Noviodunum (Switzerland): Difference between revisions
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==Origin of the name== |
==Origin of the name== |
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Noviodunum is a name of [[Celt]]ic origin, meaning "new fort": It comes from ''[[wikt:Appendix:Proto-Indo-European *néwos|nowyo]]'', Celtic for "new", and ''[[dun]]'', the Celtic for "hillfort" or "fortified settlement", cognate of English ''town''. It was the urban center of the larger Colonia. The name Colonia Iulia Equestris is more descriptive. A [[Colonia (Roman)|Colonia]] was originally a Roman outpost established in conquered territory to secure it. Eventually, however, the term came to denote the highest status of Roman city. ''Iulia'' refers to either [[Julius Caesar]] or [[Augustus|Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus]].<ref name=Smye>{{cite book | last = Syme | first = Ronald | title = The Provincial at Rome | publisher = University of Exeter Press | location = Exeter | year = 1999 | isbn = 0859896323 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=D5IxWxCgFFwC&pg=PA77 |page=77}}</ref> The first settlers in the Colonia were army veterans, especially cavalrymen or ''equester'' which led to the name ''Equestris''.<ref name=HDS>{{HDS|12283|Colonia Iulia Equestris}}</ref> |
Noviodunum is a name of [[Celt]]ic origin, meaning "new fort": It comes from ''[[wikt:Appendix:Proto-Indo-European *néwos|nowyo]]'', Celtic for "new", and ''[[dun]]'', the Celtic for "hillfort" or "fortified settlement", cognate of English ''town''. It was the urban center of the larger Colonia. Although the initial name the city, Noviodunum (new castle), is certainly Celtic in origin, it is first mentioned in written sources in about 400AD.<ref name=HDS/> |
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The name Colonia Iulia Equestris is more descriptive. A [[Colonia (Roman)|Colonia]] was originally a Roman outpost established in conquered territory to secure it. Eventually, however, the term came to denote the highest status of Roman city. ''Iulia'' refers to either [[Julius Caesar]] or [[Augustus|Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus]].<ref name=Smye>{{cite book | last = Syme | first = Ronald | title = The Provincial at Rome | publisher = University of Exeter Press | location = Exeter | year = 1999 | isbn = 0859896323 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=D5IxWxCgFFwC&pg=PA77 |page=77}}</ref> The first settlers in the Colonia were army veterans, especially cavalrymen or ''equester'' which led to the name ''Equestris''.<ref name=HDS>{{HDS|12283|Colonia Iulia Equestris}}</ref> |
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==History== |
==History== |
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Revision as of 13:50, 16 December 2010
Noviodunum or Colonia Iulia Equestris was a Roman era settlement in what is now Nyon in the Canton of Vaud in Switzerland.
Origin of the name
Noviodunum is a name of Celtic origin, meaning "new fort": It comes from nowyo, Celtic for "new", and dun, the Celtic for "hillfort" or "fortified settlement", cognate of English town. It was the urban center of the larger Colonia. Although the initial name the city, Noviodunum (new castle), is certainly Celtic in origin, it is first mentioned in written sources in about 400AD.[1]
The name Colonia Iulia Equestris is more descriptive. A Colonia was originally a Roman outpost established in conquered territory to secure it. Eventually, however, the term came to denote the highest status of Roman city. Iulia refers to either Julius Caesar or Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus.[2] The first settlers in the Colonia were army veterans, especially cavalrymen or equester which led to the name Equestris.[1]
History
Foundation
Colonia Iulia Equestris was founded by either Julius Caesar or his adopted son, Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus. It was established on land taken from the Helvetii as a Colonia for cavalry veterans. The original functions of the Colonia were to provide land for veterans and military bases in conquered territory. Noviodunum was part of a loose network of settlements that radiated out from Lugdunum (modern Lyon, France).
See also
References
- ^ a b Colonia Iulia Equestris in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
- ^ Syme, Ronald (1999). The Provincial at Rome. Exeter: University of Exeter Press. p. 77. ISBN 0859896323.
External links
