Isurium

Attested:  Ptolemy 2,3,16  Ισουριον, a πολις of the Βριγαντες
   Isurium on iter 1, Isuriam on iter 2, and Isubrigantum on iter 5 of the Antonine Itinerary

Where:  The Roman town at Aldborough (near Boroughbridge, Yorkshire) at SE406664, where Dere Street crossed the river Ure, close to its junction with the Yorkshire Ouse, leading to the Humber.

Name origin:  Presumably the river Ure was originally one of many rivers called something like Isara, which might come from PIE *ei ‘to go’ plus ar- ‘to fit together’, appropriate to their shared character as tributaries of important rivers.  For example, the Isar in Austria and Bavaria, which was formerly Isura, is a tributary of the Danube, and the Isère in France is a tributary of the Rhone.

Notes:  Delamarre (2003:191) characterised Isara as Indo-European but not Celtic.  He translated it as ‘impetuous, rapid’, evidently not focussing on these rivers' funtion as transport arteries.  See also about Isca.  The R in Sanskrit ishira, ‘juicy (etc)’ may signify ‘fire’ not ‘junction’.

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Last edited 31 May 2025     To main Menu