Nemetotatio
Attested: Nemetotatio (or Nemetotacio) at position 4 in the Ravenna Cosmography
Where: Lapford Roman fort at SS73340714 near Bury Barton in the middle of Devon, among a cluster of modern names apparently derived from two rivers formerly called Nymet, which are tributaries of the river Taw.
Name Origin: A nemeton was a sanctuary, a space allocated to the gods, often at tribal boundaries. (Translating it as ‘sacred grove’ because of Latin nemus ‘open woodland’ is a mistake.) The word survived into Irish neimed ‘consecrated space’ but its deep root is probably PIE *nem- ‘to assign’, which also led to Indic Namaste ‘respectful greetings’ and to νεμεσις ‘fate, distribution of what is due’. In Latin -tatio was such a common word ending that the common suggestion (for example here) that the name should be amended to contain statio ‘station, base’ (which tended to mean a guardpost or government office) may not be justified.
Notes: At position SS70740168 near Bow, formerly Nymetboghe, a cropmark suggests a former henge. This might have been the tribal gathering place that the Roman fort was overseeing.
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Last edited 1 February 2023 to main Menu