Autochthonous Onomastics in Classical Delmatian Area

Abstract

The area of south-western Bosnia, that is, Livanjsko, Duvanjsko and Glamočko polje (field) was a world for itself during its long history. Cultural influences from the neighboring areas, migrations and similar things could not change the slow idiosyncratic development of this area. In Greek period this area was settled by the Illyrian Delmati so we can rightly call it a classical Delmation area. This Greek period in the history of the sout-western Bosnia is poorly investigated so we have only random and fragmentary findings. Nevertheless the published epigraphic material enables us to form a relatively multi-layered local onomastic repertoire. In the autochtonous onomastics of south-western Bosnia we notice numerous middle Dalmatian or Delmatic names. Thus the classical Delmatic area is not sharply isolated from a wider onomastic area. Delmati settled in the three karst fields nort from the Dinara mountain have characteristic epihoric names: Bato, Dasas, Paio, Plator, Surus, Titus and Varro. The influence of the south-eastern Illyrian onomastic area is more prominent than the influence form the Panonic area. Celtic names penaterated sout-western part of Bosnia but undoubtedly Celtic in origin could be only one name - Cato. In the Delmation area behind the Dinara we have a sure confirmation of one-noun single-term Illyrian formula. The second frequent is one-noun two-term formula without the word filius. What is surprising is a great number of Roman and autochtonous Illyrian onomastic elements which permeate one another and which is expecially evident in Glamočko polje (field).