The Romans referred to Tongeren as "Aduatuca Tungrorum" or "Atuatuca Tongrorum", and it was the capital of the large Roman province of "Civitas Tungrorum", an area which covered modern Belgian Limburg, and at least parts of all the areas around it. Before the Roman conquests, this area was inhabited by the group of Belgic tribes known as the "Germani cisrhenani". (Despite being known as the "Germani", whether they spoke a Germanic language is debated, and the names of their tribes and their leaders were Celtic.) Specifically the Eburones were the largest of these tribes and the one living around Tongeren.