Veneti

Veneti refers to two distinct ancient peoples who shared the same ethnonym. The eastern Veneti inhabited north-eastern Italy in the area roughly corresponding to the modern Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia, between the Adige and Piave rivers, with major centers such as Patavium (Padua), Este, and Aquileia.

They spoke Venetic, an Indo-European language of the Italic branch, known from inscriptions dating from the 6th to the 1st centuries BCE. The Veneti formed a federation of tribes and minted coins; they were eventually conquered and incorporated into the Roman Republic, with the area organized as Venetia et Histria and later Venetia.

The western Veneti were a Celtic people of Armorica in the Armorican peninsula (roughly modern Brittany) in northwestern Gaul. They inhabited coastal and estuarine zones and were known for their maritime skills. Julius Caesar describes their naval power and ships; they resisted Roman expansion during the Gallic Wars but were defeated and subjected in the late 1st century BCE, after which their territory was integrated into Roman Gaul.

The name Veneti survives in place names and regional identity, most prominently in the Veneto region of Italy and in the city of Venice, reflecting the historical presence of these peoples.