Aut Celtica aut Aquitanica ? Revisiting Some Divine Names of Aquitania

The divine names ALARDOSTO and ANDOSTON(I) and their plentiful variants found in the ancient Roman province of Aquitania have traditionally been considered to be of Basque-Aquitanian origin based on their location. However, in both cases a satisfactory Indo-European etymology can be defended. Hence, in this paper I will explore the possibility of analysing them as purely Celtic formations, comparing them with other parallel structures within Keltiké, and thus defining more precisely the cultural and linguistic Aquitanian landscape. In addition, certain tendencies detected on an epigraphic, religious, and linguistic level indicating an Indo-European ancestry will be pointed out. Finally, a Celtic ethnonym of Aquitania undocumented in the classical sources which has not been studied to date will be discussed

Celtic languages · Etymology · Nomenclature · Proper noun · Toponymy · Archaeological and Historical Studies · Linguistics and language evolution