My Theory on the Adriatic Veneti.
They originated as an Illyrian tribe from eastern istria, around 1000BC, some sailed and landed on the Veneto plains and pushed the Gallic Eugenai tribe into the foot of the Alps.
They then established towns such as
Ateste ( Este ), Acelum, Patavium ( Padua) , Opitergium( Oderzo), Belunum( Belluno), and Vicetia (Vicenza). They still retained people in Istria ( near modern Parenzo).
Trading salt from the Po delta, and also fish with locals along the Po River brought them riches. They commenced the
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Este_culture
The name Veneti was given by the Romans – Venetus , which means a blue/green sea colour. So, Veneti came from the sea. -
http://latinlexicon.org/definition.php?p1=2062408&p2=v&p3=2
Other reference to venetus
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venetus_A
They had constant wars with the gallic tribes from both the west and the east ( carni ).
Due to the trade their Venetic language spread in all directions incorporating the Eugenai, Cennomani, Vennotes, Carni, Libarni, Catali and other tribes.
Many tribes originally thought to have been Illyrians, such as Carni, Histri and Liburni, were actually related to Veneti by language.
They had celtic ( gallic ) armor and dress and different customs
Herodotus mentions a peculiar custom as existing among the Veneti in his day, that they sold their daughters by auction to the highest bidder, as a mode of disposing of them in marriage (1.196). We learn also that they habitually wore black garments, a taste which may be said to be retained by the Venetians down to the present day, but was connected by the poets and mythographers with the fables concerning the fall of Phaëton. (Scymn. Ch. 396.)
As Roman power grew, they aligned with Roman and aided them in founding Aquileria , a Roman town/fortress to suppress the gallic/celtic Carni ( who also spoke Venetic ). They even aided Rome in their wars against Hannibal and where slaughter at Cannae.
During the Second Punic War, they allied with the Romans against the Celts, Iberians, and the Carthaginian expedition (218-203 BC) led by Hannibal. They even sent troops to fight along with the Romans at the battle of Cannae.
The Veneti even prevented a Spartan Invasion
- It is clear that they were a people considerably more advanced in civilisation than either the Gauls or the Ligurians, and the account given by Livy (10.2) of the landing of Cleonymus in the territory of Patavium (B.C. 302) proves that at that period Patavium at least was a powerful and well organised city.
Around 100BC, they where mostly fully Latinized.
After the barbarian Invasions, the Veneti migrated to the lagoon and used timber , stone and Istrian Marble to create a City called Venice. This volume of timber,… that is millions of logs plus tons of marble and stone all came from Istria, which means they ( veneti) had never lost Istria from 1000BC.
The rest belongs to the Republic of Venice history.
As for Homer epics, I believe that he is a great writer that was plagued by inaccurate bards ( story tellers) who confused facts from many epics into the Trojan war. Homer wrote the Iliad 400 years after it occurred. Homer writes :
And the rugged heart of Pylaemenes led the Paphlagonians, from the land of the Eneti, whence the breed of wild mules
This is a mix of 2 stories, firstly the only Enete is the ancient town, later called Amisus and now called Samsun.
The present name of the city may come from its former Greek name of Amisos by a shortening of Eis Amisos (meaning to Amisos) + ounta (Greek suffix for place names) to Sampsunda (Σαμψούντα) and then Samsun[1] (pronounced [s[FONT="]ɑ[/FONT]msun]). The early Greek historian Hecataeus wrote that Amisos was formerly called Enete, the place mentioned in Homer's Iliad.
This town is situated in the old Greek area of the Pontus, while the Paphlagonians where from the modern town of Sinope. If Paphlagonians where in both areas then they must have been as great as the Hittite Empire.
The second story is that of Jason and the Argonauts from Argos, Arcadia in Greece. He sailed to the Pontus area ( Cochis) to steal the fleece, escaped with Medea and rested at Enete town, he then sailed back to Greece ( some say he eventually sailed to the north Adriatic )
The mix of stories, in my opinion led to a confusion about the Eneti/Enetoi.
Genetics say from 2008 , that the NorthEast Italians have some I2a2a ( about 10%). To me this is what it is now, I wonder what The marker was in the bronze and iron ages in the North Eastern area of Italy. Its also odd, that the Friuli ( carni) have this G2a3b1a marker which is similar to the Rhaeti one. Why is this marker not present except in the alps.
Anyway my theory can also have a high percentage of bardic license.
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Ken Nordtvedt is quite a lot more accomplished than I am.