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21/07/2009 13:17:29

Peuple celte de la (G)Bretagne qui fait partie de la vague belge dans le sud-ouest de l'Ile, coté sud, sur la Manche.

Leur territoire s'étendait sur le comté actuel de Dorset, ainsi que partiellement des comtés voisins : Wiltshire, Hampshire, Somerset.

Ptolémée leur attribue aussi  : Dunium ( Hod Hill ?) .

i

Extrait de la carte Ordnance Survey : Map of Roman Britain

* Rivet & Smith : 

- Ptolémée, II,3,13 : Dourotriges ( = DUROTRIGES);

- Inscriptions RIB 1672 (pierre provenant de Cawfields sur le Mur d'Hadrien) : C(IVITAS) DUR(O)TR(I)G(UM) (L)ENDIN(I)ESIS.

- Inscription RIB 1673 (pierre provenant de près  de Housesteads sur le Mur d'Hadrien) : CI(VITAS) DUROTRAG(UM) LENDINIESI(S).

(Both stones are probably of A.D. 369. For the spelling of the adjectival form of the civitas-name, see LINDINIS) 

It is by no means certain that the name bas -i-. though it is traditionally cited in this form. While this is present in all the Ptolemy MSS, it could be an error going back to the archetype or to Marinus. RIB 1672 omits the vowel, but RIB 1673 plainly writes -a- (A) and it is not likely a member of the civitas literate enough to be given the task of cutting the iscription would mistake the spelling of the name of his own people. For a similar (reverse) error in Ptolemy, compare VINDOGARA, which has Ouando- (= Vando-) in all the MSS at II, 3, 7.

DERIVATION. This name is obscure. It be divided Duro-triges or Durot-riges. It is tempting to think it another of the many names in *duro- 'fort ', although Britain we know this element chiefly applied to early Roman forts on low ground, so that it could hardly apply particularly in the name of a tribe whose region contains many spectacular hill-forts (which would have had *-dunon names). However, this *duro- does enter into a few names such as the two British Durocornovium and in Gaul ethnie Durocasses. Holder suggested (I. 1387) that the name might be a reduction of older *Durot(o)-riges, that is *duro- ' fort ' with some kind of suffix or infîx whenin composition; but then there is no parallel for this among all the very numerous Dura- names.

The second element is possibly -riges, a plural of *rig- ' king ' which appears in several ethnic names, such as Gaulish Bituriges 'kings of the world'. Watson CPNS 16, note, identifies an element -raige (for older -rige ?) in Irish ethnic names, e.g. Dartraige (dart 'year-old bull or heifer') > Dartry, Cattraige (catt 'wild cat'), Luchraige (luch 'mouse'), and even though these seem somewhat unheroic names, they may have had totemic significance and are acceptable enough; but we have no avidence that in the present name *durot- is an animal-name which would fit into this series. If the second element is an unknown -triges, the British name might be paralleled by the Allotriges (= Allotriges : Strabo III, 4, 7 ; in Ptolemy II, 6, 7 they are the Autrigones  (= Autrigones), of Hispania Tarraconensis, with Allo- probably as in Allobroges of Gaul.

If -a- is right, the etymological possibilities are less good. A -rag- element is unknown, but -trag- is said by Dottin LG 193 to be a 'terme de composé' and is related by him to Irish traig 'foot' and Welsh traed (pi.). But this does not relate well semantically to a first element *duro-. The name must be left unresolved.

IDENTIFICATION. A people of southern Britain with their capital at Durnovaria, Dorchester; for the probability that their civitas was at some time subdivided, with i a second capital at Ilchester, see Lindinis. Ptolemy attributes to them only Dunum (= Dunium, Hod Hill?), but the distribution of their pre-Roman coins indicates that they occupied Dorset, parts of Wiltshire, Hampshire and somerset, and perhaps the extreme eastern part of Devon

*****

Les étymologies proposées par Rivet & Smith, tout en comparant celles proposées par d'autres auteurs, restent sans conclusion. 

Pour ma part, et compte-tenu de la proximité des Belgae, dont le sens s'oriente vers la force virile et guerrière, il me semble que le nom des Durotriges est à rapprocher d'un sens *Duro- = force, + *Trig = victoire, à savoir : Ceux qui sont (toujours) victorieux dans les combats. C'est là une interprétation emphatique assez conforme aux symboliques de moment.

Histoire : 

La forteresse d'origine semble correspondre à Maiden Castle. 

Sous les Romains, leur capitale est Durnovaria / Dorchester. Ils possèdent aussi Lindinis / Ilchester et Dunum / Hod-Hill ?

Selon Richard de Cirencester, les Durotriges auraient eu pour surnom les "Morini". Comparer alors avec les Morini de la Gaule belgique, sur le Pas-de-Calais. 

Les Durotriges ont été soumis par Vespasien, vers 44 - 45 après J.C.

Leur histoire se confond ensuite avec celle des autres cités britto-romaines du sud-ouest de la Britannia.

* I.A RICHMOND : Roman Britain.

* Ordnance Survey : Map of Roman Britain.

* RIVET & SMITH : The Place-Names of Roman Britain,

Autres sites Internet traitant des Durotrigues : 

* forum du site Marikavel : Academia Celtica 

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