Volsci

An ancient Italic population belonging to the Oscan-Umbrian family. The Volsci settled in the Latium region in the 6th-c BC and soon violent clashes occurred with the Latins, mentioned in early Latin documents. From the 4th-c, Rome started taking over the region, and founded several colonies such as Circei and Satrico.

The Volsci were an ancient Italic people, well known in the history of the first century of the Roman Republic. They then inhabited the partly hilly, partly marshy district of the south of Latium, bounded by the Aurunci and Samnites on the south, the Hernici on the east, and stretching roughly from Norba and Cora in the north to Antium in the south.

The Volsci spoke Volscian, a Sabellic Italic language, which was closely related to Oscan and Umbrian, but also to Latin, more distantly.

They were among the most dangerous enemies of Rome, and frequently allied with the Aequi, whereas the Hernici from 486 BC onwards were the allies of Rome.

Virgil's character of the warrior maiden Camilla in the Aeneid is a Volscian. Also, the legendary Roman warrior Coriolanus earned his cognomen after taking the Volscian town of Corioli in 493 BC.

The Romans orator Cicero was also of Volscian descent.