language was spoken in ancient
Aquitaine (approximately between the
Pyrenees and the
Garonne ), region later known as
Gascony before the Roman conquest and, probably much later until the Upper
Middle Ages .
Archaeological,
Toponymical and historical evidence seem to suggest that it was a dialect or group of dialects of
Basque Language . The most important of these are a series of Votive and Funerary texts in Latin which contain about four hundred personal names and seventy names of gods.
The origin of this language is unknown. If we consider Aquitanian a more or less direct ancestor of the
Basque Language , then we have many theories on its origin.
If the relationship with Basque is accepted, then the language must have no other known related languages. Many of the names on the inscriptions contain some elements that are without a doubt Basque:
The use of these words and elements in names in the Medieval Basque is know well enough to think that there was a historical continuity between the pre-Roman era and the Middle Ages. However, some of the Aquitanian names have no modern equivalent and it seems that during the pre-Roman and Roman era an ancient form of Basque was spoken in Aquitania.
Since ancient times there are clues that indicate the relation between Southeastern France and the Basques. During the Roman conquest of
Gaul by
Julius Caesar ,
Aquitania was the territory between
Garona and the
Pyrenees . Inhabited by a people of horsemen, Caesar said that they were very distinct in customs and language from the
Celts of Gaul. During the middle ages, this territory was named ''
Gascony '', a name derived from
Vasconia , being cognate with the word
Basque .
There are many clues that indicate that Aquitanian was spoken in the Pyrenees, at least up to the
Val D'Aran . The placenames that end in -os, -osse, -ons, -ost and -oz are considered to be of Aquitanian origin.
To the south of the Pyrenees, the things are more complicated.
Carístios ,
Várdulos and
Autrigones , which occupied the most part of the place that is now the
Basque Country are usually considered to be
Indo-Europeans and the ancestors of the
Cántabros . From the area of
Guipúzcoa there are very few texts of the Roman era or afterwards, until the Middle Ages. This may make harder the identification of the language spoken in the area, but could also indicate the existence of Basque-speakers in a territory that was of little interest to the Romans.
The
Vascones , which occupied the modern
Navarra are usually identified with the
Basques (vascos), their name being one the most important proofs. In 1960, a
Stella with Aquitanian names was found in
Lerga , which could reinforce the idea that Basques and Aquitanians were related.
