tribal confederation · Iberia

Vascones

300 BCE – 75 BCE (approx.) · capital Pompaelo

The people of Navarre and ancestors of the Basques, whose lands held Pompey's foundation of Pompaelo, modern Pamplona.

Origins

The Vascones lived in the upper Ebro valley and western Pyrenees, roughly modern Navarre and parts of Aragon and La Rioja, by the 3rd century BCE. They probably spoke an early form of Basque, related to Aquitanian across the mountains.

Rule and society

They lived in hill towns and villages, farming the Ebro plain and herding in the mountains. Their towns included Calagurris and later Pompaelo, and they minted coins with Iberian-script legends. They had no single ruler and were organised in local communities.

Decline and legacy

In the winter of 75 to 74 BCE Pompey camped in their territory, giving his name to Pompaelo. Calagurris backed Sertorius and fell in 72 BCE after a famous siege. The Vascones were absorbed into Hispania Citerior, but their language survived and later the Kingdom of Navarre arose in their land.

Lineage

VasconesHispania Citerior 197 BCE – 27 BCE

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

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻