Gallia Narbonensis

Contents

Narbonese Gaul was one of the first Roman provinces, named after its capital Narbo founded in 118 BC. Before, it was centered around the Greek colony of Massilia and named Gallia Transalpina. The province was comprised between the Alps, the Mediterranean Sea, the Pyrenees, and the Cevennes Mountains. Following the low Rhone valley, its territory arrived close to Lyon, the capital of neighbouring Gallia Lugdunensis.

Before the Roman conquest, the region was inhabited by many tribes and confederations, namely, Vediantii, Nerusii, Deciates, Oxybii, Comani, Anatilii, Desuviates, Salyes, Albici, Vulgientes, Memini, Cavares, Vocontii, Avantici, Bodiontici, Sogiontii, Caturiges, Ucenni, Allobroges, Segovellauni, and Ceutrones east of the river Rhone, Volcae Arecomici, Ruteni, Volcae Tectosagi, and Sardones west of the Rhone. This page includes the toponyms of the separated Roman provinces of Alpes Cottiae, Alpes Maritimae, and Alpes Graiae.

Common remarks: the place-names have been put in the nominative case, an asterisk * means not attested, reconstructed form. The late place-names of probable Latin origin have not been included. The IE roots are in the form given by Pokorny's Indogermanische Wörterbuch. The links will be active when the single pages will be published, see the main page. For any comment, suggestion, email me.

Vediantii

Sanitium
  • Place: Senez, department Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, region Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
  • Name: Sanitium (Ptol.)
  • Etymology: Unknown.

Cemenelum

Nerusii

Vintium
  • Place: Vence, department Alpes-Maritimes, region Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
  • Name: Vintium (Ptol.)
  • Etymology: Usually related to Gaulish uinto- 'wint', which reflects the IE participe form *ue-nt- 'the blower'. Thus the name meant 'the windy (place)'.

Deciates

Antipolis

Varus fl., Varum

Oxybii

Aegitna

Comani

Argenteus fl.
  • Place: river Argens, department Var, region Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
  • Name: Argenteus fl. (Ptol., Plin., Cicer.)
  • Etymology: Latin or Celtic, from the word for 'silver' related to the colour of the water.

Athenopolis
  • Place: not proveably Saint Tropez, department Var, region Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
  • Name: Athenopolis (Plin., Mel.)
  • Etymology: A Greek compound name, meaning 'the town of Athena'. Incidentally, the etymology of latter is Pelasgian, as the aspirated stop shows, likely from the IE root *ak't- meaning 'head' in this context (the goddess was born from the forehead of Zeus). The theonym is clearly related to the name of the city of Athens, also of Pelasgian origins.

*Borma

Citharista pr.
  • Place: Bec de l'Aigle, department Bouches-du-Rhône, region Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
  • Name: Citharistes pr. (Ptol.) Citharista portus (Plin., Mela) Citharistium pr. (Avien.)
  • Etymology: The promonotry was called after a surname of Apollon, 'the lyre's player'. The name is continued by that of Ceyreste, a town near La Ciotat in whose municipality the promontory is.

Lacydon

Massilia

Olbia

Rhodanus fl.

Tauroentium

Telo Martius

Anatilii

Arelate

Mastramela stagnum

Metapinum ostium

Desuviates

Bellintum

Ernaginum
  • Place: Saint-Gabriel of Tarascon, department Bouches-du-Rhône, region Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
  • Name: Ernaginum (Ptol., It. Ant., Gad.) Ernagina (Peut.) Arnagina (Burd.)
  • Etymology: The stem *erno- has been identified in several Celtic place-names but its interpretation is highly conjectural (Falileyev). Similarly, multiple meanings have been proposed for the possible second term *-ago-, while the ending of the placename is a suffix.

Glanum

Tarusco

Salyes or Salluvii

Anteae

Caenus fl.

Matavo
  • Place: Cabasse, department Var, region Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
  • Name: Matavo (Peut.) Matavonium (It. Ant.) Pataum (Rav.)
  • Etymology: Usually (Falileyev) interpreted as a Gaulish name related to the adjective matu- 'good' (from whence also the Celtic taboo name of the 'bear').

Pisavis

Tericiae

Albici

Alebaece

Vulgientes

Apta
  • Place: Apt, department Vaucluse, region Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
  • Name: Apta Iulia (Plin., It. Ant., Peut., Not. Dign.)
  • Etymology: A Roman colony founded in 45 BC by Julius Caesar, it took its specification by him. However, it is not clear whether the first term Apta is related to Latin aptus 'adapt' or it is an older placename.

Memini

Carbantorate

Cavares

Acunum

Arausio
  • Place: Orange, department Vaucluse, region Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
  • Name: Arausio (Ptol., Plin., Strab., Mel., Burd.) Arusio (Peut.) Arasio (Rav.)
  • Etymology: It reflects a Gaulish araus(i)o- that is usually (Delamarre, Falileyev) intepreted as meaning 'temple'. Arausio was also a Gaulish theonym.

Avennio

Cabellio
  • Place: Cavaillon, department Vaucluse, region Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
  • Name: Cabellio (Ptol., Plin., It. Ant., Gad.) Caballio (Strab.) Cavellio (It. Ant.) Cavallina (Peut.)
  • Etymology: Usually derived from the Gaulish name caballo-, cabello- 'horse', but with "various degrees of scepticism" (Falileyev).

Druentia fl.

Senomagus
  • Place: Saint-Pierre-de-Sénos of Bollène, department Vaucluse, region Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
  • Name: Senomagus (Peut.) Bonomagus (Rav.)
  • Etymology: A Gaulish compound name with seno- 'old' and mago- 'field, market-place'.

Vocontii

Darentiaca

Gaura m.
  • Place: Col-de-Cabre pass, region Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
  • Name: Gaura m. (Burd.)
  • Etymology: As the present name meaning 'pass of (accessible only to) the goats' indicates, the placename reflects the Gaulish appellative gabro- 'goat' (Falileyev). The Gaulish b was somehow pronounced as a bilabial w.

Noviomagus
  • Place: Noyons, department Drôme, region Rhône-Alpes, France
  • Name: Noeomagus (Ptol.)
  • Etymology: A clear Gaulish compound name, from novio- 'new' and mago- 'field, market'.

Vasium

Vologates
  • Place: Beaurières, department Drôme, region Rhône-Alpes, France
  • Name: Vologates, Volocates (Burd.)
  • Etymology: Unknown.

Avantici

Alabons

Cambonum

Ictodurum

Vapincum
  • Place: Gap, department Hautes-Alpes, region Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
  • Name: Vapincum (It. Ant.) Vappincum (Burd., Gad.) Bapincum (Rav.)
  • Etymology: Unknown. Explained very unlikely by Delamarre with the Gaulish uepo- as 'the speakers' (place)'. However, in Gaulish and other Celtic languages the cognates of the IE root *uekw- 'say, utter' changed their meaning into that of 'face, aspect'.

Bodiontici

Dinia
  • Place: Digne-les-Bains, department Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, region Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
  • Name: Dinia (Ptol., Plin.)
  • Etymology: It has been interpreted by Isaac as 'place of slaughter', from a posited Gaulish element *dino- 'destruction, slaughter', which would reflect the IE root *gwhdhei- 'to perish, destroy'.

Sogiontii

Alaunium

Catuiacia
  • Place: Saint-Saveur of Céreste, department Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, region Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
  • Name: Catuiacia (Peut., Gad.) Catuiaca (It. Ant.)
  • Etymology: Usually (Falileyev) interpreted as a compound name with the first element being a Gaulish catu- 'battle'. For the second term, some scholars point out at Welsh iach 'healthy', which is a cognate of Old Irish hicc 'cure, healing'. Thus a senseful meaning could have been '(place of the) healing after the battle'.

Segustero

Caturiges

Eburodunum

Caturigomagus

Alpes Cottiae

Alpes Cottiae, Matrona m.

Brigantio

Gaesabona
  • Place: Cesana Torinese, province Torino, region Piemonte, Italy
  • Name: Gessabona (Guid., Rav.) Gadaona (Peut.) Gesdaona (Burd.) Gaesaeona (Gad.)
  • Etymology: Interpreted (Falileyev) as gaesa-bona from Gaulish gaeso- 'spear' and bona- 'foundation'. The latter is considered of unclear etymology, but probably it reflects the IE root *bheu- 'to be, grow'. Notce that intervocalic b tended to vanish in some varieties of Gaulish language.

Rama
  • Place: La Rohce-de-Rame, department Hautes-Alpes, region Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
  • Name: Rama (Peut., It. Ant., Burd., Rav., Gad.)
  • Etymology: Interpreted by Isaac as meaning 'excataveted (land)', from a possible Gaulish appellative rama cognate to Middle Irish rama 'an agricultural tool (spade?)' and ultimately derived to the IE root *ar(e)- 'to plough'.

Segusio

Stabatio

Ucenni or Iconii

Durotincum

Metlosedum

Caturissium
  • Place: possibly Le Bourg-d'Oisans, department Isère, region Rhône-Alpes, France
  • Name: Catorissium (Peut.) Cantourisa (Rav.)
  • Etymology: A Gaulish compound name, whose first element is catu- 'battle, army'. The second element has received several interpretations, among which that of an adjectival form *rig-s-io- from rig-s 'king' (see Falileyev).

Allobroges

Arar fl.

Bautae

Bergusium

Casuaria
  • Place: Viuz of Faverges, department Haute-Savoie, region Rhône-Alpes, France
  • Name: Casuaria (It. Ant.)
  • Etymology: Unclear.

Condate

Cularo
  • Place: Grenoble, department Isère, region Rhône-Alpes, France
  • Name: Cularo (inscr.) Culabo (Peut.) Calarona (Not. Dign.) Curaro (Rav.)
  • Etymology: Explained by Delamarre with a Gaulish cularo(n) 'cucumber, gourd', as '(field of) gourds'.

Etanna
  • Place: Yenne, department Savoie, region Rhône-Alpes, France
  • Name: Etanna (Peut.) Tenussilay (Rav.)
  • Etymology: Unknown. An etymology from etno- 'bird' is given by Delamarre.

Genava

Isara fl.

Lavisco

Lemincum
  • Place: Lémenc of Chambéry, department Savoie, region Rhône-Alpes, France
  • Name: Lemincum (Peut., It. Ant.) Lenicium (Rav.)
  • Etymology: Usually related to Gaulish lemo-, limo- 'elm', a kind of wood that was very much used by the Gauls.

Mantala
  • Place: close to Saint-Pierre-d'Albigny, department Savoie, region Rhône-Alpes, France
  • Name: Mantala (Peut., It. Ant., Rav.)
  • Etymology: The placename reflects a Gaulish appellative mantalo- 'path, road' (*'the stamped'), derived from the IE root *men- 'to step, trade over, press'.

Morginnum

Tegna

Turedonnum
  • Place: Revel-Tourdan, department Isère, region Rhône-Alpes, France
  • Name: Turedonnum (Peut.) (T)urdonnum (Rav.)
  • Etymology: A Gaulish compound name, whose second element is probably only apparently coincident with Gaulish donno- 'dark' (but also 'noble') and is rather a local variant of duno- 'fort'. The first element could be a cognate of Gaulish turno- 'height' or rather a cognate of Latin turma 'band, flock'. These words are derived by Pokorny from two different IE roots of the type *tuer-.

Vienna

Segovellauni

Cerebelliaca

Umbennum
  • Place: Ambonil, department Vaucluse, region Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
  • Name: Umbennum (Burd.)
  • Etymology: It seems a compound name with an unclear praeposition and the Gaulish appellative benno- 'height'. Tentatively, from the survival of the name one could infer an assimilated form *am(bi)-benno- 'by the hill'.

Ceutrones

Alpes Graiae

Axima

Bergintrum

Darantasia

Obilonna

Volcae Arecomici

Agatha (i.)
  • Place: Agde, department Hérault, region Languedoc-Roussillon, France
  • Name: Agatha (Ptol., Strab., Plin., Mel., Rav.)
  • Etymology: Founded by Phocaeans settlers from Massilia, the port kept a Greek omen name meaning 'good (luck)'.

*Alestum

Ambrussum

*Brigetia

Cessero

Dehae
  • Place: Dio of Dio-et-Valquières, department Hérault, region Languedoc-Roussillon, France
  • Name: Dehae (Greg. Tur.)
  • Etymology: Unclear. Tentatively related to the IE root *dhegwh- 'to burn'. Similalrly to the nearby Combusta, the name could have pointed to a burn-off practice to clear land for agriculture.

Latara

Ledus fl.

Luteva

Magalona

Mesua

Nemausus

Setius m.

Sextantio

Ucetia

Ugernum

*Venedubrium

Vindomagus

Ruteni

Condatomagus

Volcae Tectosagi

Arauris fl.

Atax fl.

Badeia

Baeterrae

Candidum pr.
  • Place: Cape Leucate, department Aude, region Languedoc-Roussillon, France
  • Name: Candidum pr. (Avien.)
  • Etymology: The name means 'white (promotory)' in Latin. However that could be simply a translation of a previous Greek name, which is inferred by the survival of the current name Leucate.

Carcasum

Eburomagus

Elusio

Hungunuerro
  • Place: La Tonguère of Maurens, department Gers, region Midi-Pyrénées, France
  • Name: Hungunuerrum (Burd.)
  • Etymology: Unknown.

Narbo

Orobis fl.

Sostomagus
  • Place: Castelnaudary, department Aude, region Languedoc-Roussillon, France
  • Name: Sostomagus (Burd.)
  • Etymology: Usually (Falileyev) considered as a compound name with the first element being the Latin sextus 'sixth' and the second element the Gaulish magos 'field' or better 'market-place'.

*Tasgodunum
  • Place: not identified, probably department Haute-Garonne, region Midi-Pyrénées, France
  • Name: inferred from Tasgoduni (Plin.)
  • Etymology: Likely a Gaulish compound name with duno- 'fort'. The first element tasgo- is traditionally interpreted as 'badger'. Another explaination (Isaac) compares it with the nearby river Tescou. Thus tasgo- could have been an hydronym and it could have meant 'splashing', probably from an onomatopoeic Celtic word.

Tolosa

Usuerva

Vernodubrus fl.

Vernosolis

Sardones or Sordes

Caucoliberis

Iliberris, Iliberris fl.

Pyrenaeus m., Ad Pyreneum
  • Place: The Pyrenees, France/Spain (Pyrenaeus m.) Col du Perthus (Ad Pyrenaeum)
  • Name: Pyrenaeus m. (Ptol., Plin., Liv., Mel., Sil. It.) Pyrene (Strab.) Pyrenaea (Plut.)
  • Etymology: Unknown. Often related to a city called Pyrene mentioned by Herodotus as being at the sources of the Danube in a possibly confused Western geography.

Ruscino, Ruscino fl.

Sordus fl.

Telis fl.
  • Place: river Têt, department Pyrénées-Orientales, region Languedoc-Roussillon, France
  • Name: Telis fl. (Mel.) Tecus fl. (Plin.) *Tetus fl. (inferred from the survival of the name)
  • Etymology: Original spelling unclear.

Tichis fl.

Conclusions

The most important stratum that is possible to recognize in the region is obviously the Gaulish one, which is attested by several compound names. Many clear Gaulish appellatives are as well recognized in the toponyms.

Other strata are more difficult to identifiy. There is some evidence of a non-negligible A-language stratum in the coastal south of the region. Apart from this vocalism (and the presence of p- which contrast to known Celtic languages), no other particular shifts seemingly characterize this stratum. We might be tempted to attribute these toponyms, often hydronyms, to the Alteuropaeisch ('old European') stratum first proposed by H. Krahe as a substrate to historically known Celtic, Germanic, etc. languages.

Given the territorial continuity to Liguria in Italy, where two distinct non-Gaulish strata were identified - a possibly Celtic but pre-Gaulish one and a Liguro-Sicanian one - some of the A-language toponyms could actually belong to one of these two strata, particularly the Liguro-Sicanian one that was surely an A-language.

Finally, near the borders of Spain, there is at least one clear example of a name explained by Basque language, which points at an Vasco-Iberian superstratum that partially displaced a previously A-language or Celtic domain.

Greek names are of course rather popular in the coastal areas colonized by Greeks in the 1st millennium BC.