Sitomagus
Attested: Sitomago on iter 9 of the Antonine Itinerary; Sinomago on the Peutinger map
Where: The Roman fort at Ixworth, Suffolk, TL93136975, as explained by David Ratledge here, which fits Itinerary mileage figures perfectly.
Name origin: Latin situs ‘neglect, disuse’ would fit the suggested transience of this fort, which “was probably built in response to the Boudiccan revolt and was only in use till the end of the 1st century AD. A civilian settlement (possible Roman Small Town) then took over the site” (Heritage Gateway). The etymology of situs/sitis is weird: “Apparently, the PIE cluster *dhgwh- metathesized into *gwhdh- in a prestage of Italic, yielding *kp- and finally s-.” (De Vaan, 2008). That explanation outranks modern English side and/or Old English síd ‘wide’ for the first element. Latin magis ‘platter’, related to proto-Celtic *magos- ‘plain, field’ (Matasovic, 2009:253), probably described a large flat area serving as a market place.
Notes: This name has long puzzled commentators; see, for example, Steerwood (2003). Notice also the same second element in Caesaromagus not far away.
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Last edited 28 September 2024 To main Menu