List of Latin place names in Iberia

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Latin Place Names
by country
Africa
Asia
Europe
by type
Cities
Countries
Islands
Lakes
Mountains
Regions
Rivers

This list includes countries and regions in the Iberian Peninsula (Latin Hispania) that were part of the Roman Empire, or that were given Latin place names in historical references.

Contents

[edit] Background

Until the Modern Era, Latin was the common language for scholarship and mapmaking. During the 19th and 20th centuries, German scholars in particular have made significant contributions to the study of historical place names, or Ortsnamenkunde. These studies have, in turn, contributed to the study of genealogy. For genealogists and historians of pre-Modern Europe, knowing alternate names of places is vital to extracting information from both public and private records. Even specialists in this field point out, however, that the information can be easily taken out of context, since there is a great deal of repetition of place names throughout Europe; reliance purely on apparent connections should therefore be tempered with valid historical methodology.

[edit] Caveats and notes

Latin place names are not always exclusive to one place — for example, there were several Roman cities whose names began with Colonia and then a more descriptive term. During the Middle Ages, these were often shortened to just Colonia. One of these, Colonia Agrippinensis, retains the name today in the form of Cologne.

Early sources for Roman names show numerous variants and spellings of the Latin names.

The modern canonical name is listed first. Sources are listed chronologically. In general, only the earliest source is shown for each name, although many of the names are recorded in more than one of the sources. Where the source differs in spelling, or has other alternatives, these are listed following the source. As an aid to searching, variants are spelled completely, and listed in most likely chronology.

Superscripts indicate:

  1. Latinized form of the Greek-derived name.
  2. Latinized form of the Asian-derived name via Greek.
  3. Altered Latinized form of the Greek-derived name.

[edit] Cities and towns in Gibraltar

Canonical Latin Name (source(s): variant(s)) English Name (native language(s)) - older name(s), (other language(s)), location(s)
Calpe (2PG3) Gibraltar, (Arabic Jebel Tarik)

[edit] Cities and towns in Portugal

See also: Roman Geography of Portugal
Canonical Latin Name (source(s): variant(s)) English Name (native language(s)) - older name(s), (other language(s)), location(s)
Aeminium (from Celt) Coimbra
Aquae Flaviae Chaves
Arabriga (from Celt) Alenquer
Arandis Garvão, Ourique
Aretium Alvega
Aviarium Aveiro
Baesuris, Esuri Castro Marim
Balsa west of Tavira
Bevipo Alcácer do Sal
Bracara Augusta Braga
Brigantia Bragança
Caeciliana between Caetobriga and Malateca
Caetobriga Tróia, Setúbal
Calipolis Vila Viçosa
Castra Leuca Castelo Branco
Cilpes Silves
Civitas Aravorum Marialva
Centum Cellae, Centum Celas Colmeal da Torre, Belmonte
Collipo Leiria
Conímbriga Condeixa-a-Nova, south of Coimbra (the inhabitants of Conímbriga fled to Aeminium, ancient name of Coimbra)
Conistorgis location unknown in the Algarve and Baixo-Alentejo
Dipo Elvas
Ebora, Ebora Cerealis, Liberalitas Julia Evora (Évora)
Eburobritium Óbidos
Egiptania (Egitânia) Idanha-a-Velha
Equabona Coina, Barreiro
Guimaranis, Vimaranis Guimarães
Ipses Alvor
Laccobriga, Lacobriga Lagos
Lamecum Lamego
Lancobriga Fiães, Santa Maria da Feira
Lorica Loriga, Seia
Malateca Marateca, Palmela
Metallum Vipascense Mina de Aljustrel (Central Alentejo)
Mirobriga Celticorum Santiago do Cacém
Mondobriga Alter do Chão
Moron Near Santarém
Myrtilis Mértola
Nabantia Tomar
Olisipo, Olisipo Felicitas Iulia, Felicitas Julia Olissipo, Ulyssipolis, Ulisseia Lisbon (Lisboa)
Ossonoba Faro
Pax Iulia, Pax Augusta, Colonia Pacensis Beja
Portus Alacer Portalegre
Portus Cale Porto
Portus Hannibalis Portimão
Salacia Alcácer do Sal
Scalabis Santarém
Segóvia Campo Maior
Selleum Tomar
Sirpe Serpa
Sinus Sines
Talabara Alpedrinha, Fundão
Talabriga Marnel, Águeda
Tongobriga somewhere in Trás-os-Montes
Tritium Covilhã
Veniatia Vinhais
Villa Euracini Póvoa de Varzim
Vila Cardílio Torres Novas
Vipasca Aljustrel
Viseu Viseu

[edit] Cities and towns in Spain

Canonical Latin Name (source(s): variant(s)) English Name (native language(s)) - older name(s), (other language(s)), location(s)
Abdera Adra, Andalusia
Asturica Augusta Astorga, León
Baelo Claudia Bolonia
Baetulo Badalona, Catalonia
Barcino Barcelona, Catalonia
Baria Villaricos, Andalusia
Bilbilis Calatayud
Flavium Brigantium Probably Betanzos, Galiza
Caesaraugusta Saragossa
Calagurris Calahorra, La Rioja
Carthago Nova Cartagena
Complutum Alcalá de Henares, Madrid
Corduba (2PG3) Córdoba
Dertusa Tortosa, Catalonia
Egara Terrassa, Catalonia
Emerita Augusta Merida (Mérida)
Flaviobriga Forua, Basque Country
Gades Cádiz, Andalusia
Gerunda Girona, Catalonia
Granata Granada
Hispalis (2PG3) Seville
Ilerda Lleida, Catalonia
Iluro Mataró, Catalonia
Iria Flavia Iria Flavia, Galiza
Legio VII Gemina León
Lucentum Alicante
Lucus Augusti Lugo, Galiza
Madritum[citation needed] Madrid
Malaca (2PG3) Málaga
Minorisa Manresa, Catalonia
Oiasso Oiartzun, Basque Country
Pompaelo, Pampalona, Pampelona Pamplona, Navarre
Salmantica Salamanca
Tarraco Tarragona, Catalonia
Toletum Toledo
Tude, Tyde Tui, Galiza
Urci Almería, Andalusia
Valentia Valencia

[edit] References

In order of likely publication:

  • PNH: Pliny (Gaius Plinius Secundus), Naturalis Historia; book "PNH" chapter (that is, "37PNH81" instead of the usual "N.H.xxxvii.81").
  • PG: Ptolemy (Claudius Ptolemaeus), Geographia; book "PG" chapter (that is, "2PG3" instead of the usual "II.3"). Ptolemy wrote in Greek, so names are transliterated back into Latin to reveal the original form.
  • HLU: Hofmann, Johann Jacob (1635-1706): Lexicon Universale
  • GOL: The standard reference to Latin placenames, with their modern equivalents, is Dr. J. G. Th. Graesse, Orbis Latinus : Lexikon lateinischer geographischer Namen des Mittelalters und der Neuzeit (1909), an exhaustive work of meticulous German scholarship that is available on-line. To use it, one must understand German names of countries, as they were in 1909. The original was re-edited and expanded in a multi-volume edition in 1972.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links