History has left little trace of the Ceretans, apart from the toponym of Cerdanya. One of the few clues available was provided by the Greco-Roman historian Cassius Dio, who explains how, in 39 BC, the Ceretans revolted. He mentions them in relation to the setback suffered by the governor of the province of Hispania Citerior, Gnaeus Domitius Calvinus, in the Pyrenees. His men suffered an ambush, fled helter-skelter, and abandoned their lieutenant. Calvinus severely punished the troops by mustering the army and executing one in every ten soldiers by lot. The severity of the punishment was what sparked the interest of historians, as it had not been applied for a long time. Once discipline was restored, Calvinus marched against the Ceretans, definitively subdued them, and confiscated their gold to celebrate his triumph in Rome in 36 BC. Afterwards, the Roman commander played a rather important role in both Emporiae and Tarraco.