Ancient Names Origins. Water Roots and P

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Review of Historical Geography and Toponomastics, vol. VIII no. 15-1, !"1#, pp. $-!%

ANCIENT NAMES ORIGINS.WATER ROOTS AND PLACE-NAMES IN THE

PREHISTORIC LIGURIAN CONTEXT

Francesco PERONO CACCIAFOCO

Doctor of Philosophy in Greek and Latin Philology and Literature (Ph.D.)

Universit degli Stud di Pisa !acolt di Lettere e !ilosofia Diparti"ento di!ilologia Letteratura e Linguistica # !ilologia classica Pisa $taly %d&unct

Professor in 'o"parative Literature University of Polleno # U$SG Polleno

$taly, e#"ail*peronocacciafoco+flcl.unipi.it

Abstract: %ncient a"es ,rigins. -ater oots and Place#a"es in the Prehistoric Ligurian'onte/t. This paper o&tlines a new applied epistemological aspect of the so-called 'onvergence0heory, that is aimed at develop a potentially 'homogeneo&s( vision )etween the different approachesin the field of the Indo-*&ropean +ing&istics. This wor tries to 'reconstr&ct( a sort of Italian and*&ropean 'macro-area( or 'micro-area( characteri/ed )y places names lined to the word-root 1al2,with a delineation of the 'semantic steps( prod&ced, over the cent&ries, )y the same word-root,

following a potential all-em)racing approach. It seems that 0aleo-+ig&rian place names of the type%l2a, ld *&ropean river names%l2is and the lie, as well as their a)la&ting forms ,l2#2 ,r2#inRomance +ig&rian, do not reflect directly the proto-Indo-*&ropean ad3ective 1al2ho#, 4white4 rather,they all seem to contin&e a pre-proto-Indo-*&ropean e6tended root 13al#2h#, 4water4, cognate with the7&merian hal2ia2 8adian halpiu", 4spring4, 4well4, 4water mass4, 4water hole4. 8 f&rther analysis ofthe same 13al#2h#, moreover, leads to a comparison with the proto-Indo-*&ropean root 13al#,4no&rish4. The proto-Indo-*&ropean s&ffi6ed form 134a3#r#, 4water4, then, e6hi)its a similardiff&sion.

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9rancesco 0*R: ;8;;I89;

Rezuat:u"e cu origini antice. 5d5cini toponi"ice legate de ap5 6i nu"e de locuri n conte/tpreistoric ligurian. 8cest articol scoate &n aspect de epistemiologie aplicat>, ?i an&meTeoria ;onvergen=ei, c& scop&l de a de/volta o vi/i&ne @omogen>A @reconstr&iasc>A o macro /on> italian>,caracteri/at> prin n&me de loc&ri avand r>d>cina 1al2#, pe )a/a delimit>rii &nor pa?i semanticiprod&?i de-a l&ng&l secolelor. 7e reliefea/> fapt&l c> n&mele de loc&ri paleo-lig&riene ca %l2a, n&mee&ropene vechi de rB&ri prec&m%l2is ?i formele lor schim)ate direct ad3ectiv&l proto-indo-e&ropean e 1al2ho#4al)4 de fapt, acestea contin&> o rad>cin>pre-proto-indo-e&ropean> 1hal#2h#, 4ap>4, similar c& s&merian&l al2ia 2 aadian&l alpiu", 4i/vor,pBrB&4, @ap>4, 4p&=4. anali/> similar> pentr& 13al#2h#cond&ce spre o compara=ie c& r>d>cina proto-indo-e&ropean> 4a hr>ni, a n&tri4. 7&fi6&l proto-indo-e&ropean 134a3#r# 4apa4 pre/int> o dif&/i&nesimilar>.

!e" #$r%s: 'onvergence 0heory7 1al2#7 13al#2h#7 Liguria7 ,l2icella7 8uropean Prehistoric0opony"y.Cu&'(te c)e'e: 0eoria 'onvergen9ei7 1al2#7 13al#2h#7 Liguria7 ,l2icella7 toponi"ie preistoric5european5.

0o "y "other

*. INTRODUCTION AND METHODOLOG+

Cy paper, %ncient a"es ,rigins. -ater oots and Place#a"es in thePrehistoric Ligurian 'onte/t, o&tlines a new applied epistemological aspect of the so-called

'onvergence 0heory in Italian 0eoria della 'onciliaione. This wor is aimed at the'reconstr&ction( of a toponymic 'macro-area( or 'micro-area(, depending on the points ofview related to the word-root 1al2#and to the 'semantic steps( lined to the same word-root, with regard, especially, to the :orthern Italy and, secondarily, to the *&rope,developing D remaining in the specific case of pre-+atin pre-Indo-*&ropean, proto-Indo-*&ropean, and Indo-*&ropean Toponymy D this onomastic aspect of the 'onvergence0heoryin relation to the different approaches of the Indo-*&ropean +ing&istics the Indo-*&ropean E Glottological, the pre-Indo-*&ropean, the pan-Indo-*&ropean, the pan-7emitic,the 0aleolithic ;ontin&ity 0aradigm E 0aleolithic ;ontin&ity Theory E 0eoria della'ontinuit, for e6ample. The 'onvergence 0heory, in fact, is mainly aimed at develop a

potentially 'homogeneo&s( vision )etween the different a)ove mentioned approaches in thefield of the Indo-*&ropean +ing&istics, witho&t emphasi/ing any one in partic&lar, )&ttrying to o&tline an all-em)racing reconstr&ction that taes into acco&nt each of the

scientific achievements of the other considered Theories. This paper, therefore, is atheoretical wor with applied implications )oth in the am)it of Toponymy EToponomastics, and in the field of 7emantics, with a specific foc&s on the delineation of an'ideal map( related to the notion of 'water( and on the identification of 'water places( inthe analy/ed area.

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8ncient :ames rigins. ater Roots and 0lace-:ames in the 0rehistoric +ig&rian ;onte6t

,. THE ROOT *ALB- OLBICELLA AND THE WATER TOWNS/

There are e6tremely ancient toponymic designations that not always can )ereconstr&cted from roots directly attested in historical lang&ages )elonging to the Indo-*&ropean ling&istic family. It sho&ld )e considered, in the conte6t of the same Indo-*&ropean, the possi)ility of the e6istence of 'do&)le roots(, e6plained the each from Indo-*&ropean traditions properly called and the other integrated, instead, from thedoc&mentation of different families of lang&ages.

The fact&al means may have )een made &p )oth )y contacts and 'osmoticmovements( in )oth directions, to the Indo-*&ropean from the non-Indo-*&ropean andvice versa, and )y common genealogical heritage with all the reserves re&ired )y thedisc&ssion of the relations of 'inship( of the Indo-*&ropean family, of co&rse. 7&ch casesare fo&nd especially within gro&ps of words in the field of nomastics and, perhaps in agreater percentage, in the am)it of Toponymy Toponomastics, as a privileged sector ofthe 's&)stratistic( recognitions.

The iss&e we wo&ld lie to address here concerns the no"en loci ,l2icella.l)icella is a s&)&r) of Colare m&nicipality located in the :orth-estern Italy D0iemonte D, now in the 0rovince of 8lessandria, near the city of vada, on the road thatleads from the 7o&thern 0iemonte to Genova, the chief town D administrative centre D of+ig&ria 1,sit&ated along the r)a river, ne6t to the rtiglieto4s lae.

8:T*+IVI*RI, in hisDiionario di 0opono"astica pie"ontese!,wrote, a)o&tl)icellaJ Kl)icella, fr. Colare, 8less. 9orse forma in parte dialett. e&ival. ad &n

1%l2icella, dal n. pers. germ. 8+LIMNO. The derivation proposed )y the Italian scholar,,l2icella : ; < 1%l2icella : %l2io, is part of the traditional practice that enhances, foretymological p&rposes, the o)servation D widely seen in the micro-Toponomastics D of the&se of anthroponyms in order to coin local denominations, )&t in this case it is D )eca&senot accompanied )y e&ally or even more s&staina)le alternatives D too m&ch apodictic, aswell as almost all the toponymic reconstr&ctions that trace )ac the origin of a no"en lociof higher 'si/e( than one individ&al or gentilitial property to a proper name of a person ofany origin, according to the possi)ilities offered )y the historical and ling&istic localstratigraphy, witho&t even an attempt of comparison with names that, )eing verifia)le D orfalsifia)le D on )oth 'levels( of the 'sign( th&s D even within the limits of e6plica)ility ofa geographical name D also on the semantic am)it, )y definition e6cl&ded in thedeonomastic formations, where the etymology is not relevant, wo&ld set the hypothesis ata higher epistemological level. It provides, however, an interesting indication a)o&t the

ancient reconstr&cted form of the place name, ,l2icellaJ 1%l2icella fig. 1.The root of the etymon of the no"en loci, in fact, is precisely 1al2#. :ow we4regoing to e6plain why, trying to provide a ling&istic contri)&tion to the correct ret&rn of theoriginal meaning of some place names and hydronyms of the +ig&rian area e6actly thec&lt&ral and ling&istics area of the formation of no"ina locoru"s&ch as ,l2icella, in the

:orth-est of Italy and o&tlining the e6istence of a 'family( of place names that we lie

1;f. 0*R:;8;;I89;!""#aJ 15.!;f. +IVI*RI1P5J !%1,s. v.,l2icella.

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to call on the )asis of the not only Indo-*&ropean root that is at the origin of theirdevelopment 'ater Towns(.

Figure 1:,l2icella and the surrounding area

e have evidence of common elements D al)eit remote already in the Indo-*&ropean age D, in the c&lt&ral and ling&istic am)it, )etween the ancient +ig&riansLigures and the contemporaneo&s historically nown inha)itants of the estern *&rope,at least in part, as the ;elts #.8 macroscopic toponymic isogloss concerns the Lritanniaperhaps only in the 7o&thern area, in origin %Jit is )elieved and the hypothesis is veryconvincing that%l2i=n, the no"enof ancestral origin of Lritannia, is connected with the+ig&rian toponymic forms %l2iu" and %l2u" 5. The toponymic root of the name iscommon, )eing, in fact, 1al2#Q Indo-*&ropean 1al2h#. 9rom%l2iu"and%l2u"derive D inthe ancient and also 'contemporary( +ig&rian Toponymy D, among others, the homologo&s

homophone and homograph compared to the second lemma forms %l2u", %l2u"$nganu", %l2u" $ngaunu", %l2ingaunu", 48l)enga4, %l2iu" homologo&s, homophone,and homograph compared to the first lemma, %l2inti"iliu", %l2u" $nti"iliu",4Ventimiglia4 with this ind of toponymic reconstr&ction, %l2uca in Ga&l and in

#;f. *L*R:8R7T*C0*+!""FJpassi".%;f. RIV*TE 7CITH1P$PJ !%$-%F. In a non-Indo-*&ropean perspective see also G IV8::I7*C*R8:, Gli influssidelle antiche civilt del >edio ,riente sulla pri"a for"aione culturale dell?8uropa , in 88.VV. !""1J #"$-1$and, especially, #1".5;f. 0*TR8;;7I;8RIE ;80RI:I1PF1J ##.;f. 7TR8L,@ABCEFHIIV, , 1-! and, on%l2ingaunu"and%l2inti"iliu", see GI8:8TT87I!""$J 1#.

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8&itaine $, %l2a, in Italy, 0iemonte, now in the 0rovince of ;&neo, %l2a 3eluoru", in0rovence,%l2a, now%r&ona, in 7painF.

GI8;C*VTalso reports P, as of possi)le +ig&rian matri6 or infl&ence inthe onomastic formation, the place name%l2ona, Istrian town located a few ilometersaway from the sea. 8ll of these names are attri)&ta)le directly to the root 1al2#and to a

si"ple/form that is%l2u". L&t%l2u"is not primarily lined we will verify later as it is a'shift( of meaning compared to the original to the +atin al2us, 4white4. It derives, instead,from the root 1al2h#, that is the )asis, for e6ample, of the Germanic hydronym %l2is, theno"enof the8l2e river. 8ll these no"ina indicate settlements on waterways, on rivers,laes, and seas, in practice locisit&ated near water and even hydronyms, names D in fact Dof referrals that coincide with the iconymJ waterways, waterco&rses.

hat interests &s here is that as the root 1al2h# is the )asis of the hydronym%l2is, no"enof ancestral origin as a paleo-*&ropean hydronym of the8l2eriver, so it isthe generative component of some of the many names ancient and 'contemporary( ,l2iathat denote, lie all the other no"ina developed )y the root 1al2h#, places located oncanals, rivers, or seas fig. !. l)ia, the oldest colony of Cilet&s, on the Llac 7ea, fore6ample, had, as epichoric no"en, ,l2iawitho&t variants, derived from the root 1al2h#with vocalic a)la&t apophony of the initial a-S in the grade of the o-S tim)re the root1ol2h# is e&ivalent, on the le6ical level, and it is derived, in the morpho-phonologicalam)it, from the )ase 1al2h#1".,l2iais witnessed, as a place name, in Lritain, on the rightside of the L&g River in raine, in 0rovence 11, in Italy in 7ardegna, and elsewhere D invery different latit&des, therefore D, in +ycia and in Hellespont especially in the case of theHellenic colonies, of co&rse, it was inevita)le a motivational overlap with the a&spicio&sGree ad3ective Jl2ios KMNO, female ol2a, KMQE 1!.If we remain within the am)it ofno"ina lined to the root 1al2h#and to the meaning of 'water(, it may )e interesting toremem)er that %l2ula was the ancient name of the Italian river 0evere Ti)er, +atin0i2eris. %l2i=n, the no"enof ancestral origin of Lritain D from which we started in thisreasoning D, denotes, therefore, the largest island on the *nglish ;hannel, a locus, then,sit&ated on the water and s&rro&nded )y water1#.

$ n %l2uca, in Ga&l and in 8&itaine, see 9R8:;I7; VI++8R, La co"plessit dei livelli di stratificaioneindoeuropea nellR8uropa occidentale, in 88.VV. !""1J !1$.F;f. 8+8R77*L87TI8:, inD0$1PP"J 1%,s. v.%l2a.P;f. *VT1P$%J #.1" The Gree 'reception( ,l2a in relation to the antecedent Indo-*&ropean 1,l2hiy presents the samecharacteristics in the rendering of the vocalism ;o;and of the occl&sive ;2; of the 'near(TorysthnVsQ Indo-*&ropean 1Thoru#stenVs, 4m&rm&ring among the spr&ces4 personal comment )y 0rof. r. GILRGHI.117ee, on ,l2iain 0rovence, GI8:8TT87I!""$J 15P.1!;f.D0$1PP"J %51 and 0*++*GRI:I!""FJ F5.1#It is necessary to remem)er that the name %l2i=nis generally taen also to refer to the coastal white chal cliffswith, however, a close lin to the notion of 'water( and to the 'white( color, see 0*R: ;8;;I89; !""FJpassi", altho&gh alternative interpretations incl&de 4hill4 0UR:, 4world4, 4light4 C*I and 4white metal land4,4tin land4 LR*RI;U. 7ee, a)o&t these interpretations, 0*R:;8;;I89;!""F, !""PJpassi".

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Figure 2:0he Upper ,r2a Walley fro" the >olare da" to ,l2icella

The reconstr&ction 1al2h# with 1;2h; re&ired )y the Germanic 1;2; in 1%l2i,4*l)e4, 48l2a4 is, however, not the only considered in the do6ography. GIV8::I7*C*R8:,among the other s&pporters of the origin of the root 1al2# )y a non-Indo-*&ropeanling&istic 'family( in the theory of this 8&thor this 'fact( is post&lated )y definition, sincehe denies the same e6istence of the Indo-*&ropean, proposes a derivation from the ancient8adian Xalpiu" from the 7&merian Xal2ia 1%, 4well4, 4spring4, 4mass of water4, 4water

1%The 7&merian Xal2iaand the 8adian Xalpiu"have also if not primarily, originally the meaning of 'water(,that is an 'all-em)racing( meaning lined also to these"aof 'frost( D water free/es D, fact attested D at differentlatit&des D in several composed place names of the semantic type 'cold E iced-water(, in Italian, for e6ample,%cYuafredda. The 7&merian and 8adian forms have also a chromatic meaning that is not only lined to 'white(,

)&t also to 'greyish(, and that is also related to the notion of 'water(, as the colo&r of the ')ed of a river washedaway )y the water( or, indeed, of 'ice(, 'frost( in Italian 2rina. 7o, we have some semantic steps alwaysattri)&ta)le to the original notion of 'water(. In the 'onvergence 0heorysystem, that is the 'fo&ndation( of thispaper, the semantic 'passages( lined to the same root are f&ndamental in order to e6plain the dynamics of the re-&se of specific word-roots in the Indo-*&ropean from other ling&istic 'families( lie the 7emitic. Veryimportant, in this conte6t, can )e the wor 0he Se"antics of 'olour. % 3istorical %pproach;am)ridge,;am)ridge niversity 0ress !"1! W LIGG8C!"1!, )y ;. 0. LIGG8C. I4m not a 's&pporter( of the GIV8::I7*C*R8:4s Theory, )&t in the 'onvergence 0heorysome 7*C*R8:4s etymologies are important in thee6planation process of the possi)le contacts )etween different ling&istic 'families( in remote ages e&allyrelevant is thePaleolithic 'ontinuity Paradig", in Italian 0eoria della 'ontinuit, )y 0rof. C8RI8+I:*Iand hisTeamwor. The 'passage( from non-Indo-*&ropean +ing&istic 'families( to the Indo-*&ropean concerns not onlythe roots and the derived words or place names, )&t also the semantics of the same words and place names, also inrapport to the geo-morphological conte6t of the analy/ed place names. Inherently in the semantic step 'water( -

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hole415. This form, then, wo&ld have )een transferred to the toponymic system of the Indo-*&ropean lang&ages, on the one hand remaining &nchanged in the root 1al2# in the7*C*R8:4s perspective with the two variants, witho&t -l-S, 1a2#and 1ap# 1and, on theother hand, with the additional homologo&s )asis derived from the vocalic replacement ofa-S with o-S, 1ol2#, and with the res&lting modified lemma, originated from 1ol2#, 1or2#,with -r-S from -l-S )y rhotacism ling&istic phenomenon pec&liar, inter alia, in the+ig&rian area.

0. *ALB-AND THE APPELATI1ES O2 WATER/ TOWN/ ANDWHITE/

+eaving aside the negation a prioriof the Indo-*&ropean and the conse&entlac of 3&stification for the connection )etween 1al2# and 1a2# E 1ap#, the comparisonesta)lished )y 7*C*R8:D especially with the 7&merian Xal2iaD imposes a )roadening of

perspective. 8 root then partly speciali/ed in chromatic meaning and, in any case, )ecomean integral part of the toponymic and hydronymic Indo-*&ropean system, shows to haveeven more remote origins. This consideration co&ld e6plain, th&s, the formation of no"ina

D lie those listed a)ove D of places located in the closeness of waterco&rses, water canals,rivers, laes, or near the sea fig. #. Thans to this ling&istic 'fact( it is possi)le toovercome effectively the simplification sometimes mis&sed )y the scholars in the am)it ofToponymy and Toponomastics that com)ines almost all the no"ina locoru"formed )ythe 1al2#root to the +ig&rian-Roman radical the same definition is am)ig&o&s al2a 1$,4city4, 4town4, s&rely applica)le in some cases and we will e6plain why, )&t not

connecta)le, in the conte6t now o&tlined, with the place names we have mentioned. The+ig&rian )ases from which the form al2a wo&ld )e derived, in fact, wo&ld )e 1al2o#,1al2io#, and 1al2a#, in the meaning, e6actly, of 'city(, 'town(. &r disc&ssion, however,leads to tae a step )ac. The 1hZal2h#root, originally 'water(, is &sed to indicate D appliedto a place name D a locus, a 'locality( sit&ated in the closeness of water. In the Indo-*&ropean, then, we are also witnessing a semantic transition. 13Zal2h#, from 'water( and,therefore, in Toponomastics, from 'place located in the closeness of water(, taes, in fact,the e6tensive and generic meaning of 'place(, 'city(, 'town(. In the transition from anonomastic system connected to the first anthropi/ation to the later ones, &ntil the proto-

'white(, it is attested, in this area, also from the series of the composed place names of the type %cYua2ianca4hite-ater4, a sort of 'alternative( form compared to%cYuafredda4;old E 9ro/en-ater4, st&died, amongothers )&t witho&t the contri)&tion of Historical 0honetics, )y ;+8IL*R*TT8;f. L*R*TT8!""$Jpassi".The 'onvergence 0heorymitigates the 'pan-7emitic( view of G IV8::I7*C*R8:and, on the other hand, the

'pan-Indo-*&ropean( view and applies the Historical 0honetics to the semantic etymological reconstr&ctions,taing into acco&nt different positions and epistemological approaches.15;f. GIV8::I7*C*R8:, Gli influssi delle antiche civilt del >edio ,riente sulla pri"a for"aione culturaledell?8uropa, cit., in 88.VV. !""1J #1".11%2# E 1 ap#cf. 0UR:1P5P-PJ I, 51 is a proto-Indo-*&ropean root more ancient than the radical formsleading to al2a in the meaning of 'city(, 'town(, and e&ivalent to the root 1al2#, that e6presses the notion of'water( cf. 8+I:*I!"""J 5#P. In Gallic, for e6ample, the root 1a2#, 1ap#this latter from 1ak[# means 'river(. Itis witnessed, inter alia, in the Gallic form %2onacf. +*I7E 0**R7*:1P1J #F. It is also nown a Lastetanictown called%2ula7o&thern 7pain.1$ 7ee, for e6ample, on the name %l2era Ligure, Italian place located in 0iemonte, now in the 0rovince of8lessandria, +8CLG+I81P%J $P-F1 and GI+I8 0*TR8;; 7I;8RI, Liguri e 'elti nellR$talia settentrionale, in88.VV. 1PF1J $1-P and 0*TR8;;7I;8RIE ;80RI:I1PF1J 1! and ##.

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&r)an phase, over the cent&ries, the semantic characteri/ation related to the concept of'water( has )een lost. ;haracteri/ation coming )ac, however, in the places located in thead3acency of the waterco&rses locithat constit&te the n&merical preponderance, consideredthe fact that the pro6imity of the same locito the waterways is f&ndamental to the )irth anddevelopment of a village or a town, places lie l)icella. Their names are composed )ythe old and not e6cl&sively Indo-*&ropean stricto sensu root 1hZal2h#, that has preservedthe original meaning.1F

It sho&ld point o&t, also, that the no"ina locoru"derived from the root 1al2h#are part of a series of place names nown on the )asis of common names of vario&shistorical Indo-*&ropean lang&ages, )oth in relation to water, s&ch as 14ar#, 4water4, 4river4,4rain4, 1pal#, 4stagnant water4, 4p&ddle4, 4)acwater4, 1"ar#, 4lagoon4, 4sea4, and indicating

characteristics or &alities of water or of water c&rrents, s&ch as, for e6ample, 1tar#,4strong4, 4penetrating4, 1ais#, 4fast4, and, indeed, 1al2ho#, 4light4, 4white4 1P. In the commonIndo-*&ropean, then, in addition to these roots, the radicals 1a2#and 1ap#always e6press,originally, the concept of 'water( !". 7o, the +atin al2us derives from 1al2ho#, )&t theorigin of this color name descends from a characteristic related to water, to the water'color(, precisely. The late Indo-*&ropean )asis 1al2ho#derives in t&rn, th&s, from the rootnot only strictly Indo-*&ropean 1hZal2h#, that means 'water(. It is, therefore, o&tlined thesemantic transition that leads to the stratification of different meanings for the same root inthe passage from the ancient and remote phases of the Indo-*&ropean to the late-Indo-*&ropean, id est the pre-proto-Indo-*&ropean 1hZal2h#W 4water4 and, e6tensively, 4place

1Fn the other hand, it is recogni/ed, for e6ample, the almost s&re paleo-+ig&rian origin of the place name%l2aofthe town of 8l)a, located in Italy 0iemonte, now in the 0rovince of ;&neo, Roman "unicipiu"in the 8&g&stanage, colony in the II cent&ry, parish in the V cent&ry cf. GI+I80*TR8;;7I;8RI, in 0*TR8;;7I;8RIE ;80RI:I1PF1J ##,%l2a Po"peiaafter FP L;, pro)a)ly in honor of the cons&l Gnae&s 0ompei&s 7tra)o. :I:+8CLG+I8in +8CLG+I8 1P%J $P-F1 and GI+I8 0*TR8;; 7I;8RI in 0*TR8;; 7I;8RI E ;80RI:I1PF1J 1! and ##attri)&te to the place name the meaning of 'capital city( E 'administrative centre( citt capoluogo. Thisse"aispla&si)le, however, only as a f&rther development of a different onomastic origin lined directly to the pre-proto-Indo-*&ropean root 1hZal2h#, connected to the meaning of 'water( and, specifically, of 'place sit&ated in closepro6imity of water(. 8l)a, in fact, is located for the most part of its e6tension on the right )an of the Tanaro riverand there is no do&)t a)o&t the atavistic lin )etween the town and the same Tanaro river. 8l)a was inha)ited inremote age, already in the :eolithic, at least from the VI millenni&m L; and grew f&rther d&ring the ;opper 8geD *neolithic D and the Lron/e and Iron 8ges, cf. 0*77I:8E TI:X!""FJ %$, 5, PP, 11P, 1#", 1#!, 1%#, 1%F, !#1-!#!, and !5"-!51 and LI*TTI7*7TI*RI!"1"J #P and %!-%#, and it was precisely in this chronological am)it that theplace name 'too shape(, no"enderived from the root 1al2h#and showing a 'town )&ilt near water(, on theTanaro river, in this case. 7TR8Lcf.@ABCEFHIIV, , ! associated the place name%l2ato the oronym%lpes,pointing o&t D very loosely and too ro&ghly D that the +ig&rian cities were fo&nded often on the heights. In thiscase and in many others, however, the assertion of 7TR8Ldoes not seem to mae sense, )eca&se 8l)a is located1$! meters a)ove sea level, in a )road flat valley now s&rro&nded )y the splendid hills covered )y vineyards of the+anghe and Roero. :othing to do, th&s, with the heights, while the fact of )eing located along the Tanaro riverreports, however, the &ndying )ond of the city with water. 8)o&t the origin of the oronym %lpithat is not thes&)3ect of this wor. It will )e analy/ed here, therefore, marginally, +atin%lpVs, sing&lar especially poetic%lpis,Gree\ME, a derivation from a root 1alp#, perhaps a variant of a radical 1al2#meaning 'mo&ntain(, 'hill(,'stone(, is controversial. 1%l2# indicates 'water( and it is diffic&lt to connect this form to the meaning of'mo&ntain(. It is, however, pla&si)le to derive the oronym %lpifrom another lemma in all pro)a)ility wronglydiscarded )y the most of the scholars, the Gallic form 1alpis, 1alp, 4mo&ntain past&re4, nominal lemma with the;entral ;eltic s&ffi6 1#pi, 1#p, derived from the pre-proto-Indo-*&ropean root 1hZal#, 4no&rish4 cf.L8$, 1P$P ff.JII, !1" ff. The root 1hZal#, pec&liarly, is connected , in t&rn, with water and with the fish that is no&rishment formen o)tained from the same water.1P;f. VI++8R1PP1 E 1PPJ 11$.!";f. 0UR:1P5P-PJ I, !#, 51, $P, F", *VT1P!J #!P, ##1, 5!F, 5!P, $"F, and 8+I:*I1PPJ 5"5.

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sit&ated near the water4 Y Indo-*&ropean 1]hZ^al2ho#, 4white4 !1,originally indicating thelight E clear color of water and, then, 4white4, considered as a generic color, +atin al2usZ1al2hlate-Indo-*&ropean form, &nderstood as 4city4, 4town4, simplified meaning derivedfrom the pre-proto-Indo-*&ropean 1hZal2h#in the and along with these"a 4place sit&atednear water4. It sho&ld )e noted, in this regard, as mentioned a)ove, that the original no"enof the Italian Tevere Ti)er, +atin 0i2eris river was %l2ula and, as a variant of theman&scripts in ionysi&s 0eriegetes and in the related commentary )y *&stathi&s and in7tephan&s Ly/antin&s,%l2a.

The Indo-*&ropean, on the other hand, has not drastically and totally lost themeaning of the root 1hZal2h#and, on the contrary, it has preserved this in different variants.The Hittite le6eme alpa#s, 4clo&d4 !!,whose connection with the Indo-*&ropean 1al2hos,

4white4 formally possi)le in the hypothesis of an antecedent 1h al2ho#s , was re3ected forsemantic reasons since Kalpa#is predominantly associated with rain and th&nderO!#, findsin the iconym 4water4 an &ne6ceptiona)le etymology !%.If, then, we analy/e 1hZal2h#as an'e6tending root( 1hZal#2h#, we can also recogni/e an 'e&a)le( of this in 1hZal#eu#,4disorderly wander4 !5, root of hydronymic &se and, in the appellativic meaning, passed toindicate the hydromel mead and the )eer!.

In addition, according to C8RI 8+I:*I as part of the 0aleolithic ;ontin&ity0aradigm E 0aleolithic ;ontin&ity Theory E 0eoria della 'ontinuit !$,the root 1al2#can )econnected to the proto-Indo-*&ropean radical 1al#, that is evidenced with the meaning of'feed(, 'no&rish( in the Italic area +atin al=, 4feed4, 4no&rish4, in the ;eltic am)it ld Irishali", 4I no&rish4, and in the Germanic areal ld Icelandic ala, 4feed4. This semanticfeat&re inherent in the notion of 'feed(, 'no&rish(, however, is closely lined to the conceptof water, )eca&se always according to 8+I:*I and in the conte6t of the 0aleolithic

;ontin&ity 0aradigm this root wo&ld )e easily connecta)le with the Germanic name of theeel, German %al, *nglish eel, ld High German and ld 7a6on l, ld 9risian Vl,

:etherlandish aal, ld Icelandic ll, anish and 7wedish _l. 8pparently devoid ofetymology in the traditional reconstr&ction, in the 0aleolithic ;ontin&ity 0aradigm it is,instead, directly connected to the introd&ction of fish in the n&trition of the pper0aleolithic and, therefore, to the aforementioned root 1al# in the meaning of 'feeding(,'no&rish(, in this case related to the concept of 'feeding E no&rish thro&gh the fish(, ano&rishment evidently derived from the water and pla&si)le, in a so remote age, as a newelement of the diet only in places located in close pro6imity to waterco&rses or to the sea.Th&s, there is a close relationship D that is a sort of formal priority of the one and ofsemantic necessity of the other D )etween the radicals 1al#and 1#al2h, &p to the point to )e,these two forms, variants of a single root refera)le to the notion of water and, for what

!18n e6cellent recent )oo on the historical color semantics is L IGG8C!"1! partic&larly relevant is ;hapter 11,Prehistoric 'olour StudiesJ 1P-F#.!!This is not the only meaning that has )een proposed. C*+;H*RTcf. H8R+;R8IGC*+;H*RT, 3ittite antaa-`loins and an ,verlooked >yth a2out !ire , in 88.VV. !""#J !F1-FF and, especially, !F5 s&ggests also'faintness(, 'weaness(.!#;f. U+*UHR7T!""FJ 1P, with )i)liography.!%0ersonal comment )y 0rof. r. GILRGHI.!5;f. LRGHI[!""PJ F#-#$.!;f. 0UR:1P5PJ ##-#%.!$;f. 8+I:*I1PPJ 5F1.

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concerns the Toponomastics, to the toponymic indication of a place sit&ated close to awaterco&rse or to the sea. The root 1al2#regains, in this reconstr&ction, two f&ndamentalaspects, the pre-proto-Indo-*&ropean origin that corro)orates the recovery of the7*C*R8:4s comparative hypothesis, with the incl&sion of the 7&merian and the ancientand direct lin with the ancestral notion of 'water(. The origins of the root seem, so, withvalid pla&si)ility, pre-proto-Indo-*&ropean and can )e placed in a macro-genealogicalling&istic 'a6is( of a pro)a)ly :ostratic !Fradical, as regards the anti&ity, and coming,therefore, in the final analysis with an ade&ate areal coincidence )etween the theories onthe Indo-*&ropean 0rehistory and the iterof the 8adian according to 7*C*R8:, fromthe :ear and the Ciddle *ast. The Indo-*&ropean, then, has retained in its own onomasticsystem the root, prod&cing the same radical in the a)ove listed variants and giving rise,

over the cent&ries, to the transformation of the original meaning of the root that still isreflected, )y the way, in many place names, especially D in Italy D in the +ig&rian area, as,l2icellaQ 1,l2ikell.

Figure 3:0he location of the territory 2et4eenSouthern Pie"onte and Liguria

!F8H8R: +G0+7U reconstr&cted an ancestor for the pre-Indo-*&ropean 1al2ho# as 1bal2s or 1al2s the'triangle( indicates an &nnown vowel, meaning 'white(. The scholar gives more cognates, incl&ding Hamiticand 7emitic words for 'mil(, and a ravidian root meaning 'clear of li&ids(. ;f. +G0+7U1PPFJpassi".

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3. *ALB- ORBA AND URBE

The 1al2# root, moreover, is yet e6pressed D as o&tlined a)ove D in the 1ol2#variant from which many of the place names ,l2ia in the ancient and also in the'contemporary( world derive and from which the no"en loci ,l2icelladescends. It is D asmentioned a)ove D a ling&istic phenomenon typical of the +ig&rian area the transformationof -l-S into -r-S rhotacism, here D precisely D in post-vocalic conte6t and )efore )ila)ialconsonant, and, therefore, the root 1ol2# is e&ivalent, in this case, to the Romance+ig&rian radical 1or2#. This consideration leads &s to an interesting o)servation inherentin the no"enof the ,r2ariver!P,that flows among many other places, )efore de)o&ching,at the end of its co&rse, in the Lormida river precisely in the territory of l)icella andclose to the lae of rtiglieto. The first nown attestation of the hydronym dates )ac to11#$ and the handed down form is Ur2a#", then replicated in 11$ )y the wording K\S

super fluviu" Ur2ae \SO #1. ;oncerning the etymological e6planation of the hydronym,the proposed derivation from the +atin ur2sappears simplistic and meaningless. 8lready7*RR8#!considered the pre-+atin origin of this no"enand held it close to other e&ivalenthydronyms of the +ig&rian and Gallic territories e/e"pli gratia ,r2a, ,rge, ,r2s. 8ndthe same 7*RR8had the right int&ition altho&gh he did not arrive to the proper ded&ction,leaving the e6planation of the hydronym in the vag&eness of the pre-+atin s&)strate,

)eca&se the no"en flu"inis ,r2a precisely derives from the root 1ol2#, apophonic Ea)la&ting variant of the root 1al2#, 4water4, with the transformation D typical, as mentioned,of the +ig&rian-Romance ling&istic area where the torrent flows D of the -l-S into -r-S in

1or2#. 7o, the root 1al2#is the )asis not only of the place name ,l2icella, )&t also ofthe hydronym ,r2a. Coreover, there is a sort of 'point of &nion( )etween the place nameand the hydronym, represented )y another hydronym, ,r2icella, an affl&ent of the r)ariver in which de)o&ches precisely near l)icella. The form ,r2icella, variant of ,l2icellaand the no"enof the affl&ent of the r)a river, is the ling&istic trace of the e&ivalence ofthe root 1ol2#2 Romance 1or2# in the place name ,l2icellaand in the hydronym ,r2aandis evidence of the rhotacistic phenomenon of transformation of the -l-S into -r-S typical ofthe +ig&rian area. Th&s, there is a very close relationship, in the am)it of the onomasticaffinity when not of direct e&ivalence, )etween the names ,l2icellawith preservationof ;l;from the chancery tradition, ,r2icellawith receipt of the rhotacism, having )eenmade official later, )eca&se of the lesser importance of the referent, and ,r2a, as well as aclose morpho-phonological relationship e6ists )etween the pre-proto-Indo-*&ropean radical

apophonic variants dating )ac to a possi)le :ostratic origin and ancestrally so&rced from:ear E Ciddle *ast, then )ecome Indo-*&ropean toponymic formations, 1hZal2h# Y1hZol2h#2 1ol2#.

The Cedieval form Ur2a in the ,r2ahydronym attests a 'change( from theinitial o-S to &-S that indicates, inter alia, the loss occ&rred in m&ch older ages, in the

!PThis is the K\S ,r2a selvosa\SO in the cele)rated ode>aro )y the famo&s Italian poet 8+*778:RC8:M:I. ;f. 8+*778:RC8:M:I,>aro , v. 1P.#";f. 88. VV. 1FPP-J ;]III, #F, 5#.#1;f. 88. VV. 1FPP-J ]]I], $%, P%.#!;f. 7*RR81P#1J 1!.

1$


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speaing D and writing D s&)3ects, of the ancestral meaning of the no"en, dating )ac,pla&si)ly, to a pre-proto-Indo-*&ropean appellativic so&rce, then transferred in thetoponymic &se )y the local Indo-*&ropean. &e to a cas&alness, however, the form Ur2a,that recalls the +atin ur2s, 4city4, 4town4, has the same meaning of the a)ove mentioned Indo-*&ropean )asis 1al2h, derived from the root 1al2#, when these"a, )y that time, passed toindicate from 'place on the water(, 'water town( W 1al2h# the simplified and genericnotion of 'city(, 'town( 2 1al2.

The same reasoning has to )e developed inherently in the place name of thevillage of Ur2e, that is located in Italy D +ig&ria D, now in the 0rovince of 7avona in thevalley of the r)a river in the &pper )asin of the waterco&rse. The place name coincideswith the variant of the initial o-S E &-S with the hydronym ,r2aand derives from the

same root, )eing e&ivalent the same place name and the hydronym ##.The oscillation ofthe radical form 1ol2# 2 1or2#, with the rhotacistic transformation of -l-S into -r-S, isrecogni/a)le even in the no"inaof two of the small hamlets that mae &p the m&nicipalityof r)e that is a 'scattered( and 'composite( village, >artina dR,l2a and San PietrodR,l2ahere the graphic -l-S, perhaps conservatively, for official &se, perhaps accidentally,in the chancery stratifications, taes precedence over the -r-S, in an alternation alreadyfo&nd a)o&t the place name ,l2icellaand the hydronym ,r2icella.

e have to note, moreover, that r)e, as a m&nicipality, is formed, as well as )ythese two hamlets, also )y the small localities of 8c&a)ianca 1al2h#, 4water4, 1al2ho#,4white4 Y 1al2h]o^#al2h, 4light E clear water4, 4limpid water4, 4white water4, almost a'translation( of the radicals involved in a decisive way in the toponymic and hydronymicdevelopment of the no"inaof the area &nder o&r consideration and of Vara Inferiore andVara 7&periore. The onomastic )asis of the two hamlets called Wara is 14ar# 14er# E1uer#, 14or#E 1uor#, root of the common Indo-*&ropean meaning 'water(, 'river(, 'rain(#%and that is, moreover, the radical of the no"enof the Warariver, the longest waterco&rsein +ig&ria, flowing entirely in the territory of the 0rovince of +a 7pe/ia and that gives thename to the homonymo&s valley Wal di Wara. The place name Waraof Vara Inferiore andVara 7&periore and the hydronym Wara have remote origin and are part of a'Cediterranean( onomastic system characteri/edpri"a facie )y the phonetic se&ence -a-S \S -a-S #5. 7ince the diff&sion of this specific ind of names in -a-S \S -a-S is m&chmore e6tensive than the Indo-*&ropean traditional and conventional areas, it seems

pla&si)le the fact that these place names and hydronyms date )ac to an ancient period,and, th&s, pre-late-Indo-*&ropean in the case of the root 14ar#in the form Waraand, ingeneral, of the 'Cediterranean( phonetic se&ences -a-S \S -a-S, we are witnessing areg&lar transformation starting from Indo-*&ropean laryngeals in position of sylla)ic coreor ad3acent to short vowelJ 14rQ 1hZ4ahZ#rahZ#or even, in ;eltic, from 1]3^4oh #rahZ#$. 8mong the n&mero&s e6amples of place names and hydronyms derived from the root

##;f.D0$1PP"J $.#%The root of the common Indo-*&ropean 14ar#e6presses the concept of 'water(, as well as other e&ivalent)ases, s&ch as 1ur#, 14ond#, 1und#, 1ak[#, 1ap#not only Indo-*&ropean, 1a2#not only Indo-*&ropean, 1up#;f.*VT1P!J #!P, ##1, 5!F, 5!P, $"F, 0UR:1P5P-PJ I, !#, 51, $P, F", VI++8R1PP1 E 1PPJ 11$, and 8+I:*I,1PPJ 5"5.#5;f. *VT1P$%J !F.#;f. TUE IR7+I:G*RE 7;H:*I*R!""FJ #5-5$.#$;f. 98+I+**V!""$J #", with )i)liography.

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14ar#, proving the system of do&)le -a-S, we can mention again, in order to )e )rief, theno"enof the town of Warallo#FItaly D 0iemonte D, now in the 0rovince of Vercelli, in theValsesia, sit&ated at the confl&ence of the Castellone torrent with the 7esia river, and thename of the Waritatorrent, that de)o&ches into the 0o river. The notion of 'water(, inthese cases, is always present and, in partic&lar, it is the concept of the 'river water( and ofthe 'rainwater( that feeds rivers and torrents and that allows the life of the villages and ofthe towns that arise near the waterco&rses. 7o, the meaning of 'water( is repeatedthro&gho&t all the toponymic series of the locithat contri)&te to form the m&nicipality ofr)e, as well as in the hydronym ,r2aand in the place name ,l2icella.

4. *ALB-ANDALBISOLA5ALBISSOLA

ith reference to the root 1al2#meaning 'water( and, within the am)it ofToponomastics, at the )asis of place names indicating 'towns E cities E hamlets E sites Evillages located near water(, we co&ld mention n&mero&s no"ina locoru"derived )y thesame radical and it might )e interesting )&t it is not the s&)3ect of this st&dy, also d&e toreasons of 'e6tension( to draw the distinction )etween the place names designating a 'sitelocated in close pro6imity to water( in the original meaning of the root, therefore and theno"ina indicating a 'city( E 'town( in the 'new( generic and later se"aof the sameradical. It will )e s&fficient, here, only an e6ample, concerning %l2isola#P,town located inItaly D +ig&ria D, now in the 0rovince of 7avona. It is necessary to disting&ish )etween8l)isola 7&periore, place of prehistoric origin fo&nded )y the Ligures Docilii, and8l)issola Carina, also fo&nded in prehistoric times, )&t )y the Ligures $ngauni %" and

independent D already in ancient ages D from the centre of 8l)isola 7&periore. ritinga)o&t the same 8l)isola 7&periore GI+I8 0*TR8;; 7I;8RI %1 declares as Roman theorigin of the no"en loci, from %l2a Docilia, and al2awo&ld )e, in this place name,evidence of the aforementioned +ig&rian-Roman form al2a in the meaning of 'city(,'town(. This approach, however, leaves aside the fact that 8l)isola was fo&nded, asmentioned, )y the Ligures Docilii in prehistoric times and that the Romani/ation of thelocus, therefore, co&ld )e m&ch later than the creation of the place name. 8l)isola had inancient times, )y the Ligures Docilii %!, the no"en %l2a, )&t not in the meaning of 'city(.These"aof that prehistoric%l2awas, instead, derived from the pre-proto-Indo-*&ropeanroot 1al2h#, connected to the notion of 'water(, and, therefore, the %l2a of theDociliiwanted to indicate, originally, a 'place sit&ated near the water(, in this case near the sea+ig&rian 7ea. n the other hand, the same 0*TR8;;7I;8RIrightly points o&t how theRoman name %l2a Docilia is mentioned, as the first attestation, only in the 0a2ula

#F9ormed )y a second ;eltic element 1allo#, 4precipice4 Q Indo-*&ropean jm, cf. C8T87VI^!""PJ 1!"-!1, inreference to the rocy o&tcrop of the 7acro Conte personal comment )y 0rof. r. GILRGHI.#P9or a review of the toponymic iss&es relating to the place name%l2isola, see 0*R:;8;;I89;!""#)J !!.%" The territory of the Ligures $ngauni had, as main centre, the town of 8l)enga, %l2u" $ngaunu", %l2a$ngaunu",%l2ingaunu".%1;f. GI+I80*TR8;;7I;8RI, inD0$1PP"J 1$,s. v.%l2issola >arina-%l2isola Superiore.%!TheDociliiwere a +ig&rian tri)e allocated, prior to the Roman con&est, in a territory )etween 8l)isola Italy D+ig&ria D, now in the 0rovince of 7avona and 7assello Italy D +ig&ria D, now in the 0rovince of 7avona. Theirlands )ordered those of the Sa2aiand of the Statielli.

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Peutingeriana %#, a relatively late doc&mentary so&rce that nothing can s&ggest, therefore,a)o&t the anti&ity of the name and, even less, a)o&t the original meaning of the same.7o, we fo&nd, here, a very significant e6ample of the semantic transition 'water( 2 'townsit&ated on the water( 2 'town( s&stained over the cent&ries )y the pre-proto-Indo-*&ropean root 1hZal2h#, merged in the onomastic system of the Indo-*&ropean lang&agesthe paleo-+ig&rian s&)strate of +atin, in this case. e note parenthetically that 0*TR8;;7I;8RI derives the Docilia of %l2a Docilia from a Roman gentilitial family name

Dolciliusthat she says to )e pro)a)ly of ;eltic origin, while it seems clear the derivationof theDocilia of %l2a Dociliafrom the no"enof theDocilii, the +ig&rian inha)itants Dalready in prehistoric times D of the original settlement of 8l)isola. The Cedieval placename%l2uolaor%l2iola shows how the root 1al2#has maintained, over the cent&ries,

its strength, leaving o&t of consideration the no"enin the 'free form( al2aand that, despitethe loss, in speaing D and writing D s&)3ects, of the notion of the original meaning of theradical 1al2#and, pro)a)ly, also of the )asis al2a, it is, de facto, the constit&ent elementof remote origin of the place name. 0*TR8;;7I;8RI%%adds that the Cedieval name of thelocus,%l2iolaor%l2uola, is doc&mented in the ]II cent&ry. It seems to )e, instead, older.The no"enis attested, in fact, for e6ample, in the 'hartaof fo&ndation and donation of the7t. _&entin4s 8))ey 8))a/ia di 7an _&intino in 7pigno Conferrato place located in Italy

D 0iemonte D, now in the 0rovince of 8lessandria, doc&ment dating )ac to the Cay %th ofthe year PP1, in the form%l2uolaand it seems well esta)lished, )y now, that this no"endesignates precisely 8l)isola %5. In this toponymic variant the root 1al2#shows, th&s Deven if lost and often mis&nderstood, in its original meaning, in the perception of theling&istic s&)3ects D, its onomastic strength and the persistence in the str&ct&re of theno"ina)eing part of this toponymic and hydronymic 'family(. 7o, another place located

on the water and, precisely, on the sea, taes the origin of its name from the 0rehistory andfrom the ancient pre-proto-Indo-*&ropean root 1hZal2h#, 4water4 fig. %.

%#The 0a2ula Peutingerianais a copy dating from the ]II-]III cent&ry of an ancient Roman map that showed themilitary roads of the *mpire. This doc&ment derives the name from the h&manist and classicist U:R80*TI:G*R, who inherited the 0a2ulafrom his friend U:R8LI;U*+.%%;f. again GI+I80*TR8;;7I;8RI, inD0$1PP"J 1$,s. v.%l2issola >arina-%l2isola Superiore.%5;f. L7I1P$!J 1P, ## and 1!-!F and, inherently in the iss&e of the effective presence of the place name in the'harta, see 0*R:;8;;I89;!""#)J !!.

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Figure 4:Place#na"es in the area of ,l2icella

In the Roman age the +ig&ria %presents some well identified ling&istic strata,+atin, Gallic or, at least, an ancient ;entral ;eltic with the complete D and completed Ddephonologi/ation of 1;; : 1;p;and la)iali/ation of 1;k[; 1;p;, the so-called +epontic-+ig&rian 7o&thern ;eltic characteri/ed )y the resid&al traces of the phoneme 1;; : 1;p;inintervocalic position and )y the sporadic persistence of 1;k[;, the paleo-*&ropeanHydronymic 'alteuropisch(, and the +ig&stic or paleo-+ig&rian. The no"inamore easily

'e6plaina)le( are, of co&rse, the +atin names and the names of +atin origin. L&t the factto want to )ring )ac the nomastics and the Toponomastics of the +ig&rian area almoste6cl&sively to the Roman age is a methodologically incorrect operation and it is also theca&se of even o)vio&s mistaes. Cany no"inaare, inherently in the origin, ;eltic Gallicor +epontic, as D e/e"pli gratia D Duno"arus. thers, instead, do not provide relia)leevidences, if we remain within the am)it of the le6icon attested )y the historical Indo-*&ropean lang&ages. 9or e6ample, in%l2ialus the `al2h#)asis that is 1hal2h# presentsle6ical and derivatives pec&liarities that do not allow, concretely, a specific attri)&tion tonone of the a)ove mentioned first three nown strata. In addition, we have to note also theliely pre-proto-Indo-*&ropean origin of the root 1al2h#, that is the radical 1hal#2h#in theancestral meaning of 'water( and, e6tensively, of 'place located near water( and then D inthe common Indo-*&ropean D of 'white( &nderstood as the light E clear color of the waterand in the generic meaning, in 1al2h, of 'city(, 'town( in the simplified notion derivedfrom the e6tensivese"aof the pre-proto-Indo-*&ropean )asis 1hal2h#. 9R8:;I7;VI++8Rsays, a)o&t the Indo-*&ropean setting and on the e6tra-Indo-*&ropean compara)ility of the

%In 8nti&ity the +ig&rians resided in a territory that incl&ded the ;te d48/&r and the Riviera. The land of thesepop&lations stretched from the city of 0isa and from the 8rno river Italy, Toscana, to the *ast, to the Rhone river,to the est. e have also to consider the +ig&rian pop&lations of some islands, as ;orsica and *l)a, mentioned )yseveral 8&thors. In a general way, we tal a)o&t +ig&rians inherently in the whole coast, also to the est of theRhone river and &ntil the mo&th of the *)ro river. &e to this estern 'e6tension( of these pop&lations,sometimes it is &sed the name of 'I)ero-+ig&rians(. The Gree colony of Cassilia, now Carseilles, moreover, waslocated in the middle of the territory of the Ligures Saluvi, one of the +ig&rian tri)es. ;f. VI++8R1PP1 E 1PPJ %5and %P and 08++TTI:1PF1Jpassi".

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+ig&rian no"ina locoru"%$J K\S The Indo-*&ropean elements are &ite a)&ndant, )oth inthe anthroponymy, and in the toponymy. L&t we have no right to consider specifically+ig&rian all the Indo-*&ropean names that do not )elong to the other three historical Indo-*&ropean strata +epontic, Gallic, and +atin. Leca&se nothing ass&res &s that, in additionto those nown, there has not )een another or, even, others \SO. It is precisely in thisam)it that the hypothesis a)o&t the pre-proto-Indo-*&ropean origin of the root 1hal2h# inthe meanings, in the parallel forms, and in the derivations that we en&cleated &p to heretaes he&ristic significance.

6. *ALBH-5 *OLBH-AND *ORBHO-

n closing, an onomastic note. ,r2ais also attested as the personal name of asovereign in the Cedieval Ireland. In this case, however, the no"en is not derivedaltho&gh apparently homologo&s to that of the r)a river from the root 1al2h#1ol2h#,

)&t it descends from the proto-Indo-*&ropean )asis 1or2ho#, that means 'orphan(,'forsaen(, 'a)andoned( %F,and that in the ;eltic and Germanic areas and only in theseareas taes these"a of 'heir(, 'legacy(, 'heritage( %Pld Irish or2e, 4legacy 4, or2a",4heir4, co"ar2e, 4co-heir4, Gothic ar2&a, ld Icelandic arfi and arfr, ld High Germanarpeo, er2o, Ciddle High German8r2e, 4heir4, 8nglo-7a6on ierfe, Gothic and ld HighGerman ar2i5".In this case, therefore, the regal Irish name ,r2ameans 'heir(, 'heir of theingship( and, then, 'prince( and, in conse&ence, 'ing(, and the proto-Indo-*&ropeanand, then, late-Indo-*&ropean root at the origin of this name is not 1al2h#, )&t 1or2ho#.

7. CONCLUSIONS

It seems, therefore, demonstrated that the name of the hamlet of the m&nicipalityof Colare Italy D 0iemonte D, now in the 0rovince of 8lessandria ,l2icella, the no"enofthe village of Ur2eand of two of the localities that contri)&te to constit&te it,>artinadR,l2a and San Pietro dR,l2a, and the hydronyms of the ,r2ariver and of its affl&ent,r2icella derive from a common pre-proto-Indo-*&ropean root of remote origin and

persistent over the time, 1hZal2h#, indicating the notion of 'water( and applied, therefore, tothe formation of no"inaof waterways E waterco&rses, or of areas located near the waterstreams, torrents, rivers, laes, and sea, root that discloses its morphology, in this case,thro&gh the e&ivalent apophonic E a)la&ting variant 1hZol2h#, then developed thro&gh the

passage D typical of the ancient Romance +ig&rian area that 'contains( the placesdesignated )y the analy/ed no"inaD of -l-S into -r-S in the form ;or2#;. 7o, we have alsofo&nd the e&al persistence over the time of the proto-Indo-*&ropean of the common Indo-*&ropean root 1hZ4ahZ#r#, indicating the notions of 'water(, 'river(, and 'rain(, in thenames of the lociof Wara Superioreand Wara $nferiore, hamlets of the 'composite( villageof r)e, and in n&mero&s other places sit&ated in close pro6imity to waterco&rses and inhydronyms always part of the ancient +ig&rian onomastic area. 7o, it is revealed, in this

%$;f. VI++8R1PP1 E 1PPJ %P.%F;f. 0UR:1P5P-PJ I, $F1 and 8+I:*I1PPJ F.%P;f. 8+I:*I!"""J 5.5";f. HL*RT1P#%J I, and L;U1P%PJ nb 11.%F.

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analysis, a panorama of 'ater Towns( all 3oined )y the same toponymic origin derivedfrom the pre-proto-Indo-*&ropean root 1hZal2h#or from the )asis `hZ4ahZ#r#, originallyindicating the notion of 'water(. It is, therefore, possi)le to recogni/e the e6istence of atoponymic and hydronymic 'family( 51 that descends from the common pre-proto-Indo-*&ropean root 1hZal2h# then s&)3ected to the dephonologi/ation of the laryngeal andmorpho-phonologically transformed in the variants 1al2h#, 1ol2h# 2 1ol2# 2 ;or2#;S,1al2h, 1al2ho#, and, in terms of meaning se"aS, in the se&ences 4water4 Y 4placesit&ated near water4 Y 4place located on the water4 Y 4town4 and 4water4 Y 4clear E lightwater4 Y 4white water4 Y 4white4 and that incorporates in itself the names of the villages of,l2icellaand Ur2eand the hydronyms of the river ,r2aand of the torrent ,r2icella.

8. AC!NOWLEDGEMENT

I wo&ld lie to than my dear friend and )rilliant ling&ist professor dr. G&idoLorghi for the great s&pport that he has given me in the planning of this paper and for thereally fr&itf&l disc&ssions with him on the iss&es of this wor and on the 'onvergence0heory. 8t the same time, I wo&ld lie to e6press all my gratit&de to professor dr. Rem&s;re=an for his )enevolent tr&st he has placed in my wor, as well as to the anonymo&sreviewers who helped me improving the old forms of the man&script.

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Ancient Names Origins. Water Roots and P

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