Λουκοπιβια
Attested: Ptolemy 2,3,7 Λουκοπιβια, a πολις of the Νοουανται
Where: Probably Ring Hill, a hill fort at North Balfern at NX437510, near Wigtown, at the mouth of the river Cree in SW Scotland.
Name Origin: Greek λευκος ‘light, bright’ plus επιβυω ‘to stop up’, presumably referring to the vast expanse of sands at the mouth of the Cree estuary. See here for more.
Notes: The element wic in the name Wigtown hints that it grew up as an outlier of a more important place, presumably the native πολις, which would have been the original central place of the Machars peninsula, populated early in prehistory because of its mild climate. In its south, Whithorn preserves Bede’s candida casa, the church from which St Ninian started to evangelise Scotland in AD 397, while Rome still nominally ruled all of Britain.
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Last edited 11 February 2022 To main Menu