Raetis

Raetis is a Latin ethnonym and adjectival form associated with Raetia, an ancient Alpine region roughly corresponding to parts of modern Switzerland, western Austria, and northern Italy. In classical writings and inscriptions, Raetis is used to designate the inhabitants of Raetia and, more broadly, things pertaining to the province.

The name derives from Raetia, used by Romans to describe the territory in the northeastern Alps. The province was incorporated into the Roman Empire after campaigns in the late Republic, and its population included Alpine tribes such as the Raeti.

In modern scholarship, Raetis is encountered mainly in Latin sources discussing Raetian archaeology and onomastics. The related toponym Raetia gave rise to the English form Rhaetian, used for the latest stage of the Triassic and to some Alpine place names.

See also: Raetia, Raeti, Rhaetian.