The
Aquitanian language was spoken in ancient
AquitaineNovempopulania was one of the provinces created by Diocletian out of Gallia Aquitania, being also called Aquitania Tertia. The area of Novempopulania was historically the first one to receive the name of Aquitania, as it was here where the original Aquitani dwelt primarily...
(approximately between the
PyreneesThe Pyrenees are a range of mountains in southwest Europe that form a natural border between France and Spain...
and the
GaronneThe Garonne is a river in southwest France and northern Spain, with a length of 575 km .-Origin of the name:...
, the region later known as
GasconyGascony is an area of southwest France that was part of the "Province of Guyenne and Gascony" prior to the French Revolution. The region is vaguely defined and the distinction between Guyenne and Gascony is unclear; sometimes they are considered to overlap, and sometimes Gascony is considered a...
) before the Roman conquest and, probably much later, until the Early
Middle AgesThe Middle Ages of European history is a period of European history covering roughly a millennium in the 5th century through 16th centuries. More specific starting and ending points are sometimes adopted by scholars to suit their respective specializations or current focus...
.
Archaeological,
toponymicalToponymy is the scientific study of place names , their origins, meanings, use and typology. The first part of the word is derived from the Greek tópos , place; followed by ónoma , meaning name. It is itself a branch of onomastics, the study of names of all kinds...
and historical evidence strongly suggest that it was a
Vasconic languageThe Vasconic substratum theory is a proposal that many western European languages contain remnants of an old language family of Vasconic languages, of which Basque is the only surviving member. The proposal was made by the German linguist Theo Vennemann, but has been rejected by other linguists...
or group of languages that represent a precursor of the
Basque languageBasque is the ancestral language of the Basque people, who inhabit the Basque Country, a region spanning an area in northeastern Spain and southwestern France. It is the mother tongue of approximately one fifth of Basques, 632,000 out of nearly 3,000,000...
. The most important of this is a series of votive and funerary texts in Latin which contain about four hundred personal names and seventy names of gods.
Aquitanian and its descendant, Basque, are commonly thought to be a remnant of the languages spoken in Western Europe before the arrival of
Indo-EuropeanIndo-European may refer to:* Indo-European languages** Aryan, a 19th century term for Indo-European speakers.* Proto-Indo-European language, the reconstructed common ancestor of all Indo-European languages....
speakers who were possibly Neolithic colonists (
5th millennium BCThe 5th millennium BC saw the spread of agriculture from the Near East throughout southern and central Europe.Urban cultures in Mesopotamia and Anatolia flourish, developing the wheel. Copper ornaments become more common, marking the Chalcolithic. Animal husbandry spreads throughout Eurasia,...
) or Celts (c.
The
Aquitanian language was spoken in ancient
AquitaineNovempopulania was one of the provinces created by Diocletian out of Gallia Aquitania, being also called Aquitania Tertia. The area of Novempopulania was historically the first one to receive the name of Aquitania, as it was here where the original Aquitani dwelt primarily...
(approximately between the
PyreneesThe Pyrenees are a range of mountains in southwest Europe that form a natural border between France and Spain...
and the
GaronneThe Garonne is a river in southwest France and northern Spain, with a length of 575 km .-Origin of the name:...
, the region later known as
GasconyGascony is an area of southwest France that was part of the "Province of Guyenne and Gascony" prior to the French Revolution. The region is vaguely defined and the distinction between Guyenne and Gascony is unclear; sometimes they are considered to overlap, and sometimes Gascony is considered a...
) before the Roman conquest and, probably much later, until the Early
Middle AgesThe Middle Ages of European history is a period of European history covering roughly a millennium in the 5th century through 16th centuries. More specific starting and ending points are sometimes adopted by scholars to suit their respective specializations or current focus...
.
Archaeological,
toponymicalToponymy is the scientific study of place names , their origins, meanings, use and typology. The first part of the word is derived from the Greek tópos , place; followed by ónoma , meaning name. It is itself a branch of onomastics, the study of names of all kinds...
and historical evidence strongly suggest that it was a
Vasconic languageThe Vasconic substratum theory is a proposal that many western European languages contain remnants of an old language family of Vasconic languages, of which Basque is the only surviving member. The proposal was made by the German linguist Theo Vennemann, but has been rejected by other linguists...
or group of languages that represent a precursor of the
Basque languageBasque is the ancestral language of the Basque people, who inhabit the Basque Country, a region spanning an area in northeastern Spain and southwestern France. It is the mother tongue of approximately one fifth of Basques, 632,000 out of nearly 3,000,000...
. The most important of this is a series of votive and funerary texts in Latin which contain about four hundred personal names and seventy names of gods.
History
Aquitanian and its descendant, Basque, are commonly thought to be a remnant of the languages spoken in Western Europe before the arrival of
Indo-EuropeanIndo-European may refer to:* Indo-European languages** Aryan, a 19th century term for Indo-European speakers.* Proto-Indo-European language, the reconstructed common ancestor of all Indo-European languages....
speakers who were possibly Neolithic colonists (
5th millennium BCThe 5th millennium BC saw the spread of agriculture from the Near East throughout southern and central Europe.Urban cultures in Mesopotamia and Anatolia flourish, developing the wheel. Copper ornaments become more common, marking the Chalcolithic. Animal husbandry spreads throughout Eurasia,...
) or Celts (c. 1300 BCE).
Aquitanian origins may possibly be traced more or less directly to the Chalcolithic
culture of ArtenacArtenacian culture, named after the archaeological site of Artenac in Charente appeared in the Late Chalcolithic, c. 2400 BCE, apparently as reaction to migrations of Danubian peoples into Western France....
.
For other more marginal theories see Basque language:Hypotheses on connections with other languages.
Persons' names and gods' names
Almost all the Aquitanian inscriptions had been found at the north of the
PyreneesThe Pyrenees are a range of mountains in southwest Europe that form a natural border between France and Spain...
in the territory that
GreekAncient Greece is the civilisation belonging to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca. 1100 BC and the Dorian invasion, to 146 BC and the Roman conquest of Greece after the Battle of Corinth. It is generally considered to be the seminal culture which provided the...
and
RomanAncient Rome was a civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea, it became one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
sources assign to Aquitanians.
- Anthroponyms: , , , , , , , , , , , etc.
- Theonyms: BAIGORIXO, ILVNNO, ARIXONI, ARTAHE
Artaha Artaha Artaha (also spelled Artehe is the name of an ancient god that was worshiped in Southern Gaul, in the region of Aquitania.The theonym is recorded in several inscriptions from Saint-Pé-d'Ardet, where there seems to have been a Gallo-Roman-era cult center for the god:-References:AE:...
, ILVRBERRIXO, ASTOILVNO, HARAVSONI, LEHERENNO, etc.
But some also had been found at the south of the
PyreneesThe Pyrenees are a range of mountains in southwest Europe that form a natural border between France and Spain...
in the territory that Greek and Roman sources assign to Vascones:
- Anthroponyms: VMMESAHAR, EDERETTA, SERHVHORIS, DVSANHARIS, ABISVNHAR, etc.
- Theonyms: LARRAHE, LOXAE / LOSAE, LACVBEGI, SELATSE / STELAITSE, HELASSE, ERRENSAE.
Relations with other languages
Most Aquitanian onomastic elements are clearly identifiable from a Basque perspective, matching closely the forms reconstructed by the Vascologist Koldo (Luis) Mitxelena for Proto-Basque:
| Aquitanian |
Proto-Basque |
Basque |
Basque meaning |
| ADIN |
*adiN |
adin |
age, jugdement |
| ANDERE, ER(H)E |
*andere |
andre |
lady, woman |
| ANDOS(S), ANDOX |
*andoś |
|
lord |
| ARIX |
*aris |
aritz |
oak |
| ARTAHE, ARTEHE |
*artehe |
arte |
holm oak |
| ATTA |
*aTa |
aita |
father |
| BELEX |
?*beLe |
bele |
crow |
| BELS |
*bels |
beltz |
black |
| BIHOX, BIHOS |
*bihos |
bihotz |
heart |
| BON, -PON |
*boN |
on |
good |
| BORS |
*bors |
bortz |
five |
| CIS(S)ON, GISON |
*gisoN |
gizon |
man |
| -C(C)O |
*-Ko |
-ko |
diminutive suffix |
| CORRI, GORRI |
*goRi |
gorri |
red |
| HALS- |
*hals |
haltza |
alder |
| HAN(N)A |
?*aNane |
anaia |
brother |
| HAR-, -AR |
*aR |
ar |
male |
| HARS- |
*hars |
hartz |
bear |
| HERAVS- |
*herauś |
herauts |
boar |
| IL(L)VN, ILVR |
*iLun |
il(h)un |
dark |
| LEHER |
*leheR |
leher |
pine |
| NESCATO |
*neśka |
neska, neskato |
girl, young woman |
| OMBE, VMME |
*unbe |
ume |
child |
| OXSON, OSSON |
*otso |
otso |
wolf |
| SAHAR |
*sahaR |
zahar |
old |
| SEMBE |
*senbe |
seme |
son |
| SENI |
*śeni |
sein |
boy |
| -TEN |
*-teN |
-ten |
diminutive suffix (fossilized) |
| -T(T)O |
*-To |
-t(t)o |
diminutive suffix |
| -X(S)O |
*-tso |
-txo,-txu |
diminutive suffix |
The vascologist Joaquín Gorrotxategi, who has made several works about Aquitanian, and Mitxelena have pointed the similarities of some
IberianThe Iberian language was the language of a people identified by Greek and Roman sources who lived in the eastern and southeastern regions of the Iberian peninsula. The ancient Iberians can be identified as a rather nebulous local culture between the 7th century BC and the 1st century BC...
onomastic elements with Aquitanian. In particular, Mitxelena spoke about an
onomastic pool from which both Aquitanian and Iberian would have drawn:
| Iberian |
Aquitanian |
| atin |
ADIN |
| ata |
ATTA |
| baiser |
BAESE-, BAIS- |
| beleś |
BELEX |
| bels |
BELS |
| boś |
BOX |
| lauŕ |
LAVR |
| talsku |
TALSCO / HALSCO |
| taŕ |
T(H)AR / HAR |
| tautin |
TAVTINN / HAVTEN |
| tetel |
TETEL |
| uŕke |
VRCHA |
Geographical extent
Since ancient times there are clues that indicate the relationship between Southwestern France and the Basques. During the Roman conquest of
GaulGaul is a historical name used in the context of the Roman Empire in references to the region of Western Europe approximating present day France and Belgium, but also sometimes including the Po Valley, western Switzerland, and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the River...
by
Julius CaesarGaius Julius Caesar , , was a Roman military and political leader. He played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
,
AquitaniaAquitania may refer to:*the territory of the Aquitani* Gallia Aquitania, a province of the Roman Empire* 387 Aquitania, a fairly large main belt asteroid* Aquitania, Boyacá, Colombia* RMS Aquitania, a Cunard Line ocean liner...
was the territory between
GaronneThe Garonne is a river in southwest France and northern Spain, with a length of 575 km .-Origin of the name:...
and the
PyreneesThe Pyrenees are a range of mountains in southwest Europe that form a natural border between France and Spain...
. Inhabited by tribes of horsemen, Caesar said that they were very distinct in customs and language from the Celts of Gaul. During the Middle Ages, this territory was named
GasconyGascony is an area of southwest France that was part of the "Province of Guyenne and Gascony" prior to the French Revolution. The region is vaguely defined and the distinction between Guyenne and Gascony is unclear; sometimes they are considered to overlap, and sometimes Gascony is considered a...
, a name derived from
VasconiaVasconia is an historical name derived from the ancient tribe of the Vascones and used in different times, specially in the Middle Ages, to refer to the Basque territories...
, and cognate with the word
Basque.
There are many clues that indicate that Aquitanian was spoken in the Pyrenees, at least as far east as
Val d'AranThe Aran Valley is a small valley in the Pyrenees mountains and a comarca in the northwestern part of Catalonia . Most of the valley constitutes the only part of Catalonia on the north face of the Pyrenees, hence the only part of Catalonia whose waters drain into the Atlantic Ocean...
. The placenames that end in -os, -osse, -ons, -ost and -oz are considered to be of Aquitanian origin.
To the south of the Pyrenees, the picture is less clear, as the historical record is scant. The
CaristiiThe Caristii were a tribe reported by Roman historians in Northern Hispania west of the Deba and east of the Nervion rivers, in modern Biscay and Alava...
,
VarduliThe Varduli were a tribe that Roman historians reported in Northern Hispania, west of the Vascones and east of the Caristii and the Deba river; now the main part of the province of Guipuzcoa, and parts of Alava and Navarre. Their main city was Ara-Caeli...
and
AutrigonesThe Autrigones or Austrigones were a tribe described by the Roman historian Orosius as neighbours of the Gallaeci, and thus had their homeland in the northwest of Hispania...
, who occupied the greater part of the region that is now the
Western Basque CountryThe Basque Country is an Autonomous Community of northern Spain.The Basque Country was granted the status of historical region within Spain with the Spanish Constitution of 1978...
have been claimed as either Basques or Celtic depending on who you read. Archaeological findings in
Iruña-VeleiaVeleia was a Roman town in Hispania, currently located in the Basque Country, Spain. The site is located in the municipality of Iruña de Oca, 10 kilometers west of Vitoria. The town was an important station on the Roman road ab Asturica Burdigalam that ran parallel to the coast of the Bay of Biscay...
in 2006 initially claimed as evidence in this debate were subsequently dismissed as
fakeArchaeological forgery is the manufacture of supposedly ancient items that are sold to the antiquities market and may even end up in the collections of museums. It is related to art forgery....
.
CantabriThe Cantabri were an ancient confederacy of eleven tribes, perhaps Celtic, that inhabited the north coast of Hispania in the whole modern province of Cantabria, the eastern third of Asturias and the nearby mountainous regions of modern Castile-Leon....
ans are also mentioned as relatives of Aquitanians, as they sent troops to fight on their side against the Romans.
The Vascones, who occupied modern Navarra are usually identified with the Basques (
Vascos in Spanish), their name being one of the most important proofs. In 1960, a
steleA stele is a stone or wooden slab, generally taller than it is wide, erected for funerals or commemorative purposes, most usually decorated with the names and titles of the deceased or living — inscribed, carved in relief A stele ' onMouseout='HidePop("62776")' href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Lerga">Lerga
Lerga is a town and municipality located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre, northern Spain.-External links:*...
, which could reinforce the idea that Basques and Aquitanians were related.
See also
- Aquitani
The Aquitani were a people living in what is now Aquitaine, France, in the region between the Pyrenees , the Atlantic ocean and the Garonne...
- Gallia Aquitania
Gallia Aquitania was a province of the Roman Empire, bordered by the provinces of Gallia Lugdunensis, Gallia Narbonensis, and Hispania Tarraconensis...
- Duchy of Vasconia
The Duchy of Vasconia was originally a Frankish march formed in the seventh century to protect the Aquitanian frontier from the Basques...
- Basque people
The Basques are the native people of the Basque Country .The Basques as an ethnic group primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country, a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-eastern Spain...
- Northern Basque Country
The French Basque Country or Northern Basque Country constitutes the North-Eastern part of the Basque Country and the Western part of the French department of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques...
- Vasconic languages
The Vasconic substratum theory is a proposal that many western European languages contain remnants of an old language family of Vasconic languages, of which Basque is the only surviving member. The proposal was made by the German linguist Theo Vennemann, but has been rejected by other linguists...
- Pre-Indo-European
Old Europe is a term coined by archaeologist Marija Gimbutas to describe what she perceives as a relatively homogeneous and widespread pre-Indo-European Neolithic culture in Europe, particularly in Malta and the Balkans....
- Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula
This is a list of the Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian peninsula .-Non-Indo-European:*Aquitanians**Aquitani**Autrigones - some consider them Celtic .**Caristii - some consider them Celtic ....
Further reading
- Ballester, Xaverio (2001): «La adfinitas de las lenguas aquitana e ibérica», Palaeohispanica 1, pp. 21-33.
- Gorrochategui, Joaquín (1984): Onomástica indígena de Aquitania, Bilbao.
- Gorrochategui, Joaquín (1993): La onomástica aquitana y su relación con la ibérica, Lengua y cultura en Hispania prerromana : actas del V Coloquio sobre lenguas y culturas de la Península Ibérica : (Colonia 25-28 de Noviembre de 1989) (Francisco Villar and Jürgen Untermann, eds.), ISBN 84-7481-736-6 , pp. 609-634
- Gorrochategui, Joaquín (1995): «The Basque Language and Its Neighbors in Antiquity», Towards a History of the Basque Language, pp. 31-63.
- Hoz, Javier de (1995): «El poblamiento antiguo de los Pirineos desde el punto de vista lingüístico», Muntanyes i Població. El passat dels Pirineus des d'una perspectiva multidisciplinària, pp. 271-297.
- Michelena, Luis (1954): «De onomástica aquitana», Pirineos 10, pp. 409-458.
- Michelena, Luis (1977): Fonética histórica vasca, San Sebastián.
- Núñez, Luis
Luis C. Nuñez Astrain is a linguist and sociologist, and was editor of the newspaper Egin.He has a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics and Sociology from the Sorbonne.- Bibliography :* Así está la enseñanza primaria * Euskara gaur...
(2003): El Euskera arcaico. Extensión y parentescos,Tafalla.
- Rodríguez Ramos, Jesús (2002): «La hipótesis del vascoiberismo desde el punto de vista de la epigrafía íbera», Fontes Linguae Vasconum 90, pp. 197-219.
- Rodríguez Ramos, Jesús (2002): «Índice crítico de formantes de compuesto de tipo onomástico en la lengua íbera», Cypsela 14, pp. 251-275.
- Trask, L.R. (1995): «Origin and relatives of the Basque Language: Review of the evidence», Towards a History of the Basque Language, pp. 65-99.
- Trask, L.R. (1997): The History of Basque, London/New York ISBN 0-415-13116-2 http://www.cogs.susx.ac.uk/users/larryt/basque.html
- Trask, L.R. (2008): Etymological Dictionary of Basque (edited for web publication by Max Wheeler), University of Sussex http://www.sussex.ac.uk/linguistics/documents/lxwp23-08_edb.pdf
- Velaza, Javier (1995): «Epigrafía y dominios lingüísticos en territorio de los vascones», Roma y el nacimiento de la cultura epigráfica en occidente, pp. 209-218.
External links