Re: [tied] Costobocii

From: Horia Vlad
Message: 12499
Date: 2002-02-26

 
 
Hi George!
 
> (2) Why do you think the Costobocs were "Thracian"
> rather than "Celtic"? Their name sounds very close to
>
that of one of the Galatian tribes.*******
 
Those Galatian tribes were "tolistobocii" / "tolistobioi". I know there have been advocated several theories for Costobocii: Dacian, Celtic, Sarmatian and a far stretched one - Proto Slavic. The Dacian theory is based on archaeological evidence and on the onomastic of king Pieporus' royal family (Pieporus, rex Coisstobocensis - CIL, VI, 1801).
 
We know the names of his royal family, that all have a Thracian origin: Pieporus (king), Ziais (queen), Natoporus (nephew),  Drilgisa (niece), Tiatus (queen's father). Pieporus' family has been exiled to Rome in order to force Pieporus respect peace and some other obligations towards Roman Empire (the epitaph of queen Ziais is in Rome - CIL, VI, 1801 / ILS 854 - Inscriptiones Latinae Selectae, ed. H. Dessau). Costobocii are known mostly because of their strong incursion in Scythia Minor, Thracia and  Macedonia reaching to North Greece as well (170 AD). Aelius Aristide (Orationes, XII, 2) mourns the burning of Eleusis sanctuary by the Costobocii. Prior to that they also participated in the Marcomanic wars. After the victories in Balkan Peninsula, the Costobocii army is forced to withdraw because Asdingi (German Vandal tribe) have been summoned against their home lands. Costobocii are also present in alliances with Bastarnae, Sarmatians (174 AD Marcus Aurelius battles in NE Dacia) and with Carpii.
 
Costobocii have been archaeologically related to the apparition and developement of Lipica/Lipita culture 1st century BC - early 3rd century AD (Verhnija Lipica - Ivano-Frankovsk region, Ukraine) that stretches over North West Ukraine, Middle and North Moldavia, Transcarpatia, Maramures (North Romania) and South Eastern Slovakia. The most known sites of Liptia culture are those from Verhnija Lipica, Remezevciah, Maidan-Gologirski (Lvov), Malaja Kopajna (Zakarpatia) and Zemplin (South-East Slovakia). Lipita culture generally holds forms of Dacian character - typical Dacian ceramics and funerary rites. In Dolineni (Dolinean, South-West of Hotin, I think it's in Moldavia) there has been discovered a Dacian circular sanctuary, with wodden columns similar with those of Transylvania (the most famous is that from Sarmizegetusa). A rectangular religious building, discovered in Malaja Kopanja ("building nr. 7") has analogies in the Dacian cultic buildings found on Romanian territory - Popesti / Giurgiu, Bucharest / Tei, Cetateni / Arges, Sarmizegetusa etc. Obviously, the area of Liptia culture holds some traces of Iazygii, Alanii, Roxolanii, Bastarnae and later Przeworsk culture as well, but they are not numerous. The largest group of Sarmatian graves (14) has been found in Ostrivec (Ivano-Frankovsk region, Ukraine). In the Eastern limit of Lipica culture there have been also found ceramic fragments of Zerubinec culture.
 
According to the longitudinal and latitudinal coordinates given by Ptolemy, the archaeological site of Malaja Kopajna can be identified with town Setidava and that from Zemplin with town Susudava (both davae mentioned in Geographia). Please confirm me some of this information, George, if I'm not wrong Ukraine is your field!
 
Here are a couple of mentions of Costobocii, present under names of costoboci, coisstoboci, costobocae, costoboi, costobocon, castaboci, castabocis, castabocas, castabocos, coisstobocensis etc, the first 2 forms being the most used.
 
Ptolemy (Geographia, III, 5, 9; III, 8,3)
Pausanias (Historia, X, 34, 5)
Dion Cassius (Historia Romana, LXXI, 12, 1)
Scriptores Historiae Augustae (Vita Marci, 22, 1)
Ammianus Marcellinus (Rerum gestarum libri, XXXI)
Suidas lexicon (lestai)
and various inscriptions: CIL, III, 14214, VI, 31 856, VIII 14667, 25679 + Bucharest Classical Studies StCl 6, 1964, 193.
 
I assume the etymology of Costobocii is pretty simple for the active members of this list, I am no linguist, only a young student, but I will copy the comments of Romanian linguist I.I. Russu: Costo-boci from *kuek'- to show, to see + *bha- light, nobleness and suffix -k-. Please confirm it!
_____
 
Question:
- What is the evidence of their potential Sarmatian or Celtic origin (other than their Celtic name)?
- Who are the cotobacchi (chottobacchi, cotobocii) mentioned by Pliny The Elder in his Natural history? They are mentioned in relation with the inferior basin of Don (Tanais) and I have read they are considered to be Sarmatians? I know nothing else about this, perhaps someone could give me some threads.
 
Thanks,
Horia Vlad