Tanginus

Tanginus (known as Tangino in Spanish) was a chieftain of the Celtiberians, active during the Numantine War.

Biography Despite his allegiance to the Numantines during the war, Tanginus' original tribe is unknown. It is usually acknowledged he was under the umbrella term of a Celtiberian, although he might have been also a Celt given that his name was common in Lusitania. Later tradition claims Tanginus was a merchant before the war. In any case, he went to follow the usual warring activities of the Celtiberians, who often sacked the territories attacked by Tanginus. as previous attempts to break the siege of Numantia by force had proved to be unsuccessful. Pompeius encountered Tanginus in Salduie (modern day Zaragoza), where the Celtiberian crossed the Ebro river to keep the distance with the more numerous Romans. to the point the Romans had to tie them up to stop the bloodshed. Even when Pompeius tried to send the survivors to Rome by sea, the prisoners fought the sailors and scuttled the ships, dying all of them. Tanginus's efforts nevertheless was not in vain, as when Pompeius returned to Numantia to resume the siege, he suffered repeated defeats and was forced to sign a peace treaty.

Etymology The name Tanginus or Tancinus has Celtic and Germanic roots.