The Etymologies of Isidore of Seville - Pot-pourri

holy martyrs.] 6 67. The Africans, occupying the coasts
of Spain under Hannibal, built New Carthage (Carthago
Spartaria;i.e. Cartagena). Later taken and made a colony
by the Romans, it gave its name to a province. But now
it has been overthrown and reduced to desolation by the
Goths. 7 68. Greeks from the island of Zacynthus, who
had traveled to Spain, founded Saguntum (i.e. Sagunto).
Later the Africans destroyed it in the onslaught of war.
69. Caesar Augustus built Emerita (i.e. Merida) after
he had seized the region of Lusitania and certain islands
of the Ocean, giving it that name because there he stationed
veteran soldiers – for veteran and retired soldiers
are called emeriti. 70. Olisipona (i.e. Ulisippo, Lisbon)
was founded and named by Ulysses (Ulixes); historians
say that in this place the sky is separated from the
earth and the seas from the lands. 71. Julius Caesar
founded Hispalis (i.e. Seville), which he called Julia
Romula from his own and Rome’s name. But Seville
was nicknamed after its site, because it was placed in
swampy ground on piles (palus; his palis = ‘on these
piles’) driven deep so that it would not succumb to its
slippery and unstable foundation. 72.Thetownof Gades
(i.e. Cadiz) was founded by the Phoenicians, who also
founded New Carthage. 73. ThecitySepte (i.e. Ceuta)
is named fromitsseven(septem)mountains, called The
Brothers (Fratres)because of their mutual resemblance,
which border on the Strait of Gibraltar (Gaditanus fretus,
‘StraitofCadiz’).
74. Thefounder of Lix and Tingis (i.e. Tangiers) is
Antaeus, whom Hercules is said to have beaten in a
wrestling match and killed. Lix was named from the
Mauretanian river Lixus, where the royal seat of Antaeus
was; likewise Sala, because it borders the river Sala. 75.
Juba, king of the Moors (Mauri), founded the city of
Caesarea in Mauretania in honor of Caesar Augustus,
and from his name he gave it the name Caesarea. Just so
Herod named the other Caesarea in Palestine, which is
now a very famous city. 76.When Hercules was passing
that way, twenty of his company separated off and built
the city of Icosium in Caesarean Mauritania. Lest any of
them should gloat about his own name being imposed
on the city, the name of Icosium was given to it, from the
number of its founders (cf. ,“twenty”). 77.Cyrene
6 Many have suspected that this encomium of Saragossa was
added by Braulio, bishop of that city.
7 Isidore’s family was originally from Cartagena.
The Etymologies XV.i.67–ii.6 305
was the queen of Libya who founded the city of Cyrene in
her own name, and from the city she named the region
Cyrenian Libya.
ii. Public buildings (De aedificiis publicis) 1. Acity
(civitas) isamultitude of people united by a bond of
community, named for its ‘citizens’ (civis), that is, from
the residents of the city (urbs)[because it has jurisdiction
over and ‘contains the lives’ (contineat vitas) ofmany].
Now urbs (also “city”) is the name for the actual buildings,
while civitas is not the stones, but the inhabitants.
2. Infacttherearethree kinds of community (societas):
of households, of cities (urbs), and of nations (gens).
3. ‘City’(urbs) isfrom‘circle’(orbis), because ancient
cities were made circular, or from ‘plow-handle’ (urbus),
a part of the plow by which the site of the walls would be
marked out. Whence this (Vergil, Aen. 3.109 combined
with 1.425):
And hechose a seat for his kingdom, and marked out
the limits with a furrow.
For the site of the future city was marked out with a
furrow, that is, by a plow. Cato says (Origins 1, fr.18):
“One who founds a new city plows with a bull and cow.
Where he has plowed, he makes a wall. Where he wants
agateway to be, he lifts and carries (portare) the plow,
and he calls it a gateway (porta).” 4. Thusindeedacity
would be encircled by a plow, with young oxen of different
genders indicating the mingling of its households,
as a sign of sowing and bearing fruit. Further, a city is
founded by the plow, and razed by the plow. Whence
Horace (Odes 1.16.20):
And draw anenemyplowover the walls.
5.Somehavesaidtheword‘town’(oppidum)isfrom
the ‘opposing’ (oppositio) ofits walls; others, from its
hoarding of wealth (ops), due to which it is fortified;
others, because the community of those living in it gives
mutual support (ops)against an enemy. At first people, in
effect naked and defenseless, had no protection against
monstrous beasts, nor shelters from cold and heat, nor
were they sufficiently safe among themselves from other
people. 6. Atlast, with native cunning, having lived in
shelters of caves and woods, they fashioned huts and
cottages from twigs and thatch, that life might be safer,
in that there would be no access for those who could
do harm. This is the origin of towns, which are said to