The
Aquitanian language was spoken in ancient
Aquitaine (approximately between the
Pyrenees and the
Garonne, the region later known as
Gascony) before the Roman conquest and, probably much later, until the Early
Middle Ages.
Archaeological,
toponymical and historical evidence strongly suggest that it was a
Vasconic language or group of languages that represent a precursor of the
Basque language.
[Trask, L. The History of Basque Routledge: 1997 ISBN 0-415-13116-2] 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-European speakers who were possibly Neolithic colonists (
5th millennium BC) or
Celts (c. 1300 BCE).
Aquitanian origins may possibly be traced more or less directly to the
Chalcolithic culture of Artenac.
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
Pyrenees in the territory that
Greek and
Roman sources assign to
Aquitanians.
- Anthroponyms: , , , , , , , , , , , etc.
- Theonyms: BAIGORIXO, ILVNNO, ARIXONI, ARTAHE, ILVRBERRIXO, ASTOILVNO, HARAVSONI, LEHERENNO, etc.
But some also had been found at the south of the
Pyrenees 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:
The vascologist Joaquín Gorrotxategi, who has made several works about Aquitanian, and Mitxelena have pointed the similarities of some
Iberian onomastic elements with Aquitanian. In particular, Mitxelena spoke about an
onomastic pool from which both Aquitanian and Iberian would have drawn:
Geographical extent
Since ancient times there are clues that indicate the relationship between Southwestern France and the Basques. During the Roman conquest of
Gaul by
Julius Caesar,
Aquitania was the territory between
Garonne and the
Pyrenees. 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
Gascony, a name derived from
Vasconia, 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'Aran. 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
Caristii,
Varduli and
Autrigones, who occupied the greater part of the region that is now the
Western Basque Country have been claimed as either Basques or Celtic depending on who you read. Archaeological findings in
Iruña-Veleia in 2006 initially claimed as evidence in this debate were subsequently dismissed as
fake.
Cantabrians 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
stele with Aquitanian names was found in
Lerga, which could reinforce the idea that Basques and Aquitanians were related.
See also
