Old European is the term used by
Hans KraheHans Krahe was a German philologist and linguist, specializing over many decades in the Illyrian languages. He was born at Gelsenkirchen....
(1964) for the language of the oldest reconstructed stratum of European
hydronymy (river names) in Central and Western
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. The character of these river names is pre-Germanic and pre-Celtic and dated by Krahe to the
2nd millennium BCThe 2nd millennium BC marks the transition from the Middle to the Late Bronze Age.Its first half is dominated by the Middle Kingdom of Egypt and Babylonia. The alphabet develops. Indo-Iranian migration onto the Iranian plateau and onto the Indian subcontinent propagates the use of the chariot...
.
Old European river names are found in the
BalticThe terms Baltic region, Baltic Rim countries, and Baltic Rim refer to slightly different combinations of countries in the general area surrounding the Baltic Sea.- Etymology :...
and southern
ScandinaviaScandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
, in
Central EuropeCentral Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...
,
FranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, the
British IslesThe British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
, and the
IberianThe Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
and
ItalianThe Italian Peninsula or Apennine Peninsula is one of the three large peninsulas of Southern Europe , spanning from the Po Valley in the north to the central Mediterranean Sea in the south. The peninsula's shape gives it the nickname Lo Stivale...
peninsulas. This area is associated with the spread of the later "Western" Indo-European dialects, the
CelticThe Celtic languages are descended from Proto-Celtic, or "Common Celtic"; a branch of the greater Indo-European language family...
,
ItalicThe Italic subfamily is a member of the Indo-European language family. It includes the Romance languages derived from Latin , and a number of extinct languages of the Italian Peninsula, including Umbrian, Oscan, Faliscan, and Latin.In the past various definitions of "Italic" have prevailed...
,
GermanicThe Germanic languages constitute a sub-branch of the Indo-European language family. The common ancestor of all of the languages in this branch is called Proto-Germanic , which was spoken in approximately the mid-1st millennium BC in Iron Age northern Europe...
,
BalticThe Baltic languages are a group of related languages belonging to the Balto-Slavic branch of the Indo-European language family and spoken mainly in areas extending east and southeast of the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe...
and Illyrian branches. Notably exempt are the
BalkansThe Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
and
GreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, as well as the
Eastern EuropeEastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
an parts associated with Slavic settlement.
Krahe locates the geographical nucleus of this area as stretching from the
BalticThe terms Baltic region, Baltic Rim countries, and Baltic Rim refer to slightly different combinations of countries in the general area surrounding the Baltic Sea.- Etymology :...
across Western Poland and
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
to the
Swiss plateauThe Swiss Plateau or Central Plateau constitutes one of the three major landscapes in Switzerland alongside the Jura mountains and the Swiss Alps. It covers about 30% of the Swiss surface...
and the upper
DanubeThe Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
north of the
AlpsThe Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
, while he considers the Old European river names of southern France, Italy and Spain to be later imports, replacing "Aegean-Pelasgian" and
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 and 1st century BC...
substrates (p. 81), corresponding to Italic,
CelticThe Celtiberians were Celtic-speaking people of the Iberian Peninsula in the final centuries BC. The group used the Celtic Celtiberian language.Archaeologically, the Celtiberians participated in the Hallstatt culture in what is now north-central Spain...
and
IllyrianThe Illyrians were a group of tribes who inhabited part of the western Balkans in antiquity and the south-eastern coasts of the Italian peninsula...
"invasions" from about 1300 BC.
German linguist
Theo VennemannTheo Vennemann is a German linguist known best for his work on historical linguistics, especially for his disputed theories of a Vasconic substratum and an Atlantic superstratum of European languages. He also suggests that the High German consonant shift was already completed in the early 1st...
has suggested that the language of the old European hydronyms was
agglutinativeAn agglutinative language is a language that uses agglutination extensively: most words are formed by joining morphemes together. This term was introduced by Wilhelm von Humboldt in 1836 to classify languages from a morphological point of view...
and preindoeuropean, however this stands in contrast to the more generally accepted view that the hydronyms are of
Indo-EuropeanIndo-European may refer to:* Indo-European languages** Aryan race, a 19th century and early 20th century term for those peoples who are the native speakers of Indo-European languages...
origin and Theo Vennemann's theory has been criticised as being seriously flawed.
Dur
Dur, a Pre-Celtic linguistic root meaning 'water, stream'.
- the Dour, Kent
The River Dour is a river in the county of Kent, in England. It flows from the villages of Temple Ewell and River, through the village of Kearsney, to Dover. It is roughly 4km long....
, Latin *Dubris (United Kingdom)
- the Dore
The Dore is a 141 km long river in central France , right tributary of the river Allier. Its source is near the town Saint-Germain-l'Herm, in the Massif Central. The Dore flows generally north through the following towns: Arlanc, Ambert, Courpière, Puy-Guillaume...
(France),
- the Doron
Doron or Dorio, as it is said to be written in some manuscripts, is a city mentioned only by Pliny and located in Cilicia Tracheia, Some scholars have equated the city to Darieium or Dorieium in Phrygia mentioned by Stephanus of Byzantium....
(France),
- the Dordogne
The Dordogne is a river in south-central and southwest France.-Name:Contrary to appearances, the name of the Dordogne is not a recent word resulting from the names of the Dore and the Dogne...
< Durānius (France),
- the Doiras
Doiras is one of seven parishes in Boal, a municipality within the province and autonomous community of Asturias, in northern Spain.It is in size with a population of 172 .-Villages:* La Cabana* Carrugueiro* Doiras...
(Spain) < *Duria.
- the Douro
The Douro or Duero is one of the major rivers of the Iberian Peninsula, flowing from its source near Duruelo de la Sierra in Soria Province across northern-central Spain and Portugal to its outlet at Porto...
(Portugal and Spain) known as Douro in Portuguese and Duero in Spanish < *Durius.
- the Dronne
The Dronne is a 201 km long river in southwestern France, right tributary of the Isle River. Its source is in the north-western Massif Central, east of the town of Châlus at an elevation of 510 m...
(France),
- the Dropt
The Dropt is a river in Aquitaine, France. It is a right tributary to the Garonne.- Geography :The source of the Dropt is located near Capdrot in the Dordogne. The drainage basin covers the area between the valleys of the Lot River and the Dordogne River....
< Roman Drotius (France),
- the Drave and probably the Drac
The Drac is a 130 km long river in southeastern France, left tributary of the Isère. It is formed by the confluence of the Drac Noir and the Drac Blanc, that both rise in the southern part of the Massif des Écrins. It flows through several reservoirs, including the Lac de Monteynard-Avignonet....
(France),
- the Drava
Drava or Drave is a river in southern Central Europe, a tributary of the Danube. It sources in Toblach/Dobbiaco, Italy, and flows east through East Tirol and Carinthia in Austria, into Slovenia , and then southeast, passing through Croatia and forming most of the border between Croatia and...
(Italy, Austria (known as Drau), Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary)
- the Drawa
Drawa is a river in north-western Poland, a tributary of the Notec river , with a length of 186 kilometres and the basin area of 3,296 km2.Towns:*Drawsko Pomorskie*Drawno*Krzyz Wielkopolski-See also:...
(Poland),
- the Durance
The Durance is a major river in south-eastern France.Its source is in the south-western Alps, in Montgenèvre ski resort near Briançon and it flows south-west through the following départements and cities:* Hautes-Alpes: Briançon, Embrun.* Alpes-de-Haute-Provence: Sisteron, Manosque.* Vaucluse:...
(France),
- the Durenque, tributary of the Agout
The Agout is a 195 km long river in south-western France, left tributary of the Tarn River. Its source is in the southern Massif Central, in the Parc naturel régional du Haut-Languedoc...
(France)
- the Eder
The Eder is a 177 km long river in Germany, and a tributary of the Fulda River. It was first mentioned by the Roman historian Tacitus as the Adrana in the territory of the Chatti....
, tributary of the Fulda (Germany)
- the Oder
The Oder is a river in Central Europe. It rises in the Czech Republic and flows through western Poland, later forming of the border between Poland and Germany, part of the Oder-Neisse line...
(Czech Republic, Germany and Poland)
Izara
Iz, a Ligurian or Pre-Celtic root meaning 'hollow valley' and -ara meaning 'water'
- the Isar
The Isar is a river in Tyrol, Austria and Bavaria, Germany. Its source is in the Karwendel range of the Alps in Tyrol; it enters Germany near Mittenwald, and flows through Bad Tölz, Munich, and Landshut before reaching the Danube near Deggendorf. At 295 km in length, it is the fourth largest river...
(Munich, Germany)
- the Ibar
-Places:* Ibar , in Montenegro and Serbia* Ibar Reserve in Rila, Bulgaria* Ibar Rocks, a rock formation in Antarctica* Ibar highway, in Serbia-People:* Ibar of Beggerin , Irish saint* Íbar of Killibar Beg, Irish saint...
(Montenegro and Serbia)
- the Ebro
The Ebro or Ebre is one of the most important rivers in the Iberian Peninsula. It is the biggest river by discharge volume in Spain.The Ebro flows through the following cities:*Reinosa in Cantabria.*Miranda de Ebro in Castile and León....
(Spain, Roman name Iber )
- the Ister (modern name Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
)
- the Yser
The Yser is a river that finds its origin in the north of France, enters Belgium and flows into the North Sea at the town of Nieuwpoort.-In France:The source of the Yser is in Buysscheure, in the Nord département of northern France...
(Franco-Belgian river)
- the Oise
Oise is a department in the north of France. It is named after the river Oise.-History:Oise is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
(Roman name Isara)
- the Ouse
Ouse may refer to:*the town of Ouse, Tasmania, Australiaand in the United Kingdom to:*the River Ouse, Yorkshire*The River Ouse, Sussex*The Ouse, an estuary on Shapinsay, in the Orkney Islands*The River Great Ouse in East Anglia...
(United Kingdom)
- the Isère
Isère is a department in the Rhône-Alpes region in the east of France named after the river Isère.- History :Isère is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from part of the former province of Dauphiné...
(France)
- the IJssel
River IJssel , sometimes called Gelderse IJssel to avoid confusion with its Hollandse IJssel namesake in the west of the Netherlands, is a branch of the Rhine in the Dutch provinces of Gelderland and Overijssel...
(Netherlands)
- the Vézère
The Vézère is a 211 km long river in south-western France, right tributary of the Dordogne River. Its source is in the north-western Massif Central...
(France)
- the Zêzere
The Zêzere is a river in Portugal, tributary to the Tagus. It rises in the Serra da Estrela, near the Torre, the highest point of continental Portugal. The Zêzere runs through the town Manteigas, passes south of the city Covilhã and east of the town of Pedrogão Grande. It flows into the Tagus in...
(Portugal)
- the Weser (Germany)
- the Vesdre
thumb|right|250px|The course of the VesdreThe Weser or Vesdre is a river in eastern Belgium, in the province of Liège, and is a right tributary to the river Ourthe. Its source lies in the High Fens , close to the border with Germany near Monschau...
(Belgium)
- the Werra
The Werra is a river in central Germany, the right-source river of the Weser. The Werra has its source near Eisfeld in southern Thuringia. After 293 km the Werra joins the river Fulda in the town of Hann. Münden, forming the Weser....
(Germany)
- the Wear
In materials science, wear is erosion or sideways displacement of material from its "derivative" and original position on a solid surface performed by the action of another surface....
(United Kingdom)
- the Vis (France)
- the Vistula
The Vistula is the longest and the most important river in Poland, at 1,047 km in length. The watershed area of the Vistula is , of which lies within Poland ....
(Poland)
See also
- Tyrrhenian languages
- Rigvedic rivers
Rivers, such as the Sapta Sindhu , play a prominent part in the hymns of the Rigveda, and consequently in early Vedic religion...
- Urnfield culture
The Urnfield culture was a late Bronze Age culture of central Europe. The name comes from the custom of cremating the dead and placing their ashes in urns which were then buried in fields...
- Beaker culture
The Bell-Beaker culture , ca. 2400 – 1800 BC, is the term for a widely scattered cultural phenomenon of prehistoric western Europe starting in the late Neolithic or Chalcolithic running into the early Bronze Age...
- Germanic substrate hypothesis
The Germanic substrate hypothesis is an attempt to explain the distinctive nature of the Germanic languages within the context of the Indo-European language family...
- Pre-Celtic
The term pre-Celtic refers to the period in the prehistory of Central and Western Europe postdating the emergence of Proto-Celtic and predating the expansion of the Celts, or Celtic culture, in the course of the earlier Iron Age . The area involved is that of the maximum extent of Celtic languages...