Quariates

The Quariates or Quadiates were a Gallic tribe dwelling in the valley of Queyras, in the Alps, during the Iron Age.

Name
They are mentioned as Quariates ( var. quadr-) by Pliny (1st c. AD), and as Quadiatium and Quariat(ium?) on inscriptions.

The etymology of the name is obscure. Christian-Joseph Guyonvarc'h and Xavier Delamarre proposed to derive it from Celtic *kwario- ('cauldron'), with sporadic preservation of the initial kw, attached to the suffix -ati- ('belonging to'). Alexander Falileyev notes that the q-Celtic reflex remains problematic in this scenario.

The region of Queyras, whose castle is attested as Quadratum in the 12th century, may be named after the Gallic tribe.

Geography
The Quariates dwelled in the valley of Queyras, in the Alps. Their territory was located south of the Brigianii, east of the Segovii, and north of the Caturiges and Veneni.

History
They appear on the Arch of Susa, erected by Cottius in 9–8 BC.