Pannonian Romance
Encyclopedia
Pannonian Romance was the Romance language that developed in Pannonia
after the fall of the Western Roman Empire
. It seems to have lasted until the 10th century. The development of Pannonian Romance shows some similarities with that of British Romance
, lasting only a few centuries.
, Goths
, Avars
and others), although they were reduced to few thousands by the 6th century, living mainly in fortified villages like Keszthely
and Fenékpuszta.
There were other places in Pannonia
where local population continued to speak forms of Vulgar Latin
after the 5th century: Pécs, Sopron, Szombathely, Dunaújváros. Many Christian relics with inscriptions in Latin have been found in these towns.
But it was on the western shore of the Pelso lake (now called Lake Balaton
) where a peculiar society of craftsmen formed, called the Keszthely culture
, of which more than 6,000 artisan tombs and many products (including in gold) are left.
Romance dialects disappeared due to assimilation with German and Slavic invaders in borders areas of the Roman limes
near the Danube
river in Pannonia, Raetia
(today Bavaria and Switzerland) and Noricum
(today Austria), but in the area of Lake Balaton survived because the Avars needed a population of skilled artisans and crafstmen for their own needs.
After the Avars were defeated by Charlemagne
and disappeared at the beginning of the 9th century, the Romanized craftsmen of the "Keszthely culture" were no longer needed and so quickly were assimilated: their language, Pannonian Romance, soon disappeared with them in the 10th century.
, mainly in the fortified villages of Keszthely and Fenékpuszta.
Other places where Romanized tombs of Pannonians of the 6th century were found include Pécs (the Roman Sopianae), Sopron (Scarbantia), Szombathely (Savaria), Tokod and Dunaújváros.
The area around Lake Balaton has an almost Mediterranean climate, similar to the one of the subalpine lakes in the north of Italy
.
According to Alexandru Magdearu, this special mild climate is one of the reasons of why the Pannonians remained in Keszthely and did not flee during the Barbarian incursions towards the relatively near coasts of the Adriatic Sea
.
Some words in Pannonian Romance were of Celtic or Illyrian origin. According to the linguist Roxana Curc, the main source of intelligence on this extinct language is the many toponyms in the area of Lake Balaton
and some anthroponyms, hydronyms and etonyms that come from the Keszthely culture
.
The name "Keszthely" (IPA ['kεst.hεj]) could be related to the Istrian-Venetic “castei”, which means “castle”, and is probably an original word of the Pannonian Romance language, according to the Hungarian linguist Julius Pokornyin. He also posits that the word “Pannonia” is derived from the Illyrian word “pen” (marsh). If true, that would suggest that the pre-Roman language of Pannonia was an Illyrian language.
According to Romanian linguist Alexandru Rossetti. Pannonian Romance probably contributed to the creation of the 300 basic words of the “Latin substratum” of the Balkan Romance languages.
Some scholars argue that the Pannonian Romance lacks clear evidences of existence, because no written sources exist. However, according to Árthur Sós, in some of the 6000 tombs of the Keszthely culture there are words in vernacular Latin. This is the case, for example, of a gold pin with the inscription "BONOSA" What that means is anyone's guess.
Pannonia
Pannonia was an ancient province of the Roman Empire bounded north and east by the Danube, coterminous westward with Noricum and upper Italy, and southward with Dalmatia and upper Moesia....
after the fall of the Western Roman Empire
Western Roman Empire
The Western Roman Empire was the western half of the Roman Empire after its division by Diocletian in 285; the other half of the Roman Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire, commonly referred to today as the Byzantine Empire....
. It seems to have lasted until the 10th century. The development of Pannonian Romance shows some similarities with that of British Romance
British Romance
British Romance, British Vulgar Latin or British Latin are terms used for the Vulgar Latin spoken in southern Great Britain in Late Antiquity ....
, lasting only a few centuries.
History
The Romanized population of Pannonia (for which the historian Theodore Mommsen calculated a population of about 200,000 around the 4th century) survived Barbarian invasions (by the HunsHuns
The Huns were a group of nomadic people who, appearing from east of the Volga River, migrated into Europe c. AD 370 and established the vast Hunnic Empire there. Since de Guignes linked them with the Xiongnu, who had been northern neighbours of China 300 years prior to the emergence of the Huns,...
, Goths
Goths
The Goths were an East Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin whose two branches, the Visigoths and the Ostrogoths, played an important role in the fall of the Roman Empire and the emergence of Medieval Europe....
, Avars
Eurasian Avars
The Eurasian Avars or Ancient Avars were a highly organized nomadic confederacy of mixed origins. They were ruled by a khagan, who was surrounded by a tight-knit entourage of nomad warriors, an organization characteristic of Turko-Mongol groups...
and others), although they were reduced to few thousands by the 6th century, living mainly in fortified villages like Keszthely
Keszthely
Keszthely is a Hungarian city of 21,100 inhabitants located on the western shore of Lake Balaton. It's the second largest city by the lake after Siófok....
and Fenékpuszta.
There were other places in Pannonia
Pannonia
Pannonia was an ancient province of the Roman Empire bounded north and east by the Danube, coterminous westward with Noricum and upper Italy, and southward with Dalmatia and upper Moesia....
where local population continued to speak forms of Vulgar Latin
Vulgar Latin
Vulgar Latin is any of the nonstandard forms of Latin from which the Romance languages developed. Because of its nonstandard nature, it had no official orthography. All written works used Classical Latin, with very few exceptions...
after the 5th century: Pécs, Sopron, Szombathely, Dunaújváros. Many Christian relics with inscriptions in Latin have been found in these towns.
Lake Balaton
Lake Balaton is a freshwater lake in the Transdanubian region of Hungary. It is the largest lake in Central Europe, and one of its foremost tourist destinations. As Hungary is landlocked , Lake Balaton is often affectionately called the "Hungarian Sea"...
) where a peculiar society of craftsmen formed, called the Keszthely culture
Keszthely culture
The Keszthely culture was created ca. 500 - 700 by the Romanized residents of Pannonia who lived near the fortified village of Castellum , near the lake Balaton in now western Hungary....
, of which more than 6,000 artisan tombs and many products (including in gold) are left.
Romance dialects disappeared due to assimilation with German and Slavic invaders in borders areas of the Roman limes
Limes
A limes was a border defense or delimiting system of Ancient Rome. It marked the boundaries of the Roman Empire.The Latin noun limes had a number of different meanings: a path or balk delimiting fields, a boundary line or marker, any road or path, any channel, such as a stream channel, or any...
near the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
river in Pannonia, Raetia
Raetia
Raetia was a province of the Roman Empire, named after the Rhaetian people. It was bounded on the west by the country of the Helvetii, on the east by Noricum, on the north by Vindelicia, on the west by Cisalpine Gaul and on south by Venetia et Histria...
(today Bavaria and Switzerland) and Noricum
Noricum
Noricum, in ancient geography, was a Celtic kingdom stretching over the area of today's Austria and a part of Slovenia. It became a province of the Roman Empire...
(today Austria), but in the area of Lake Balaton survived because the Avars needed a population of skilled artisans and crafstmen for their own needs.
After the Avars were defeated by Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
and disappeared at the beginning of the 9th century, the Romanized craftsmen of the "Keszthely culture" were no longer needed and so quickly were assimilated: their language, Pannonian Romance, soon disappeared with them in the 10th century.
Geography
Pannonian Romance was spoken around Lake Balaton in western HungaryHungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, mainly in the fortified villages of Keszthely and Fenékpuszta.
Other places where Romanized tombs of Pannonians of the 6th century were found include Pécs (the Roman Sopianae), Sopron (Scarbantia), Szombathely (Savaria), Tokod and Dunaújváros.
The area around Lake Balaton has an almost Mediterranean climate, similar to the one of the subalpine lakes in the north of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
According to Alexandru Magdearu, this special mild climate is one of the reasons of why the Pannonians remained in Keszthely and did not flee during the Barbarian incursions towards the relatively near coasts of the Adriatic Sea
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges...
.
Language
Lake Balaton
Lake Balaton is a freshwater lake in the Transdanubian region of Hungary. It is the largest lake in Central Europe, and one of its foremost tourist destinations. As Hungary is landlocked , Lake Balaton is often affectionately called the "Hungarian Sea"...
and some anthroponyms, hydronyms and etonyms that come from the Keszthely culture
Keszthely culture
The Keszthely culture was created ca. 500 - 700 by the Romanized residents of Pannonia who lived near the fortified village of Castellum , near the lake Balaton in now western Hungary....
.
The name "Keszthely" (IPA ['kεst.hεj]) could be related to the Istrian-Venetic “castei”, which means “castle”, and is probably an original word of the Pannonian Romance language, according to the Hungarian linguist Julius Pokornyin. He also posits that the word “Pannonia” is derived from the Illyrian word “pen” (marsh). If true, that would suggest that the pre-Roman language of Pannonia was an Illyrian language.
According to Romanian linguist Alexandru Rossetti. Pannonian Romance probably contributed to the creation of the 300 basic words of the “Latin substratum” of the Balkan Romance languages.
Some scholars argue that the Pannonian Romance lacks clear evidences of existence, because no written sources exist. However, according to Árthur Sós, in some of the 6000 tombs of the Keszthely culture there are words in vernacular Latin. This is the case, for example, of a gold pin with the inscription "BONOSA" What that means is anyone's guess.
See also
- British RomanceBritish RomanceBritish Romance, British Vulgar Latin or British Latin are terms used for the Vulgar Latin spoken in southern Great Britain in Late Antiquity ....
- African RomanceAfrican RomanceAfrican Romance or African Latin is an extinct Romance language that is supposed to have been spoken in the Roman province of Africa during the later Roman and early Byzantine Empires, prior to the annexation of the region by the Umayyad Caliphate in 696...
- Keszthely cultureKeszthely cultureThe Keszthely culture was created ca. 500 - 700 by the Romanized residents of Pannonia who lived near the fortified village of Castellum , near the lake Balaton in now western Hungary....