bga_398281 - GALLIA BELGICA - MORINI (littoral Area of the English Channel and the North Sea) Quart de statère au bateau, avers à l’ovale centré

GALLIA BELGICA - MORINI (coastal area of the English Channel and the North Sea)

(2nd - 1st century BC)

The Morins, people of Belgian Gaul, were located by the sea between Étaples and Bruges in the current departments of Pas-de-Calais and Nord for France and regions of maritime Flanders and Zeeland. Their neighbors were the Ambians, the Atrebates and the Menapians. They participated in the coalition of the Belgian peoples in 57 BC, led by the Bellovaques. They provided a contingent of twenty five thousand men. In 56 BC, they joined the maritime coalition of the Veneti. Caesar led an expedition against the Morins and Menapians which ended in failure. However, it was from Portus Itius (Boulogne-sur-Mer), located on their territory, that Caesar embarked to invade the island of Brittany. After 54 BC, Caesar imposed the Atrebate Commios as king on the Morins in order to thank him for his help and support during the two expeditions to Brittany. In 52 BC, the Morins provided a contingent of five thousand men to the relief army. One of their oppida seems to have been Taruenna (Thérouanne). Caesar (BG. II, 4; III, 9, 28; IV, 21, 22, 37, 38; V, 24; VII, 75, 76).