Falisci
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Falisci were an ancient Italian tribe. They were of Sabine origin or connections, but spoke an Italic language, Faliscan, closely akin to Latin. They inhabited the town of Falerii, as well as a considerable tract of the surrounding country, probably reaching as far south as to include the small town of Capena.
In spite of the Etruscan domination, the Faliscans preserved many traces of their Italic origin, such as the worship of the deities Juno Quiritis (Ovid, Fasti, VI. 49) and Feronia (Livy xxvi. 11), the cult of Dis Soranus by the Hirpi or fire-leaping priests on Mount Soracte (Pliny, Nat. Hist. vii. 2, 19; Servius, ad Aen. xi. 785, 787), above all their language.
[edit] References
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
