Bruttium

Contents

This page is for the Bruttium, a section of the third regio of Italy, Lucania et Bruttii. For the other section, see under Lucania. This region is a peninsula, bounded on the north, beyond the river Lao and the Pollino massif, by the Lucani. The coasts, especially the eastern on the Ionian sea, were strongly colonized by Greek settlers during the middle 1st millennium b.C. These colonies were collectively called Magna Graecia.

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.

Aprustum

• Place: possibly Marcellina di Verbicaro, province Cosenza, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Abrystum (Ptol.) *Aprustum from Aprustani (Plin.)
• Etymology: One explaination could be from the IE root *abhro- 'strong, mighty', referred to a fortified place. This would require a shift *bh>p which has been postulated for the "Liguro-Sicanian" linguistic stratum, to which possibly the Oenotri, the pre-Sabellic people that inhabited the Bruttium, belonged. The name could be also related to Latin aper, apri 'wild boar'.

Aufugum

• Place: possibly Moltalto Uffugo, province Cosenza, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Aufugum (Liv.)
• Etymology: Like Aufidena, Aufinum (Samnium), Aufentus fl. (Latium), Aufidus fl. (Apulia), the name may be derived from the IE root *eudh- 'udder, fecund'. Given the intervocalic f, the name can be reconstructed from an Oscan-type dialect (Bruttii). The strange ending -ugo- recalss Ausugum (Transpadana).

Baletum fl.

• Place: not identified, province Cosenza, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Baletum fl. (Plin.)
• Etymology: It has been derived by Krahe, cit. Villar, from the IE root *bhel(e)- 'shining, white', also with the meaning of 'swamp' in some cognate languages. The presence of a vowel a in the name is an Illyrian mark for Krahe, an alteuropäisch mark for Villar. Compare with Balesium (Apulia).

Besidiae

• Place: Bisignano, province Cosenza, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Besidiae (Liv.?)
• Etymology: It may be compared with a well-known series of Hispano-Celtic names in *bes-, explained by Villar with a stem *bai-s-. Tentatively, the place-name could be related to an appellatives for 'sand' (or, less likely, 'ash'), in a pre-Oscan language, from the IE root *bhes- 'to smear, spread'. Then, the place is 'a sandy one'.

Blanda

• Place: Palecastro di Tortora, province Cosenza, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Blanda (Ptol., Plin., Strab., Mel., Liv., Peut.)
• Etymology: Unknown. The name has a counterpart in Blanda (Tarraconensis). A tentative etymology could be *blag-da, from the IE root *bheleg- 'to shine', which is an extension of *bhel(e)- 'shining, white'.

Caenus pr.

• Place: Punta del Pezzo, province Reggio di Calabria, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Caenus pr. (Plin., Strab.)
• Etymology: Likely, it is from the Greek kainos 'new, newfound, undiscovered', which fits particularly well if it was given by the first sailors or colonists. The Greek word is from the IE root *ken- 'to appear, be born, to begin, young'.

Cerillae

• Place: Cirella Vecchia di Diamante, province Cosenza, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Cerillae (Strab., Sil. It.) Cerelae (Peut.)
• Etymology: It was the name of a small island off the Tyrrhenian coast, so maybe the name is Greek in origin.

Clampetia

• Place: traditionally identified with Amantea, province Cosenza, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Clampetia (Plin., Liv., Mel.) Clampesa (Peut.)
• Etymology: Unknown.

Clibanus m.

• Place: possibly mount Gariglione, province Cosenza, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Clibanus m. (Plin.)
• Etymology: The placenames is formally coincident with Latin clibanus 'a type of oven', but likely it is a pre-Latin name related to the IE root *k'lei- 'to tip, incline, lean'.

Consentia

• Place: Cosenza, province Cosenza, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Consentia (Ptol., Plin., Strab., Liv., Peut.)
• Etymology: Two etymologies have been proposed. One relates the placename to Latin consentire and then to a meaning of 'peace, friendship'. The other explaination is from a *consentia 'confluence', for being the city at the confluence between the Crati and the Busento rivers. In both cases, the name is Oscan, i.e., given by the Bruttii (UTET). The name compares with Consilinum (Lucania).

Crathis fl.

• Place: river Crati, province Cosenza, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Crathis fl. (Plin., Strab., Ovid.)
• Etymology: Of very ancient origin for UTET, pre-Roman and pre-Hellenic. It seems an agent-name with the ending -ti. The root can be the IE *g'her- 'to gripe, grab, enclose'. Then, the shifts *gh>k, *t>th can be explained by attributing the hydronym to the "Liguro-Sicanian" stratum, i.e., to the Oenotri. Otherwise, it may be related to Latin cratis 'a kind of basketry' from the IE root *kert- 'to turn, roll, wind', which should refer to the curves of the river. Another river close to the Strait was called Crataeis fl. according to Pliny, and it was the mother of Scylla.

Lametus fl.

• Place: river Amato, province Catanzaro, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Lametus fl. (Arist.)
• Etymology: According to Pokorny, the hydronym is derived from the IE root *lama- 'swamp, puddle'. This author claims that the name is of Illyrian origin.

Laus fl., Laus

• Place: river Lao (Laus fl.), Marcellina di Santa Maria del Cedro (Laus), province Cosenza, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Laus fl. (Ptol., Plin., Strab.)
• Etymology: The name of the town, founded by the Sybarites, derives from that of the river. This is likely related to the IE root *lou(e)- 'to wash', which is common in hydronyms. The vowel a of Laus may have derived either from the O-grade, in a A-language, or from the zero-grade.

Lavinium

• Place: close to Scalea, province Cosenza, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Lavinium (Peut.)
• Etymology: The town was in the valley of the Laus fl., from which it likely took the name. The origin is, above all, the same as Lavinium (Latium).

Sabatus fl.

• Place: river Savuto, province Cosenza, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Sabatus fl. (It. Ant.)
• Etymology: The hydronym likely derives from the IE root *sap-/sab- 'to taste, perceive', as Pokorny states for the whole series of river-names *sab-. Compare with Sabis fl. (Cispadana) and Sabata (Liguria).

Scydrus

• Place: not identified, province Cosenza, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Scydrus (?)
• Etymology: A colony founded by the Sybarites on the Tyrrhenian, its name recalls some in the mainland Greece.

Sila silva

• Place: massif of Sila, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Sila silva (Plin., Strab.)
• Etymology: Usually considered (UTET) an Oscan counterpart of the Latin silva 'wood'. A similar word has been proposed also for the Thracian language.

Tempsa, *Nuceria

• Place: Piano della Tirena di Nocera Terinese, province Catanzaro, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Tempsa (Ptol., Plin., Liv., Peut.) Temesa (Strab.) *Nuceria (inferred from the survival of the name)
• Etymology: The name shows the same change as in Compsa (Hirpinia), which is from an earlier *Comesa. The form Temesa is the oldest, then came Tempsa under the Oscan influence of the Brettii. The origin could be the IE root *tem(e)- 'dark'. It is also likely that these gave a new name to the town, calling it *Nuceria (Noukria), see Nuceria Alfaterna (Campania) and Nuceria Camellaria (Umbria).

Terina

• Place: Sant'Eufemia Vecchia di Lamezia Terme, province Catanzaro, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Terina (Plin., Strab., Liv.)
• Etymology: Like other names showing a stem *ter-, it may be an Eastern Italic word for 'piece of land', derived from the IE root *(s)ter- 'stiff, solid'.

*Teura

• Place: Tiriolo, province Catanzaro, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: *Teura from Ager Teuranus (inscr.)
• Etymology: The name has a counterpart in Taurianum and it is likely from the extension *teur- of the IE root *teu- 'fat, strong, etc.'

Traeis fl.

• Place: river Trionto, province Cosenza, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Traeis fl. (?)
• Etymology: According to Pokorny, the hydronym is a dialectal variant of *dreu-ent-, from the IE root *dreu- 'to run'. The shift *t>d is unclear. Maybe it is Oscan, but other hydronyms showing the same feature, among which Truentus fl. (Picenum) are distributed in the Picene area. Then I have supposed that such a shift was a peculiar trait of the Picene language.

Vibo Valentia, Hipponium

• Place: Vibo Valentia (Monteleone), province Vibo Valentia, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Vibo Valentia (Ptol., Plin.) Vibo (Caes., Cic.) Vibona Balentia (Peut.) Hipponium (Strab.)
• Etymology: It is considered a pre-Greek name, Grecized as Hipponion for the similarity with hippos 'horse' and then Latinized as Vibo, to which the augural appellative Valentia was added (UTET). Tentatively, the name may be compared with Vibinum (Hirpinia) and related to the IE root *ueib- 'to turn, sway'. Then it can be explained from an appellative meaning 'call' or 'small head', or similar, possibly in analogy to the shape of a hill.

Vertinae

• Place: not identified, province Cosenza (?), region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Vertinae (Strab.)
• Etymology: It recalls the Latin verto, -ere 'to turn', which is from the IE root *uert- 'to turn, wind'. Possibly, an Oscan appellative is behind the name.

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Magna Graecia

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Acheron fl.

• Place: not identified, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Acheron fl. (Plin.)
• Etymology: The name likely derives from the various Greeks counterparts, and it was introduced in the area by the Greek colonists.

Aesarus fl.

• Place: river Esaro, province Crotone, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Aesarus fl. (Strab., Avien.)
• Etymology: It belongs to the well-known series of hydronyms with a stem *ais-, which should reflect the IE root *eis- 'to move rapidly'. Compare, in the same Italic domain, with Aesernia (Samnium), Aesontius fl. (Venetia), Aesula (Latium), Aesis fl. (Umbria). Outside of Italy, see Aeso (Tarraconensis), Aesica (Britannia), Aesaronis (Sardinia).

Arogas fl.

• Place: river Crocchio, province Catanzaro, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Arogas fl. (Plin.)
• Etymology: The name my be derived from the IE root *ar(e)g'- 'glittering, white', and thus meant 'the clear (river)'.

Carcinus fl.

• Place: river Corace, province Catanzaro, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Carcinus fl. (Plin., Mel.)
• Etymology: It has been compared with Carca (Tarraconensis) by Villar and explained from a stem *kark-, but probably the name is from the Greek karkinos 'crab', which in turn is derived from the IE root *kar- 'hard', via a reduplication form *karkar-.

Caulonia

• Place: Punta Stilo di Monasterace, province Reggio di Calabria, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Caulonia (Strab., Liv., Mel.) Caulo (Plin., Peut.)
• Etymology: It is likely a Greek name, related to kaulos 'stem, shaft', possibly for the shape of the promontory.

Cocynthum

• Place: cape Stilo, province Reggio di Calabria, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Cocynthum pr. (Plin.)
• Etymology: Probably, the name was given by the Greeks, and includes the word -kyntho- widely used in compounds to designate a 'mount'. This was analyzed by Georgiev to be a word of "Pelasgian" origin.

Crimisa

• Place: Punta dell'Alice di Cirò Marina, province Crotone, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Crimisa (Strab.)
• Etymology: The name of this Greek colony has an exact counterpart in Crimisus fl. (Sicilia), which was also given to an eponymous river-god. Since this is an hydronym, the IE root *grem- 'damp, to sink', could be tentatively recalled. But this root would drive to a linguistic stratum like the one that is responsible for Cremera fl. (Etruria), i.e., a stratum in which *g>k. There are no mentions of the Pelasgian having settled in the Bruttium, but just for Crimisa, the legend relates it to the Troyans, which probbably spoke a Thracian-like language, showing the same phonetic feature of the "Pelasgian" language.

Crotalus fl.

• Place: river Alli, province Catanzaro, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Crotalus fl. (Plin.)
• Etymology: Likely, the name has nothing to do with Greek krotalos, a musical instrument, but it is a pre-Greek name. Tentatively, it may be related to Crathis fl., i.e., from the IE root *g'her- 'to encircle, enclose', but extended as *gherdh- (this would show a "Liguro-Sicanian" shift *gh>k, *dh>t), or from a dissimilation of the root *kert- 'to turn, roll, wind'.

Croto

• Place: Crotone (Cotrone), province Crotone, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Croto (Ptol., Plin., Strab., Mel., Liv., Ovid., Cic.) Crontona (Peut.)
• Etymology: It is uncertain for UTET. Tentatively, it may be related to the extension *gherdh- of the IE root *g'her- 'to encircle, enclose', which yields many appellatives meaning 'fence, town'. This etymology requires a "Liguro-Sicanian" language, in which it was *gh>k, *dh>t. The name of the city was personified as Kroton, a legendary chief, friend of Hercules.

Lacinium pr.

• Place: cape Colonna, province Crotone, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Lacinium pr. (Plin., Mel., Polyb., Verg.)
• Etymology: It has an exact counterpart in Lacinium (Illyria). They are likely related to Latin lacinia 'lappet', from the IE root *lek- 'to tear', as a morphologic translate. The name of the cape was personified as Lakinios, father of Kroton, a legendary chief.

Lagaria

• Place: San Nicola di Amendolara, province Cosenza, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Lagaria (Strab.)
• Etymology: Unclear. If it is not of Greek origin, then the name is well fitted by the IE root *legh- 'to put down, to lie down', which yielded in the cognate languages appellatives meaning simply 'place'.

Leucopetra pr.

• Place: cape d'Armi (Leucopetra pr.), Lazzaro di Motta San Giovanni (Leucopetra), province Reggio di Calabria, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Leucopetra pr. (Ptol., Plin., Strab.) Leucopetra (Peut.)
• Etymology: It is a Greek name, meaning 'white rock'. This confirms the wide use of the adjective 'white' in building place-names.

Locanus fl.

• Place: river Chiaro, province Reggio di Calabria, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Locanus fl. (Ptol.)
• Etymology: Uncertain.

Locri Epizephyrii

• Place: between Portigliola and Locri (Gerace Marina), province Reggio di Calabria, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Locri (Ptol., Plin., Strab.)
• Etymology: The colonists of Locri came from the Locris in Greece, from whence the name. The appellative Epizephyrii means 'close to the Zephyrium pr.

Macalla

• Place: Murge di Strongoli, province Crotone, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Macalla (?)
• Etymology: According to Musti, the name is a plural of makallon, a dialectal variant of Greek makellon 'market'. Then, according to Frisk, it would have the same origin as Macella (Sicilia). But it is also possible that the name is pre-Greek.

Mamertium

• Place: possibly Mella di Oppido Mamertino, province Reggio di Calabria, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Mamertium (Strab.)
• Etymology: Likely, it is related to the name of Mars in Oscan, which was Mamers. From the same, the name of the Mamertini, a gruop of Oscan mercenaries that finally settled in Messina, derived.

Medma

• Place: Pian delle Vigne di Rosarno, province Reggio di Calabria, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Medma (Plin., Strab.) Mesma (coins) Medama (Mel.)
• Etymology: Unknown. Tentatively, it may be related with the IE root *medh- 'middle', possibly attributed in origin to the river that is called today Mesima. The ending -ma derives maybe from a previous -mon. In this case, the language of the people that inhabited the area before the arrival of the colonists from Locri was a A-language, and it de-aspirated the voiced stops.

Metaurus fl., Metaurum

• Place: river Petrace (Metaurus fl.), Gioia Tauro (Metaurum), province Reggio di Calabria, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Metaurus fl. (Plin., Strab.) Metaurum (Mel.)
• Etymology: The name of the town descends from that of the river, which has an exact counterpart in Metaurus fl. (Umbria), and can be also compared for the stem with Metapontum (Lucania), all from the IE extension *met(a)- of the root *me- 'in the middle of, by, around, with' (Pokorny). The second part is likely an hydronym, and in fact in Pokorny is proposed a derivation from the IE root *auer- 'water, rain, flow'. Summarizing, the name is built as *met-aur- 'river in the middle'.

Mustiae

• Place: Marina di Gioiosa Jonica, province Reggio di Calabria, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Mustia (Plin.) Mystiae (Mel.)
• Etymology: The name is likely related to Latin mustus 'young, fresh', in origin 'wet, moist', from an S-stem *meudes-to of the IE root *meud- 'frisky', an extension of *meu- 'wet, dirt, to wash'

Neaethus fl.

• Place: river Neto, province Crotone, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Neaethus fl. (Plin.) Neetus fl. (Strab.)
• Etymology: An etymology from local scholars is from the Greek 'to burn the ships', because it was here that the Trojan women escaped from Troy, tired to wander, imposed to their husbands to stop and settle. Curiously, the hydronym compares with an Etruscan word, neitis 'lake'.

Petelia

• Place: Pianeta di Strongoli, province Crotone, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Petelia (Ptol., Plin., Strab., Val. Max., Sil. It., Peut.) Petilia (Mel.)
• Etymology: It has been related to Latin petilus 'meager, thin', a word of dubious origin, which is explained by Pokorny with the IE root *pet- 'to open wide'. Then, an origin independent from the Latin word is likely, with a meaning similar to 'wide space'.

Rhegium

• Place: Reggio di Calabria, province Reggio di Calabria, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Rhegium (Ptol., ) Regium (Peut.)
• Etymology: The name has been explained already in the classical sources from Latin rex, regis or from Greek regnumi 'I break'. Now, many scholars would attribute the name to a pre-IE stratum (UTET). Tentatively, it may be explained from an hydronym of the series *reg-, from the IE root *reg'- 'damp, rain'.

Sagra fl.

• Place: river Torbido, province Reggio di Calabria, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Sagra fl. (Plin., Strab.)
• Etymology: The hydronym compares with Sagrus fl. (Samnium), but both are unclear.

Scylletium, Scylaceus sin.

• Place: Roccelletta di Borgia (Scylletium), gulf of Squillace (Scylaceus sin.), province Catanzaro, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Scylacium (Ptol., Strab.) Scylletium (Plin.) Scilatium (Peut.) Scolacium (Plin.) Scylaceum (Plin., Mel., Verg., Ovid.) Scylaceus sin. (Mel.)
• Etymology: The oldest form should be Scylletium, while the forms with a (Scylacium, Scolacium) show a phonetic feature of the Dorian dialect. Possibly, the name derives from a Greek word like skullo 'I flay, lacerate', or maybe it is only a cognate word, from the IE root *skel- 'to cut'. This one, by the way, could a very old root related to the 'silicic cutter'.

Scyllaeum

• Place: Scilla, province Reggio di Calabria, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Scyllaeum (Ptol., Plin.) Scylla (Mel.)
• Etymology: The placename is related to the legendary Scylla, a sea monster that lived in the Strait. This name has been derived from skullo 'I flay, lacerate', then see under Scylletium. A Scyllaeum pr. existed also in the Peloponnesus.

Semirus fl.

• Place: river Simeri, province Catanzaro, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Semirus fl. (Plin.)
• Etymology: Very likely, the hydronym is derived from the IE *sem- 'to pour', like *Semnus fl. (Lucania).

Sybaris, Sybaris fl., Thurii

• Place: Sibari di Cassano allo Jonio (Sybaris-Thurii), river Coscile (Sybaris fl.), province Cosenza, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Sybaris (Strab., Cic.) Sybaris fl. (Plin.) Thurii (Plin., Flor., Vell. Pat., Caes., Cic.) Thurium (Ptol., Strab.) Turii (Peut.)
• Etymology: The archaic site is Sybaris, an Achaean foundation, which has the same name as those of a spring in Achaia and of the capital of Colchis.
  The pan-hellenic colony of Thurii, on the same site, took its name from that of the nearby Thuria fons. From such a circumstance, some substratist scholars (Alessio, De Giovanni) assumed a "Mediterranean" stem *tur- 'spring'. But the hydronym is likely Greek, from thouros 'turbulent, vehement'. Or it a local name, with the same origin as Turiostum.

Taurianum/Tauroentum, Taurianus m.

• Place: Marina di Palmi, province Reggio di Calabria, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Taurianus m. (Ptol.) Tauroentum (Plin.) Taurianum (Mel.) Tauriana (Strab., Peut.)
• Etymology: The name has an exact counterpart in Tauroentium (Narbonensis), another Greek foundation. The origin is likely from the name of a beast and a suffix related to IE -uent- 'rich of' (or a participe marker). The former is from the extension *teur- of the IE root *teu- 'fat, strong, etc.', from which also the names for the 'bull', Latin taurus, Greek tauros.

Thagines fl.

• Place: river Tacina, province Crotone, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Thagines fl. (Plin.) Tannus fl. (?, Peut.)
• Etymology: Unclear.

Zephyrium pr.

• Place: cape Bruzzano, province Reggio di Calabria, region Calabria, Italy
• Name: Zephyrium pr. (Ptol., Plin., Strab., Mel.)
• Etymology: It protected the coast of Locri from the Zephyrus, the western wind.

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Conclusions

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The ancient inhabitants of the Bruttium are reported to have been Oenotri and Ausoni. These have been attributed to the Western Italic, or Proto-Latin and Siculian stratum by various scholars like Ribezzo and Devoto. Actually, two pre-Oscan strata can be traced from the toponymy. One is Western Italic, with essentially no consonant shift, the other shows the typical consonant shift which I interprete as a remnant of the Liguro-Sicanian stratum.

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Last modified: February 23, 2003
by Antonio Sciarretta
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