Ligurians

The Ligurians were a set of ancient peoples who inhabited the northwestern Italian coast and the adjoining Mediterranean fringe from the late Bronze Age through the Roman era. The name Liguria derives from them and was later applied to the coastal region along the Ligurian Sea, in today’s Italian region of Liguria.

They lived in a pattern of hill forts and coastal settlements and were known for seafaring and regional trade along the Ligurian and western Tyrrhenian coasts. Their exact ethnolinguistic origins are debated, but they were likely a mix of pre-Indo-European and Italic-speaking groups, organized into various tribes and confederations such as the Ingauni around the Riviera.

By the 2nd and 1st centuries BCE, Rome extended control over the region. Liguria was incorporated into the Roman Republic and later the Empire, with towns developing as municipia or colonies and the area serving as an important maritime and overland corridor.

After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, control of the coast shifted among medieval powers, most notably the maritime republic of Genoa. The area became known collectively as Liguria, and its major city and capital today is Genoa. Modern inhabitants are Italian, though the term Ligurian also denotes historical or regional identity.

Historically, the Ligurian language—a Romance language of the region—was once spoken along the coast; today Italian is dominant, with regional dialects and cultural practices preserving limited remnants of the linguistic tradition. The Ligurian Sea and the region’s geography reflect the historical influence of the Ligurians.