06-20-2006, 06:29 AM
Dear Members,
Many thanks for the replies! I would like to give some more information on my question.
As some of you said, there are quite a lot place-names in England with "caster" and "chester" where there have been Roman forts. The problem is: in the Antiquity, these DID NOT bear a name in "castra". In fact, only two places in Great-Britain dit: "castra Exploratorium" and "castra pinnata" (see Rivet & Smith).
"chester" and "caster" do of course derive from "castra", but these names were given later, by Saxons. There is no "traditio nominum" or transmission of the original name (as e.g. in Londinium > London).
The problem is the same for all the Arabic names in "castra". "Alcazar" simply comes from "al kasr" (= the fort), but all places with this name have of course not been Roman Forts
(BTW, does someone know the meaning of "Kasr Bshir"?)
Some Roman stone forts have been rebaptized "burg" by the Germans: "castra Regina" has become "Regens-burg". The same for the late Roman fort of "Ouden-burg" (near Ostend, Belgium).
Cepheus
Many thanks for the replies! I would like to give some more information on my question.
As some of you said, there are quite a lot place-names in England with "caster" and "chester" where there have been Roman forts. The problem is: in the Antiquity, these DID NOT bear a name in "castra". In fact, only two places in Great-Britain dit: "castra Exploratorium" and "castra pinnata" (see Rivet & Smith).
"chester" and "caster" do of course derive from "castra", but these names were given later, by Saxons. There is no "traditio nominum" or transmission of the original name (as e.g. in Londinium > London).
The problem is the same for all the Arabic names in "castra". "Alcazar" simply comes from "al kasr" (= the fort), but all places with this name have of course not been Roman Forts
(BTW, does someone know the meaning of "Kasr Bshir"?)
Some Roman stone forts have been rebaptized "burg" by the Germans: "castra Regina" has become "Regens-burg". The same for the late Roman fort of "Ouden-burg" (near Ostend, Belgium).
Cepheus
