Hibernia
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PloniAlmoni
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add reference to Joyce's use of the word in Ulysses
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[[Image:Ireland from space edit.jpg|thumb|right|200px|True colour image of Ireland, captured by a [[National Aeronautics and Space Administration|NASA]] [[satellite]] on [[4 January]] [[2003]]. [[Scotland]], the [[Isle of Man]], [[Wales]] and a part of south west [[England]] are visible to the east.]]
'''Hibernia''' is the Classical [[Latin]] name for the island of [[Ireland]].
== Etymology ==
{{contradict}}
Hibernia, the Roman name for Ireland, was taken from [[Greek language|Greek]] geographical accounts, particularly [[Ptolemy|Claudius Ptolemy]]'s ''[[Geographia (Ptolemy)|Geographia]]'', where it appears as {{polytonic|Ἰουερνία}} ''Iouernia''. The spelling ''Hibernia'' was likely influenced by the unrelated Latin word ''hibernus'' meaning "wintry." Several variant forms of the name existed in Latin.
''Iouernia'' was a Greek alteration of the [[Goidelic|Q-Celtic]] name *īweriū, stem *īwerion-, from which eventually arose the Modern [[Irish language|Irish]] name [[Éire]]. The original meaning of the name is thought to be "land of eternal winter".{{Fact|date=May 2008}} Other Greek forms of the same name existed, e.g. ''Iernē'' ({{polytonic|Ἰέρνη}}), the name given to Ireland by [[Pytheas]] of [[Massilia]], a 4th c. BC [[Ancient Greece|Greek]] merchant and explorer.
==Hibernia in the historical record==
The island of Ireland was never incorporated into the [[Roman Empire]]. The fact that the Romans never occupied Ireland meant that Roman influence on Ireland was limited to contacts with Britain and other conquered provinces of the Empire.<ref>http://www.usd.edu/~clehmann/pir/hibernia.htm</ref> The Ulster historian Richard Warner has theorised that the Midlands leader [[Tuathal Techtmhar]], usually thought mythical, was in fact historical and went to Britain to get Roman support for his military campaigns (along with other later exiles). If there is any truth in this hypothesis, the Romans may have had a greater influence on the southeast of Ireland than normally thought by scholars.<ref>[http://www.britarch.ac.uk/BA/ba14/ba14feat.html British Archaeology, no 14, May 1996: Features]</ref> Overall, the relative lack of Roman influence on Ireland meant that it preserved its ancient Celtic culture to a much greater degree than continental countries such as Gaul.<ref>http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/MA/CELTS.HTM</ref>
Irish tribal expeditions harried the Roman provinces of [[Roman Britain|Britannia]] (Britain) and [[Gaul]] ([[France]]) as evidenced from surviving Roman texts.
In the early first century, Roman and Greek knowledge of Ireland was thin. The geographers [[Strabo]] and [[Pomponius Mela]] describe a cold land inhabited by savages who feast on the flesh of their dead fathers, where, despite the cold, the grazing was so tasty and lush that cattle exploded if allowed to eat unchecked.
By the second century, the geographer [[Ptolemy]] gave coordinates for a surprisingly detailed map of Ireland, naming tribes, towns, rivers and headlands. This information could have come from a variety of sources but does demonstrate the increasing knowledge and interest in Ireland.
Irish written history does not mention Rome at all. If Rome is referred to by some other name, no one has yet put a convincing case forward.
However, the lack of written history does not mean that Rome or the Roman province of [[Britannia]] did not significantly interact with Ireland.
==Ireland and its neighbours==
From early in the [[archaeological record]], the peoples of North West Europe, including Britain, Gaul, Spain and Ireland had mutually warred, traded and settled.
Significant British settlement in the Southwest of Ireland occurred around year [[1]]. [[Ptolemy]], in [[100s]], records Irish tribal names identical to those of tribes in Gaul and Britain, suggesting significant settlement, particularly of the [[Brigantes]] and [[Belgae]].
At this time Ireland, western and central Europe was home to several [[Celt]]ic peoples, with their associated [[Celtic mythology|Celtic religion]], supervised by the [[Druids]]. In Ireland and Britain, its peoples shared a broadly similar Celtic heritage. The Isle of [[Anglesey]], [[Welsh language|Welsh]] ''Ynys Môn'', was the centre of the Druidic religion, just across the [[Irish Sea]] from Ireland.
Transport and communication was often along rivers and coasts, with the Irish Sea being a part of this network. When [[Julius Caesar]] briefly invaded southern [[England]] in [[54 BC]], he received the submission of many tribes, including that of the [[Orcadian]]s in the [[Orkney Islands]], north of [[Scotland]]. Communications could be long distance, but whether any Irish knew of the Romans at this time is uncertain.
Rome often projected its power beyond its boundaries. Beyond the West coast of Britannia was the Irish Sea, with many easy crossings, and many distinctive mountain landmarks to ease navigation. The spread of Roman power to Ireland's neighbours would have had significant effects on Ireland.
By [[51 BC]] French Gaul had been conquered by the Romans, with the permanent garrisoning of Britain starting after the second invasion in [[43]]. England and Wales would remain within the Roman Empire for another 350 years.
Revolts by the newly subjugated British tribes may have increased settlement from Britain to Ireland and reduced settlement in the other direction. Events such as the destruction of the druidic shrine and sacred groves at Anglesey in [[60]] by the Roman general [[Suetonius Paulinus]] surely would have been noticed in Ireland.
== Evidence of Roman influence ==
{{Refimprovesect|date=January 2008}}
Generally in Ireland, Roman material is rare and found in different contexts from the native [[La Tène culture|La Tene]] material. No roads have been identified as being Roman, and no large Roman settlements have been found. However in the southeast of Ireland, where native material is rare, Roman-style cemeteries and large quantities of Roman artifacts have been found.
A group of burials on [[Lambay Island]], off the coast of [[County Dublin]], contained Roman brooches and decorative metalware of a style also found in northern England from the late first century. However this could represent, for example, Brigantes fleeing reprisal from the crushed revolt of [[74]].
Three places in Ireland have all produced early and late Roman archaeological material:
the midland ritual complex of [[Tara, Ireland|Tara]], the northern hillfort of [[Clogher]], and [[Cashel, Tipperary|Cashel]], in the south. Tara and Clogher have no native finds of similar age, and the name "Cashel" is thought to derive from the Latin ''castellum''. Each of the three became capital of a new kingdom, and each kingdom's traditions place their origins in Britain. British settlers whose arrival would explain those traditions could have been either supported by, or fleeing from, Roman influence.
At [[Drumanagh]], 25 [[kilometre|km]] north of [[Dublin]], a large (200,000 m²) site been was identified, [[as of 1995|by 1995]], as possibly Roman. Consisting of a peninsula defended by three rows of parallel ditches on the landward side, the site appears to have been a port or bridgehead.
Roman coins have been found at [[Newgrange]]. <ref>Carson, R.A.G. and O'Kelly, Claire: ''A catalogue of the Roman coins from Newgrange, Co. Meath and notes on the coins and related finds'', pages 35-55. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, volume 77, section C</ref>
Roman cultural influences can be seen in the "penannular brooch" (incorporating a ring that is interrupted by a gap) used to fasten Irish cloaks in the [[4th century|4th]] through [[11th century|11th]] centuries, which is traced to a style of [[Romano-British]] brooch, the early [[medieval]] Irish sword, which is traced to the Roman [[spatha]], and, some argue,{{Fact|date=January 2008}} the rapid{{Vague|date=March 2008}} adoption of [[Christianity]].
=== Tuathal ===
[[Tuathal Techtmar|Tuathal]] was, in the Irish myths, a [[High King of Ireland]]. He was the son of a High King [[Fiacha Finnfolaidh]]. His father was overthrown and killed in a revolt by the King of [[Ulster]]. Tuathal's mother, who was the daughter of the King of [[Alba]] (Britain at the time, because Alba became the name for Scotland later on), fled to Britain with her son. 20 years later he returned to Ireland, defeated his father's enemies in a series of battles and subdued the entire country. He became High King at [[Tara, Ireland|Tara]], on the Irish East Coast. There he convened a conference where he established laws. He annexed territory from each of the other four provinces to create the central province of ''Míde'' ([[Meath]]). Four fortresses were built, one for each of the four areas of land.
Some consider him to be the first real High King. The dating of Irish history/mythology is prone to error; however, the most popular belief is that Tuathal was exiled in [[AD]] [[56]] and reigned from around [[80]] to [[100]].
[[Tacitus]], the Roman author, tells us that around this time{{when|January 2008}} Agricola had with him an Irish chieftain who later returned to conquer Ireland with an army. [[Satires of Juvenal|Juvenal]] later wrote that Roman arms were "taken beyond the shores of Ireland." Excavations at sites linked to the tale of Tuathal have produced Roman material of the late 1st or early 2nd centuries. It would be consistent for Tuathal to have been that Irish chieftain.
==Modern usage==
Hibernia is a word that is rarely used today with regard to Ireland.<ref>Although it is found in the first line of the Aeolus section (part 2, episode 7) of [[James Joyce|James Joyce's]] novel [[Ulysses]]: ''IN THE HEART OF THE HIBERNIAN METROPOLIS'' (a fictional newspaper headline referring to Dublin). </ref> It is occasionally used for names of organisations and various other things; for instance: [[Hibernia National Bank]], [[Ancient Order of Hibernians]], [[The Hibernian]] magazine, [[Hibernia College]], [[Hibernian F.C.|Hibernian Football Club]], [[HMS Hibernia]], the [[Hibernia (oil field)|Hibernia oil field]], and modern derivatives, from [[Latin]] like ''Respublica Hibernica'' ([[Irish Republic]]) and ''Universitas Hiberniae Nationalis'' ([[National University of Ireland]]). The compound form ''Hiberno-'' remains more common, as in ''[[Hiberno-Norse]]'', ''[[Hiberno-English]]'', ''Hiberno-Scottish'', ''[[Hibernophile]]'' etc.
==Notes==
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==See also==
* [[Ireland]]
* [[Hibernophile]]
[[Category:Geography of the Roman Empire]]
[[Category:Ancient Ireland]]
[[Category:History of Ireland]]
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