Corsica

Contents

The Roman Corsica at the time of Augustus was part of the same province with Sardinia.
This page includes the following XII native peoples and civitates. Those of the Vanacini (ancient pievi of Bastia, Lota, Brando, Luri, Canari e Nonza), Celibenses (ancient pievi of Patrimonio, Oletta, Olmeta, S. Quilico, S. Pietro, Canale, Ostriconi, Tuani e Giussani), Lycnini (ancient pievi of Aregno, Regino, Calvi, Pino, Olmia, Filosorma), Cervini (ancient pievi of Sia, Salogna, Sevidentro, Salogna, Sorroinsù, Paomia, Cruzini, Cinarca, Aiaccio and Mezzana), Tarabeni (ancient pievi of Celavo, Peri, Cauro, Talavo and Ornano), Titiani (ancient pievi of Istria, Scopamène, Viggiano, Tallano, Sartène and Carbini), Balatini (ancient pievi of Bonifacio and Freto), Subasani (ancient pievi of Porto-Vecchio, Conca), Comaseni and Alerini (ancient pievi of Coasina and Cursa, Fiumorbo), Syrbi (ancient pievi of Castello, Rogna, Venaco, and Bozio), Macrini (ancient pievi of Talcini, Vallerustie, Niolo, Giovellina, and Caccia), Opini and Mariani (ancient pievi of Opino, Verde, Serra, Campoloro, Alesani, Moriani, Tavagna, Casinca, Marana, Casacconi, Ampugnani, Orezza, Rostino, Bigorno).

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.

Vanacini

Canelata

Place: close to Punta di Canelle, Canari, department Haute-Corse, France
Name: Canelata (Ptol.)
Etymology: Unknown.

Centurinum

Place: Centuri, department Haute-Corse, France
Name: Centurinum (Ptol.)
Etymology: It could be reconstructed as kerto-rino-s, from the IE roots kert- 'to turn, roll, wind', and rei-n- 'to flow', thus with the overall meaning of 'steep stream', referring to the creek closeby. Compare with Centuripae (Sicilia), in a possibly related domain.

Clunium

Place: possibly Erbalunga, Brando, department Haute-Corse, France
Name: (Ptol.)
Etymology: Possibly to be reconstructed as kleu-n-io- and explained from the IE root kleu- 'hook', with allusion to shape of the site. Compare with Clunia (Tarraconensis) and, with a different formant, Clusium (Etruria).

Mantinum

Place: Traditionally identified with Bastia, department Haute-Corse, France
Name: Mantinum* (Ptol.)
Etymology: Likely related to the IE root men- 'to tower', through the zero-grade form mnti-no-, as a descriptor of a hill overlooking the harbour.

Celebenses

Cersunum

Place: Castà or Petraiacciu, Santo-Pietro-di-Tenda, department Haute-Corse, France
Name: Cersunum (Ptol.)
Etymology: Possibly to be reconstructed as ker_esu-no- from the IE root k'er_es- 'horn', with allusion to the shape of the site.

Lurinum

Place: Curone, Olmeta-di-Tuda, department Haute-Corse, France
Name: Lurinum (Ptol.) Turrinum (Rav.)
Etymology: From the IE root leu- 'stone', through the form luri-no-.

Ostricum

Place: Pieve, Palasca, department Haute-Corse, France
Name: Rhopicum* (Ptol.)
Etymology: Uncertain, since the correct reading of the toponym is dubious.

Volerius fl.

Place: river Aliso, department Haute-Corse, France
Name: Volerius (Ptol.)
Etymology: The hydronymic stem uel(e)- 'to turn, wind, round' could be invoked to explain this name, assuming the motivation that the river makes several curves before its mouth.

Lycnini

Aluca

Place: close to Galeria, department Haute-Corse, France
Name: Aluca* (Ptol.)
Etymology: The placename might reflect a hydronym, which could be still retrieved in the modern names Luga, Lucca (of a stream and a hamlet). Compare with Alsuca and Alsa fl. (Venetia). The IE root behind the supposed hydronym could be al- 'to grow, nourish'.

Attii pr.

Place: cape Cavallo, department Haute-Corse, France
Name: Attii* (Ptol.)
Etymology: The name is either a Greek translation (from akte 'abrupt coast') or a genuine autochtonous name from the same IE root ak't 'promontory'.

Caesia lit.

Place: Calvi plain, department Haute-Corse, France
Name: Caesia* (Ptol.)
Etymology: The motivation for this name would be the idea of 'shining, white', maybe for the colour of the rock or the absence of vegetation. The local name could reflect the IE root k'uei-s or (s)kai-, both with a similar meaning.

Casalus portus

Place: Galeria bay, department Haute-Corse, France
Name: Casalus (Ptol.)
Etymology: Tentatively from the IE root kes- 'to scratch, itch' and a general meaning of 'digged', for the shape of the harbour.

Palania

Place: possibly close to Calenzana, department Haute-Corse, France
Name: Palanta* (Ptol.)
Etymology: To be compared with Palla (Corsica).

Tilox pr.

Place: cape Revellata, department Haute-Corse, France
Name: Tilox (Ptol.)
Etymology: Likely from the IE form (s)tei-lo- 'peak, promontory', from the IE root (s)tei- 'sharp'.

Cervini

Circidius fl.

Place: river Porto, department Corse-du-Sud, France
Name: Circidius (Ptol.)
Etymology: To be compared with Circeius m. (Latium) and possibly explained from the IE root (s)ker-k-, an extension of (s)ker- 'to turn, bend'.

Rhium pr.

Place: cape Omigna, department Corse-du-Sud, France
Name: Rhium pr. (Ptol.)
Etymology: Possibly a cognate of Latin ripa 'steep bank', which is from the IE root reip- 'to tear, cut'. The loss of intervocalic p would be normal in a Celtic context.

Rhoetius m.

Place: mount Ravu, department Corse-du-Sud, France
Name: Rhoetius* (Ptol.)
Etymology: It could be a cognate of Rhium pr., that is, from the same IE root but a different form, the suffixed O-grade T-stem roi-t- 'something cut, steep'.

Saone

Place: Sagone, Vico, department Corse-du-Sud, France
Name: Coenicum* (Rav.) Saone (Greg. M.)
Etymology: To be possibly compared with Saguntum for sharing the same stem sag-, which we also find in some Italic hydronyms like Sagrus fl. (Samnium).

Sermigium

Place: possibly close to Vico, department Corse-du-Sud, France
Name: Sermigium/-itium* (Ptol.)
Etymology: The name could be explained from a hydronym, since the stem serm- is a productive extension of the IE root ser- 'to flow'.

Urcinium

Place: Orcino, Calcatoggio, department Corse-du-Sud, France
Name: Urcinium (Ptol.)
Etymology: The name could be ascribed to one of the reconstructed IE roots of the type uer-k having a general meaning of 'turn, wind'. Probably the name was attributed to the bay (the 'curved') towered by the settlement.

Viriballum pr.

Place: cap Palazzo, department Corse-du-Sud, France
Name: Viriballum* (Ptol.)
Etymology: Seemingly a compound name, where the first element could be a specification to be compared with Latin vir and Gaulish viros 'man, warrior' (from an IE root uiro-s). The second element is probably a geographical noun that could be explained from the IE root bhel- 'to grow, spread, swell', and some of its derivatives such as Greek phallos 'penis'. The overall meaning could be that of 'the bulk (promontory) of the Warrior'.

Tarabeni

Locra fl.

Place: river Gravona, department Corse-du-Sud, France
Name: Locra (Ptol.)
Etymology: It could be tentatively compared with the other hydronym Locanus fl. (Bruttium), but the origin is unclear, as it does not match any known IE hydronymic root.

Mora

Place: possibly Punta Castello, Tavera, department Corse-du-Sud, France
Name: Mora (Ptol.)
Etymology: Unknown.

Pauca

Place: possibly Porto Pollo, Serra-di-Ferro, department Corse-du-Sud, France
Name: Pauca (Ptol.)
Etymology: It could be a cognate of Latin paucus 'few' and reflect the IE root peu- 'small', through the form p_eu-ko-.

Ticarius fl.

Place: river Taravo, department Corse-du-Sud, France
Name: Ticarius (Ptol.)
Etymology: Similarly to other hydronyms in the Celtic domain, the name can be ascribed to the family of the IE root tekw- 'to run, flow'. But it is possible that all those are instead reflexes of an extension tei-k of the other hydronymic IE root tei- 'to melt, dissipate, decay'.

Titiani

Albiana

Place: possibly Levie, department Corse-du-Sud, France
Name: Albiana* (Ptol.)
Etymology: It cannot be separated from the family of the IE root albho- 'white', from the coulour of the nearby rocks or because of a clearance.

Matissa

Place: close to Sartène, department Corse-du-Sud, France
Name: Matissa* (Ptol.)
Etymology: Likely from the IE root mat- 'hack, flapper', with allusion to the tillage of the soil and the putting into cultivation.

Titianus portus

Place: bay of Tizzano, department Corse-du-Sud, France
Name: Titianus* (Ptol.) Protucianus pr. (Dim. Prov.)
Etymology: It could have the same origin than Tilox pr., that is, the IE root (s)tei- 'sharp', with allusion to the shape of the promontory and harbor.

Balatini

Ficaria

Place: possibly Porto, Figari, department Corse-du-Sud, France
Name: Phicaria* (Ptol.)
Etymology: Similarly to Ficaria i. (Sardinia), it could be a Latin name. However, there is also the possibility that it is an indigenous name, exhibiting an initial f as in the Western Italic languages.

Marianum, Marianum pr.

Place: probably Bonifacio (Marianum), cap Pertusato (Marianum pr.), department Corse-du-Sud, France
Name: Marianum (Ptol.)
Etymology: Likely related to Mariana and then to (Gaius) Marius, who deduced a colony there.

Pitanus fl.

Place: river Ventilegne, department Corse-du-Sud, France
Name: Pitanus (Ptol.)
Etymology: It matches well the IE root peit 'trank, dish, food', which is behind several hydronyms in the Celtic domain.

Subasani

Alista

Place: possibly Bocca di Guardia, Conca, department Corse-du-Sud, France
Name: Alista* (Ptol.)
Etymology: Possibly a form alis-ste- 'by the alder wood', from the IE root el(-is) alder'. Compare with Alestum (Narbonensis) and Alisca (Pannonia) in the Celtic domain.

Favoni portus

Place: bay of Favone, department Corse-du-Sud, France
Name: Philonii portus* (Ptol.) Favoni portus (It. Ant.)
Etymology: Possibly a Latin denomination, from favonius 'west wind'.

Granianum pr.

Place: possibly cape Fautea, department Corse-du-Sud, France
Name: Granianum (Ptol.)
Etymology: The name would match well the IE root gher- 'to come out, stiff out', and thus be a cognate of Greek choiras* 'outstanding cliff in the sea'. The ending -anus is probably an adjectival suffix from a possible placename Granium.

Palla

Place: possibly by Santa Giulia, Porto-Vecchio, department Corse-du-Sud, France
Name: Palla* (Ptol., It. Ant.)
Etymology: It could reflect a form similar to that behind Pallanum (Samnium) and thus be ascribed to the IE root pel(i)-s 'rocky'.

Rubra

Place: possibly close to Punta Rossa, Porto-Vecchio, department Corse-du-Sud, France
Name: Rubra* (Ptol.)
Etymology: Likely a Latin translation of a pre-existing toponym, meaning 'red'. The romance placename continues the Latin one, if the identification is correct.

Comaseni and Alerini

Aleria

Place: Aléria, department Haute-Corse, France
Name: Aleria (Ptol., Plin.) Alalia (Herod., Plin.) Alaria, Aliria (Greg. M.) Valleria (Zon.)
Etymology: The likely original name Alalia shares the same formant with Massalia. The first element could be a cognate of Greek als 'salt', that is, 'the sea', for the city being antiquely on the shores of the sea. The form Aleria is probably due to Latinization of the Greek name.

Rhotanus fl.

Place: river Tavignano, department Haute-Corse, France
Name: Rhotanus (Ptol.)
Etymology: Being almost identical to Rhodanus fl., in the past the two names have been considered variants of the same Ligurian hydronym. However, Rhodanus has some genuine Celtic features (pro-danu-) which make the same etymology very unlikely for Corsica. Instead, the IE root ret(h)- 'to run, roll', could be invoked, although this is mostly known for its derivative roto- 'wheel' and not to be a root for hydronyms. A last possibility is to equate indeed Rhotanus* with Rhodanus, and make them derive from an IE root like ered- 'flow, dampiness', with a consonant shift d>t that could be attributed to a "Pelasgian" stratum.

Syrbi

Cenestum

Place: possibly S. Giovanni, Altiani, department Haute-Corse, France
Name: Cenestum (Ptol.)
Etymology: Tentatively, the name could reflect a form kenes-ste from the IE root ken- 'to rub, scrape off'. The motivation could be sought in an adjective 'tender, soft' (a meaning attested in the Germanic domain), attributed to the quality of the cultivable land around the settlement.

Venicium

Place: close to Riventosa, department Haute-Corse, France
Name: Venicium (Ptol.)
Etymology: The formant -icius is found in other placenames in the Italic domain. The first element could be explained with the IE root uen(e)- 'to strive, wish for, love', and one of its cognate meaning like '(place belonging to the) stock, family'. Compare with Venusia (Apulia).

Opini and Mariani

Guola fl.

Place: river Golo, department Haute-Corse, France
Name: Guola* (Ptol.)
Etymology: This hydronym has a good etymology in the O-grade of the IE root gwel 'to drip, flow; to throw' as 'the dripping (river)'.

Mariana

Place: La Canonica, Lucciana, department Haute-Corse, France
Name: Mariana* (Ptol., Plin.) Marianae (Peut.) Marinianis (Rav.)
Etymology: A Roman colony, founded by Gaius Marius around 100 BC., it took the name of the founder with the adjectival suffix -anus, -a.

Opinum

Place: possibly Castellare, Tallone, department Haute-Corse, France
Name: Opinum (Ptol.)
Etymology: The town was the oppidum of the Opini people, from which it took the name.

Vagum pr.

Place: cape d'Arco, department Haute-Corse, France
Name: Vagum (Ptol.)
Etymology: The name is almost identical to Latin vagus 'wandering', which is ascribed to the IE root u_eg- 'to be bent', maybe a variant of the more established u_ek- 'id.' This root is reconstructed from other IE appellatives such as Cornish guoin 'meadow, lowland' and Breton geun 'swampland', which match very well the situation of the Vagum pr., the tip of a strip of land separating the sea from the pond of Biguglia.

Macrini

Asincum

Place: uncertain, department Haute-Corse, France
Name: Osincum* (Ptol.)
Etymology: If the correct spelling is with As-, the name could be reconducted to the IE root as- 'to burn', similarly to several Italic counterparts. The suffix -inko- is generally considered Ligurian or Celtic.

Talcinum

Place: around Corte, department Haute-Corse, France
Name: Talcinum* (Ptol.)
Etymology: The name could have meant 'threshing floor' or also 'cattle pasture', like some Slavic derivatives of the IE root *telek- 'to push, hit'.

Conclusions

Most of the placenames in Corsica do not exhibit any particular phonetic feature with respect to the reconstructed IE roots they might derive from. But at least one good etymology shows gw > g, which would rule out Eastern Italic (where gw > b), Gaulish (where gw > v) and "Pelasgian" (where gw>k) strata. Gaulish is also incompatible with the several examples of initial p. Conversely, Western Italic (Latino-Siculian) and "Liguro-Sicanian" would be both compatible with the conservation of the voiced character of the stop consonant (and possibly its labialization). However, Liguro-Sicanian would not be compatible with the conservation of bh into b (since in this supposed language, bh>p). Therefore we could ascribe most of the Corsican placenames to the Western Italic stratum, the same of Latin and Siculian.