Raetia

Contents

The Roman province of Raetia was bordered on the north by the Danube river, on the east by the Aenus river and Noricum, on the south by the Alps (with some parts south of them) and Italy (Transpadana and Venetia), on the west by Belgica. Noricum was thus located over the territory of present-day eastern Switzerland, southwest Germany, with small parts in Italy and Austria.

Originally, Raetia included only the area later known as Raetia Curiense, inhabited by the Raetians, a tribe of possible Etruscan origin. Later (end of I century A.D.), the region of Vindelicia was added to the province. Between the reigns of Augustus and Claudius, the province of Alpes Poeninae was also attached to Raetia, only to be removed by 45 BC and made autonomous together with Alpes Graiae. By the end of the 1st century, a part of the Agri Decumates, up to the Limes Germanicus, was added to Raetia. Other areas at times associated with Raetia shown in the map below have been treated in the Transpadana page.

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.

Raetia

Alpes Poeninae

Agaunum

Octodurum

Poeninus m.
  • Place: Grand-Saint-Bernard pass, canton Vaud/province Valle d'Aosta, Switzerland/Italy
  • Name: Penninus m. (Peut.) Poeninus m. (Plin.)
  • Etymology: Delamarre (p. 216) explains it as *poinina, -on 'domain of god Poininos', based on the theonym Poeninus found in inscriptions that he explains as *kwoini-no-s 'that of vengeance' (from the IE root *kwei-). The writing Penn- could have been influenced by Gaulish penno- 'head, peak'.

Pennolucos

Sedunum
  • Place: Sion, canton Valais/Wallis, Switzerland
  • Name: *Sedunum (?)
  • Etymology: Clearly dependent on the etnonym Seduni, thus sedunon 'settlement of the Seduni'.

Tarnaiae

Viviscum
  • Place: Vevey, canton Vaud, Switzerland
  • Name: Vibiscum (It. Ant.) Viviscum (Peut.) Bibiscum (Rav.)
  • Etymology: Explained (Delamarre, p. 275) as uiuiscon 'settlement of the Vivisci'.

Raetia Curiense

Clunia

Curia
  • Place: Chur, canton Grabünden, Switzerland
  • Name: Curia (It. Ant., Peut.)
  • Etymology: Usually equated to the Celtic word *coria 'host, tribe', from the IE root *korio-, with the U, found only in continental Celtic placenames, possibly influenced by Latin curia 'a kind of assembly'.

Magia

Tarvesedum

Vindelicia

Abodiacum
  • Place: Epfach, Denklingen, province Oberbayern, state Bayern, Germany
  • Name: Abudiacum (Ptol.)
  • Etymology: Suffixed form derived from a personal name; either analysed as *ad boudi-ako- (Falileyev), where Boudios is probably a Celtic personal name ('victorious, hero', from Gaulish boudi- 'victory'), or from a different personal name Abudios (Greule).

Abusina

Ambrae, *Ambra fl.

Augusta Vindelicum
  • Place: Augsburg, province Schwaben, state Bayern, Germany
  • Name: Augusta (Ptol., It. Ant., Peut.)
  • Etymology: A Roman name.

Bratananium
  • Place: Gauting, province Oberbayern, state Bayern, Germany
  • Name: Bratananium (Peut.)
  • Etymology: It has been intepreted (Delamarre, p. 86; Greule) as 'domain of Bratanos', from a personal name *Brat-ano-s.

Brigantium

Businca fl.
  • Place: possibly river Angerbach, province Niederbayern, state Bayern, Germany
  • Name: Businca fl. (late antiquity)
  • Etymology: Not a proveably Celtic hydronym (Greule).

Cambodunum

Coveliacae
  • Place: Echelsbacher Bridge, Rottenbuch, province Oberbayern, state Bayern, Germany
  • Name: Coveliacae (Peut.)
  • Etymology: Because of the suffix -ako-, it has been interpreted (Delamarre, p. 127) as the 'domain of Covelios', from a personal name *Covelios that sounds Celtic. But others (Greule) prefer a derivation from Latin cubile 'bed', through a suffixed plural form *cubiliacae.

Esco

Foetes
  • Place: Füssen, province Schwaben, state Bayern, Germany
  • Name: Foetes (Not. Dign.)
  • Etymology: Probably from Latin fauces 'gorge', probably referring to the Lech gorge.

*Glana fl.
  • Place: river Glonn, province Oberbayern, state Bayern, Germany
  • Name: Clana (late antiquity)
  • Etymology: A common Celtic hydronym, meaning 'pure, clear', derived from the IE root *g'hle 'to shine, green, gold, blue'.

Guntia, *Guntia fl.

*Ilara fl.

Iovisura

*Isara fl.

Isinisca, *Isina fl.

*Labara fl.
  • Place: river Laaber, province Niederbayern, state Bayern, Germany
  • Name: Lapara (late antiquity)
  • Etymology: A clear Celtic hydronym (Greule, Delamarre, p. 169) meaning 'the chatty', from which an IE root has been reconstructed as *plab- 'to babble'.

*Licca fl.

Masciacum
  • Place: Matzen, Reich-im-Alpbachtal, state Tirol, Austria
  • Name: Masciacum (It. Ant.)
  • Etymology: Usually (Anreiter, Delamarre, p. 192) considered a praedial place name masciacon 'domain of Mas(u)cios', with a typically Celtic suffix -ako-.

Matreium

Navoa(e)

Parthanum
  • Place: Partenkirchen, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, province Oberbayern, state Bayern, Germany
  • Name: Parthanum (It. Ant.) Tartenum (Peut.)
  • Etymology: Tentatively explained (Delamarre, p. 214) as partanon 'domain of Partos', from an attested personal name Partus.

Pontes Tessenni
  • Place: unknown, possibly close to Grossweil, province Oberbayern, state Bayern, Germany
  • Name: Pontes Tessenios (It. Ant.)
  • Etymology: The specification has been interpreted (Greule) as an adjective from the place name Tissa (Sicilia).

Rapis
  • Place: Schwabmünchen, province Schwaben, state Bayern, Germany
  • Name: Rapis (Peut.)
  • Etymology: Unknown.

Castra Regina, *Reganus fl.

Scarbia

Sorviodurum
  • Place: Straubing, province Niederbayern, state Bayern, Germany
  • Name: Sorviodurum (It. Ant.)
  • Etymology: A clearly Celtic compound name with the second element duron 'forum' and a first element that has been intepreted as a personal name *Sorvios (Delamarre, p. 241) or a hydronym *Sur-vios (Greule).

Submuntorium
  • Place: Burghöfe, Mertingen, province Schwaben, state Bayern, Germany
  • Name: Summuntorium (It. Ant.) Submuntorium (Not. Dign.)
  • Etymology: A Latin name, 'under the mountain(s)'.

Tasgetium
  • Place: Vor der Brugg, Eschenz, canton Thurgau, Switzerland
  • Name: Taxgaetium (Ptol.) Tasg... (inscr.)
  • Etymology: From a personal name Tasgos or Tasgetios (Delamare, p. 249) meaning 'badger'.

Teriola

Turum

Urusa
  • Place: possibly Raisting, province Oberbayern, state Bayern, Germany
  • Name: Urusa (Peut.)
  • Etymology: Unclear.

Vallatum
  • Place: Manching, province Oberbayern, state Bayern, Germany
  • Name: Vallatum (It. Ant.)
  • Etymology: Likely a Latin name 'closed by a wall' (Greule), possibly with the concurrence of a Celtic personal name Vallatos (Delamarre, p. 257).

Veldidena

Vemania
  • Place: Burkwang, Isny im Allgäu, province Tübingen, state Baden-Württemberg, Germany
  • Name: Vemania (It. Ant., Peut., Not. Dign.)
  • Etymology: Derived (Delamarre, p. 262) from the Celtic personal name Vemanios.

Agri Decumates

Celeusum

Clarenna
  • Place: Donnstetten, Römerstein, province Tübingen, state Baden-Württenberg, Germany
  • Name: Clarenna (Peut.)
  • Etymology: Tentatively explained (Delamarre, p. 115) from a Celtic stem *claro- 'table, board' maybe referring to a tavern.

Iciniacum
  • Place: Theilenhofen, province Mittelfranken, state Bayern, Germany
  • Name: Iciniacum (Peut.)
  • Etymology: As iciniacon 'domaine of Icinios' from a personal name (Delamarre, p. 163; Greule).

Losodica
  • Place: Munningen, province Schwaben, state Bayern, Germany
  • Name: Losodica (Peut.)
  • Etymology: Explained (Delamarre, p. 181) as 'domains of *Lossodios', from a reconstructed Celtic personal name.

Conclusions

The main linguistic stratum appearing in Rhaetian toponymy is a Celtic language, virtually indistinguishable from Gaulish. Similarly to in neighbouring Noricum, his stratum is recognizable for typical appellatives and suffixes.

Like most of the European hydronymy, an Old-European A-language emerges from hydronyms particularly. Likely, this stratum is older than the Celtic one, at least in some parts of the region.

Although the province takes its name from the tribe of the Rhaetians, which were described by ancient authors as being of Etruscan descent, virtually no placenames with an Etruscan etymology could be found. This is possibly due to the fact that the "true" Rhaetia (the Curiense) was small compared with Vindelicia and few placenames have been recorded for such area.