abstract:Marcus Julius Cottius was king of the Ligurian tribes inhabiting the mountainous region now known as the Cottian Alps early in the 1st century BC He was the son and successor of King Donnus, who had previously opposed but later made peace with Julius Caesar. Cottius initially maintained his independence in the face of Augustus' effort to subdue the various Alpine tribes, but finally submitted when Augustus named him prefect of the dozen tribes in his region.