Budenicenses
The Budenicenses were a small Gallic tribe dwelling in the present-day Gard department during the Roman period.
Name
They are attested as Budenicenses on an inscription found in Collias (Gard). A dedication to the god Mars Budenicus was also discovered in the same town.[1][2]
The ethnonym Budenicenses derives from the Celtic term *budīnā, meaning 'troop, host', probably 'troop guarding the frontier' (cf. Old Irish buiden, Middle Welsh byddin 'troop, army'; Late Latin bodǐna 'boundary marker' > French borne, a loanword from Gaulish).[3]
The town of Bezouce (Gard), attested as Biducia in 1146 AD, is named after the Gallic tribe.[3]
Geography
On the basis of their association with Mars Budenicus, the Budenicenses have been identified as community neighbouring Collias, similar to the Coriobedenses.[4]
This identification is consistent with a localisation at or near Bezouce (Biducia), located near Collias, whose name is linguistically related to that of the Budenicenses.[3][5]
Religion
They appear on an inscription dedicated to Jupiter alongside the Coriobedenses.[6]
| Inscription | Translation | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Iovi Coriobedens[es] et Budenicenses [--] | To Jupiter, the communities of the Coriobedenses and the Budenicenses.[6] | CIL XII 2972 |
While the Budenicenses honoured Jupiter collectively with the Coriobedenses, they also had a distinct protective deity of their own, identified as Mars Budenicus.[7] The latter is probably a Celtic equivalent of Mars Militaris.[2][8]
The epithet Budenicus indicates a specific association with, or protection of, the local community. By contrast, the absence of such a qualifying epithet in the dedication to Jupiter may suggest his primacy, reflecting his role as a supreme deity who integrates and receives other divinities within his sphere.[7]
| Inscription | Translation | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Marti Budenic[o] Gratus Sever[i] filius | To Mars Budenicus, Gratus, son of Severus.[6] | CIL XII 2973 |
References
- ^ CIL, 12:2972; 12:2973.
- ^ a b Fleuriot 1982, p. 121.
- ^ a b c Delamarre 2003, p. 93.
- ^ Christol, Fiches & Rabay 2007, p. 28.
- ^ Christol, Fiches & Rabay 2007, p. 30.
- ^ a b c Christol, Fiches & Rabay 2007, p. 22.
- ^ a b Christol, Fiches & Rabay 2007, p. 27.
- ^ de Bernardo Stempel 2008, p. 102.
Bibliography
- Christol, Michel; Fiches, Jean-Luc; Rabay, Dominique (2007). "Le sanctuaire de la Combe de l'Ermitage à Collias (Gard)". Revue archéologique de Narbonnaise. 40 (1): 15–32. doi:10.3406/ran.2007.1175.
- de Bernardo Stempel, Patrizia (2008). "Linguistically Celtic ethnonyms: towards a classification". In García Alonso, Juan Luis (ed.). Celtic and Other Languages in Ancient Europe. Ediciones Universidad de Salamanca. ISBN 978-8478003358.
- Delamarre, Xavier (2003). Dictionnaire de la langue gauloise: Une approche linguistique du vieux-celtique continental. Errance. ISBN 9782877723695.
- Fleuriot, Léon (1982). "Notes sur le celtique antique". Études celtiques. 19 (1): 121–128. doi:10.3406/ecelt.1982.1705.