The Veneti were a seafaring tribe that lived in what is modern day Brittany, France. The most notable city, and probably the capital was Darioritum , mentioned in the Geography by Ptolemy. It was also called Vannes, probably by the name of the population, since the Middle Ages, being the residence of the Dukes of Brittany. It is located by the Gulf of Morbihan, in the Morbihan département.

The name Veneti is also used for an ancient people who inhabited today's northeastern Italy (near Venice). According to some interpretations, they were descended from Illyrians who migrated there in the 7th century BC; according to others, they were a related Indo-European people who migrated at the same time, and had kinsmen also in Asia Minor. They spoke Venetic language, a language which shared some features with both the Italic and the Illyrian languages.

Veneti are also mentioned by Jordanes in his The origin and deeds of the Goths (33-36 and 119-120) where he explicitely connects them with the Slavic peoples. However much before Jordanes Veneti under the name Enetoi, were mentioned by Homer in his Iliad , as allies of the Troyans. According to Homer they dwelled on the south - west coast of the Black Sea called Paphlagonia. Today most of the scholars agree that the Veneti were Slavs. In his introductory overview on the archaeology of Slavic settlements, the archaeologist Florin Curta p.13 conducts the common stance of modern archaeology that the overwhelming evidence shows that the Veneti were Slavs.

According to amateurish "Venetian theory" the Veneti were even the same as Proto-Slovenians.

Note: The word Veneti must not be confused with the word Venedes, although these two words might sometimes be undistinguishable.