After the occupation of the Swiss Plateau by the Romans, the Latin language spread at the expense of the previously spoken Gallic language. History painting *Vercingetorix lays his weapons at Caesar's feet* by Lionel Royer (1899) with illustration by Marco Heer.

Gaulish and Latin in the Swiss Plateau

Before the national languages established themselves across the territory of what is now Switzerland, its inhabitants spoke the Gaulish language, which later gave way to Latin. Inscriptions offer small insights into the language culture some 1800 years ago.

Karin Stüber

Prof. Karin Stüber is an expert in linguistics and Honorary Professor in the Department of Comparative Language Studies at the University of Zurich.

The turn of the millennium marking the beginning of the Common Era was a turbulent period in the area now known as Mittelland, or ‘the Swiss Plateau’. Roman general Gaius Julius Caesar had already established a few Roman colonies here around 45/44 BCE, in particular at Noviodunum (now Nyon) on Lake Geneva and Raurica (later Augusta Raurica, now Augst) on the Rhine. But it was the first Roman emperor, Augustus, who mobilised his troops and marched from Nyon over the Alps in 15 BCE, conquering not only the Swiss Plateau but turning the entire territory of what is now Switzerland into a Roman province. Until then, the area had been inhabited by Gaulish tribes ‒ first and foremost the Helvetians and the Rauraci. The Roman conquest did little to change the ethnic composition of the population. The upper classes continued to form the local elite. But now Roman soldiers, veterans and tradesmen also began to settle here, and Roman officials came to run the administration. The Romans brought new institutions, laws, religious customs and lifestyle habits as well as new forms of art, architecture and technology with them. Thus, as natives and Romans mixed, a new Gallo-Roman culture developed.

**Switzerland at the time of the Roman conquest (1 BCE).** Wikimedia

Used for trade and commerce, and above all for administrative and religious purposes, the language of the Roman Empire, Latin, also began to spread, slowly taking the place of the Gaulish vernacular spoken up till then. The local elite was particularly quick to adopt the new language, and before long the Gaulish tongue had been supplanted in public life, pushed aside by the more prestigious Latin. However, it continued to be used in private for quite some time. The Gaulish language is mainly known to us today thanks to numerous inscriptions found throughout France. Having never developed a written form of their own language, the Gauls initially used Greek script, then later the Latin alphabet. Inscriptions are rarely found in the Swiss Plateau. Nevertheless, a sword was uncovered in Port, near Biel/Bienne, inscribed with the Gaulish name Korisios in Greek script. An inscription on a zinc tablet found in a district of Bern is also written in the Gaulish language using Greek letters. The text is a dedication to the Gaulish god of metalwork Gobannus.

Celtic inscription (Korisios) on a sword found in an old channel of the Thielle river in Port, from circa 100 BCE. — **Celtic inscription (*Korisios*) on a sword found in an old channel of the Thielle river in Port, from circa 100 BCE.** Swiss National Museum

Later written sources used the Latin alphabet. A Roman villa in Meikirch near Bern features murals and five inscriptions, some of which are barely legible, which appear to contain Gaulish words as well as Greek and Latin. The form mapobi, meaning ‘with the sons’, is especially noteworthy, not only for its use of the Gaulish word for ‘son’, but also for its use of a typical Gaulish case ending, -bi, that doesn’t exist in Latin. The fact that Gaulish was still being spoken until 3 CE is shown by a fragment of graffito on a mural from the Roman settlement of Augusta Raurica containing the Gaulish word ‘ponc’ meaning ‘when’.

**Wall painting with the inscription ‘CATENI MIO TOMAPOBI’ in a Roman Villa in Meikirch near Bern.** Archaeological Service of the Canton of Bern / Archaeological Service of the Canton of Bern

People gradually began to write in Latin, especially in an official context. Inscriptions found in Muri by Bern dedicated to the Gaulish bear goddess Artio or in Basel and Solothurn to the Gaulish horse goddess Epona are composed in Latin. Inscriptions on tombs in the Swiss Plateau region also first turn up in Roman times and are all in Latin, even though the deceased or their family members sometimes still have Gaulish-sounding names like Caratilius, Visurix, Prittusa, Ioincatia or Matugenia. The names alone do not prove that their bearers still spoke the Gaulish language, as naming traditions can live on even when the language has changed.

Detail of an inscription in Latin on a former altar stone dedicated to the Celtic horse goddess Epona. — Detail of an inscription in Latin on a former altar stone dedicated to the Celtic horse goddess *Epona*. The inscription also contains the first mention in writing of the Roman settlement *Vicus Salodurum* (Solothurn). Steinmuseum Solothurn

A short inscription on a spindle whorl found in Nyon provides a nice piece of evidence showing that the Swiss Plateau area was bilingual in the year 3 CE, with Gaulish coexisting alongside Latin. Spindle whorls were generally made of fired clay and used to add weight to hand spindles. A number of inscribed spindle whorls have been found in France. Their texts are usually intended for girls and often contain flirtatious innuendos. The specimen found in Nyon consists of two words, one Latin and one Gaulish: ave vimpi. Ave is a standard Latin greeting, while vimpi is a Gaulish word meaning ‘pretty girl’. So, the whole thing can be read as “Hey there, pretty girl”.

The spindle whorls with the Latin-Gallic inscriptions ‘nata vimpi curmi da’ (Pretty girl, give beer!) and ‘marcosior Maternia’ (I want to ride Materna) were recreated for a touring exhibition by the European Research Council. YouTube / PottedHistory

Gaulish ultimately died out completely, although we don’t exactly know by whom it was still being spoken alongside Latin, for how long, and to what extent. Latin probably became the lingua franca in the Swiss Plateau in the 5th century CE at the latest.

Multilingual Switzerland

15.09.2023 14.01.2024 / National Museum Zurich

In Switzerland, you can hear countless dialects, accents, types of slang and immigrant languages in addition to the four national languages. Visit the National Museum Zurich for a sensory journey through Switzerland’s language areas. Find out through interactive sound technology how the predecessors of our languages emerged, evolved or died out, how new linguistic and cultural borders arose and how they were (and still are) disputed.

More of: Classical antiquity Society Language

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