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60:). During that time, there would have been many warriors (male and female) who would have fought bravely to preserve their way of life and defend their people. Corocotta (or for some would be spelt Korokota, more similar to the neighbouring Basque language) would have been one of these warriors. The Cantabrian story says that he was probably a respected chief or warrior of some of the Cantabrian tribes and that such was the Romans anger towards him, that they set an enormously high price on his head. In response to this, Corocotta turned himself in to the Roman Emperor with the purpose of claiming the big financial reward himself and he willingly offering his life (head) in exchange.
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sum of money (or his people would do for him after being killed) and distribute it amongst the people of
Cantabria, who had suffered from years of war against the Romans. Such an act of bravery would affect the Roman morale, and the Cantabrians were well known for coming up with very creative and efficient warfare techniques, like singing hymns of victory from the Roman crosses that crucified them or cavalry and infantry moves in which they used the
212:(29–19 BC), the last stand of independent Spanish Celtic tribes against Roman control. He probably led a band of rebels who continued resistance to Roman power in northern Spain for some time after other leaders had given up. Schulten argues that he must have surrendered to Augustus at some time during the emperor's visit to the area c. 26–25 BC.
249:
In 2007 Alicia M. Canto argued that the text of Dio does not justify placing
Corocotta in the context of Cantabrian resistance to Rome. She suggests that Corocotta was merely a bandit, and surmises that he was probably of North African origin on the basis that the crocotta was said by most authors to
63:
This decision by
Corocotta is viewed by Cantabrians as an act of self-sacrifice and it is believed that his act was intended to avoid any problems that could be created by the reward acting as a temptation for fellow Cantabrians to betray him or turning him in. Instead, Corocotta would take that vast
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described the animal as a cross between a hyena and a lion, though the term may also have been used for other similar animals. Dio himself refers to it, but says it is an "Indian species" like a "lioness and tiger combined". He does so in a section of his book about the reign of
Severus and makes no
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Besides these traits of his, people also recalled that he did not get blindly enraged at those who had injured him, and that he kept faith even with those who were unworthy of it. For instance, there was a robber named
Corocotta, who flourished in Spain, at whom he was so angry at first that he
369:
Blanca Maria
Prosper, "Sifting the evidence: New interpretations on Celtic and Non–Celtic personal names of western Hispania in the light of phonetics, composition and suffixation", in: J.L. G. Alonso, ed.: Continental Celtic word formation. The onomastic data, Salamanca, eds. Universidad de
242:(The Cantabrians), and has appeared as a resistance hero in several other works. In 1985 a statue identified as Corocotta was erected in Santander. The statue, by RamĂłn RuĂz Lloreda, officially represents the independent spirit of "the primitive Cantabrian" illustrating a line from
94:. Thomas GrĂĽnewald says that Dio wished to stress that Augustus had "a strong sense of humour and unshakeable self-confidence", and to compare this with the brutality that was the product of Severus' insecurity, represented by his vicious treatment of a similar "noble bandit" called
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as a flag to signal army manoeuvres, a tactic later copied by the Romans themselves. The story sometimes ends by saying that the Roman
Emperor, bemused by Corocotta's bravery, let him go with his life and his money, but this ending is not always clear.
35:
is a local hero for
Cantabrians and his story is passed down orally in Cantabrian families from the elder generations to the younger. According to Roman sources (the only written history of the time), he was a guerrilla warrior or bandit in
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offered a million sesterces to the man that should capture him alive; but later, when the robber came to him of his own accord, he not only did him no harm, but actually made him richer by the amount of the reward.
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in
Portugal. Peter Michael Swan quotes F. Diego Santos describing him as "a Cantabrian guerrilla leader; his surrender possibly belongs to Augustus’ sojourn in Spain ca. 15–14 B.C." He is the hero of
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142:. In the words of GrĂĽnewald, "It can have been no accident that the infamous Corocotta shared his name with an exotic predator, well known to circus audiences as a terrifying beast."
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Whether
Corocotta was a bandit or a leader of local resistance to Roman occupation has been a matter of dispute. Cassius Dio simply describes him as a bandit (Greek:
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to offer a large reward for his capture. Corocotta himself came forward to receive it, impressing Augustus with his audacity. Dio is the only source for the story.
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Schulten's version allowed Corocotta to be appropriated in Spain as a patriotic hero of resistance to Roman rule, comparable to the status of the
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Schulten argued that he was more likely to have been an anti-Roman rebel than a simple bandit, and should be seen in the context of the
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According to Peter Michael Swan the main purpose of the story is to contrast the clemency of Augustus with the vindictiveness of Dio's
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argued in 1943 that the name Corocotta may be only accidentally similar to that of the animal. He interpreted it as a Celtic name.
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Curchin, Leonard A. (2007) Toponyms of Lusitânia: a re-assessment of their origins, in: Conimbriga, vol. 46 (2007), p. 129-160.
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can be used in a range of roles wider than English "bandit" or "robber" would indicate, including "rebel, rival, avenger".
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The Augustan Succession: An Historical Commentary on Cassius Dio's Roman History, Books 55–56 (9 BC-AD 14)
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Cantabria at the time of Corocotta. Cantabria was the last part of Spain to resist Roman oocupation
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Cantabrians are well aware of the story of how the Roman Empire struggled to conquer them (see the
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The name "corocotta" has been interpreted as a nickname indicative of his ferocity, a variant of
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personal and place names (perhaps meaning "shot, launch" or "army"; comparing Celtic – or
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Dio tells the story as part of an account of Augustus's forgiving nature. He writes that:
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D. Braund, “Corocottas: Bandit and Hyena,” Liverpool Classical Monthly 5 (1980), 13–14
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connection to it when he discusses the Cantabrian bandit.
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Archienemigos de Roma. Corocotta, un héroe controvertido
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305:Bandits in the Roman Empire: Myth and Reality
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358:Los cántabros y astures y su guerra con Roma
303:Thomas GrĂĽnewald, John Drinkwater (trans),
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268:Cassius Dio
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171:Coroturetis
96:Bulla Felix
42:Cassius Dio
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868:Peña Amaya
838:Deva River
779:Reina Mora
535:Mater Deva
494:Divinities
320:, pp. 1–3.
222:Lusitanian
193:, et al.)
163:Lusitanian
88:bĂŞte noire
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831:Locations
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774:Ramidreju
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617:Creatures
602:Corocotta
520:Cantabria
187:Corolamus
183:Coromarae
179:Corobulti
155:*Cor(i)o-
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33:Corocotta
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597:Cantabri
530:Erudinus
515:Candamus
422:Canal TV
232:'s 1980
226:Viriatus
205:"old".
175:Coroneri
167:Corogeni
132:crocotta
46:Augustus
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634:Arquetu
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558:Jupiter
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116:leistes
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909:Marzas
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802:Trasgu
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659:Cuegle
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244:Horace
203:*cotto
199:Celtic
140:jackal
892:Dates
709:Ijana
607:Larus
553:Janus
525:Epane
404:e.g.
254:Notes
236:film
201:root
136:hyena
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563:Mars
126:Name
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