Los topónimos de la Galicia romana: Nuevo estudio

The study of place-names is important to the reconstruction of the linguistic layers that comprised ancient Galicia. In this paper we re-examine the etymology of the names of towns, rivers and other physical features preserved in sources of the Roman period. Conclusions are reached as to the relative importance of Celtic, Indoeuropean (non- Celtic) and Latin elements in the region’s toponymy. The largest group of toponyms turns out to be Celtic, representing about 40% of the total, followed closely by Indoeuropean. A low proportion of Latin names attests to the weakness of romanization in this region.