCE – 400 CE (approx.) · capital Atuatuca Tungrorum

People of eastern Belgium who settled the former land of the Eburones and whose town Atuatuca Tungrorum became Tongeren.

Origins

After Caesar destroyed the Eburones in 53 BCE, new groups settled the area between the Meuse and the Rhine. Tacitus says the Tungri were the first Germani to cross the Rhine, and that the name Germani spread from them to all their kin.

Rule and society

Their chief town Atuatuca Tungrorum was founded under Augustus and grew into a walled city on the road from Bavay to Cologne. Tungrian cohorts served across the empire, most famously on Hadrian's Wall and at Vindolanda.

Decline and legacy

The region suffered Frankish raids from the 3rd century, and Tongeren was rebuilt with a smaller wall. In the 4th century it became the seat of Bishop Servatius, whose see later moved to Maastricht and then Liège. Tongeren claims to be the oldest town in Belgium.

Connections (1)

More states of France and the Low Countries →

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

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻