Folia onomastica Croatica, No. 22, 2013.
Original scientific paper
Pre-Roman placenames in present-day (and historical) Croatia
Petar Šimunović
; Hrvatska akademija znanosti i umjetnosti, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Abstract
The Croatian language adapted pre-Roman ancient placenames as a legacy of the oldest monuments of its onomastic heritage. These toponyms are recorded in the writings of ancient Greek and Roman authors (mostly from the Pannonian area), as well as in remnants that have been preserved in various linguistic transformations. In this paper, the author gathers and presents these names in two groups: place names along the coastline (and Lika), which show a Mediterranean onomastic substrate, and those names which are attested in the Pannonian area. In this second group, some significant hydronyms carry traces of the Old-European onomastic layer. The Croats accepted these toponyms, both the “Illyrian” ones on the coast and the Pannonian-Celtic ones of the Sava and the Danube river region, through historical records or through Roman mediation. Centuries-long adaptations took place in common biological, economic, and linguistic residence in those areas. P. Anreiter conducted a systematic analysis of pre-Roman placenames in Pannonia, and the author of this paper relies on his material and his interpretations.
Keywords
the pre-Roman toponymy; place names; hydronymy; Illyric
Hrčak ID:
118625
URI
Publication date:
27.3.2014.
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