The tribe of the Sabines (Latin Sabini) was an Italic tribe of ancient Italy. Their language belonged to the Sabellic subgroup of Italic languages and was akin to Oscan and Umbrian.

Their original territory, straddling the modern regions of Lazio, Umbria, and Abruzzi, was known as Sabinium in Latin. To this day, it bears the ancient tribe's name and is known as Sabina in Italian.

Within the modern region of Lazio (or Latium), Sabina constitutes a sub-region, situated North-East of Rome, around Rieti.

The ancient Sabines were in Latium before Rome was founded. The legend says that Romans abducted Sabine women to populate the newly built town, but more realistic studies found many relationships between the two peoples, especially regarding religion and mythology. In fact, many Sabine deities and cults developed in Rome, and many areas of the town (like the Quirinale) were once Sabine centers.

The area today is a tourist destination, with plenty of interesting medieval villages, and is perhaps most famous for its olive oil production.

Notable Sabines

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• Numa Pompilius
• Titus Tatius
• Ancus Marcius

Mythological References

• Ovid, Fasti (Book III 167 - 258)
• Ovid, Ars Amatoria (Book II 30 - 47)
• Livy, Ab Urbe Condita (Book I 9 - 13)
• Cicero, De Republica (Book II 12 - 14)
• Plutarch, Parallel Lives (Romulus 14 - 20)

Ancient Roman enemies and allies | Ancient Italic peoples

Popular References

In the 1954 MGM movie musical Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, the main character, a backwoodsman named Adam, encourages his six younger brothers to kidnap the women they love, citing the story of the Sabine women. All seven brothers sing a song called "Sobbin' Women" (their mispronunciation of "Sabine") as they prepare to abduct their future wives.

Sabiner | Sabins | Sabina (landstreek) | Sabinowie | Sabinos | Sabiner