Territory The Ambiani dwelled in the modern regions of Vimeux,
Ponthieu and
Santerre, in the present-day
Somme department. Their territory was bordered in the north by the
Canche river, and in the north-east and south-east by the
Samara (Somme) watershed. They were located near the
Caletes in the west, the
Bellovaci in the south, the
Morini and
Atrebates in the north, and the
Viromandui in the east. The smaller
Catuslougi, who lived between them and the Caletes, were probably a
pagus of the Ambiani during the Roman period. During the pre-Roman period, the area around Samarobriva (
Amiens) was probably located at the extremity of the Ambianian territory, which extended mainly on the lower Somme valley.
Settlements During the Roman era, the chief town of the Ambiani was known as
Samarobriva (Gaulish: 'bridge on the river Somme'), corresponding to the modern-day city of
Amiens. Despite the mention of a
Samarobrivae by Caesar ca. 54 BC, archeological evidence indicate that the settlement was built around a
Via Agrippa, probably ca. 19–16 BC. Suburbs began to emerge from the middle of the 1st century AD in the lower valley. == History ==