Eburovices Explained
The Eburovīcēs or Aulercī Eburovīcēs (Gaulish: *Eburouīcēs/Eburowīcēs, 'those who vanquish by the yew') were a Gallic tribe dwelling in the modern Eure department during the Iron Age and the Roman period. They were part of the Aulerci.
Name
They are mentioned as Aulerci Eburovices by Caesar (mid-1st c. BC),[1] Aulerci qui cognominantur Eburovices by Pliny (1st c. AD),[2] and as Au̓lírkioioi̔ E̓bourouikoì (Αὐλίρκιοιοἱ Ἐβουρουικοὶ) by Ptolemy (2nd c. AD).[3] [4]
The Gaulish ethnonym *Eburouīcēs/Eburowīcēs literally means 'those who vanquish by the yew', probably in reference to the wood used to make their bows or spears. It stems from the root eburo- ('yew'; cf. OIr. ibar 'yew', or Middle Welsh efwr 'cow parsnip, hog-weed') attached to the suffix -uices ('combatants, victors').
The city of Évreux, attested ca. 400 AD as civitas Ebroicorum ('civitas of the Eburovices'; Ebroicas in 511, Ebroas ca. 1034), is named after the tribe.
Geography
During the Roman period, their chief town was Mediolanum Aulercorum (modern Évreux, in Normandy). The limits of their civitas corresponded to those of the later diocese of Évreux.
Religion
A votive altar with a dedication to a deus Gisacos was found in a sanctuary at Gisacum (Le Vieil-Évreux).
References
Bibliography
- Book: Delamarre, Xavier. Dictionnaire de la langue gauloise: Une approche linguistique du vieux-celtique continental. 2003. Errance. 9782877723695. Xavier Delamarre.
- Book: Falileyev, Alexander. Dictionary of Continental Celtic Place-names: A Celtic Companion to the Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World. CMCS. 2010. 978-0955718236.
- Book: Kruta, Venceslas. Les Celtes, histoire et dictionnaire : des origines à la romanisation et au christianisme. Robert Laffont. 2000. 2-221-05690-6. Venceslas Kruta.
- Book: Lajoye, Patrice. Théonymie celtique, cultes, interpretatio = Keltische Theonymie, Kulte, Interpretatio. 2013. Austrian Academy of Sciences Press. 978-3-7001-7369-4. Hofeneder. Andreas. 1. 45–50. L’épigraphie religieuse mentionnant des théonymes ou des épithètes indigènes en Lyonnaise seconde.: Un état des lieux. j.ctv8mdn28.6. de Bernardo Stempel. Patrizia.
- Book: Matasović, Ranko. Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic. 2009. Brill. 9789004173361. Ranko Matasović.
- Book: Nègre, Ernest. Toponymie générale de la France. 1990. Librairie Droz. 978-2-600-02883-7. Ernest Nègre.
See also
Notes and References
- [Julius Caesar|Caesar]
- [Pliny the Elder|Pliny]
- [Ptolemy]
- , s.v. Eburovices and Mediolanum Aulercorum.