The arrival of the Ucenni

The Ucenni, a Gallic tribe from the north, settled in the valley after clashing with and then dominating the Ligurians, eventually merging with them. They developed mountain agriculture and created the first villages. Thanks to the Pax Romana and a mild climate, alpine hamlets such as Les Cours emerged, leading to extensive deforestation. Celtic incursions into Gaul began around -400, and it was likely later that the Ucenni reached this remote valley. Their name is engraved on the Trophy of the Alps (erected around 6 BCE), a Roman monument listing the tribes defeated by the legions. Pliny the Elder also cites them, and everything suggests they were among the last to be conquered, long after their Allobrogian neighbors in Grenoble. The name "Oisans" is a distortion of this Gallic tribe's name.