Étymologie : 

* Rivet & Smith, p. 361 : 

SOURCES

- Ptolemy II, 2, 10 : Epidion (= EPIDIUM)

- Ravenna I07₄₀ (= R&C 176) : EBIO 

Ptolemy gives the name as that of an island, one of the five Ebudae, and he mentions it last in the group (after Malaia). In Ravenna Ebio (which as it stands suggests no etymon Celtic or Latin) could well be for Ebi(d)io, perhaps with Vulgar Latin voicing of p > b in the Cosmographer's usage; it appears among habitation-names in the région between the two Walls, but as explained in Chapter V there are many illogicalities in the ways the Cosmographer read his North British names from a map, and often his correspondences here with Ptolemy are close; it seems likely that we should make another equation here (but see below).

DERIVATION. The sense seems to be simply 'place inhabited by the Epidii', but it is a most unusual formation, since for a regional name based on a tribal name we would expect *Epidia (compare Dumnonia, Venedotia, etc.). The only parallel is Ptolemy's Brigantium, which we think a 'ghost' produced by some mis-understanding. The same could well be the case here. The name could be an unconscious duplication by Ptolemy of Epidium Promontorium, even though he thinks one an island and the other a cape, and has differing positions for them; but if we are right in equating Ravenna's name with Ptolemy's, the confusion was not Ptolemy's but arose from the map-source which the two ultimately had in common. Bradley thought there was some such confusion; the argument is developed in Chapter III, p. 114. The attempt by Rhys (1904, p. 231) to link this name to that of the Ebudae is interesting, but the time of Ptolemy is much too early for p / b confusions in British or Latin.

IDENTIFICATION. Probably Kintyre. 

Sources : 

* Ordnance survey : Map of Roman Britain.

* A.L.F Rivet & Colin Smith : The place-names of Roman Britain. Batsford Ltd. 1979-1982 

Liens électroniques des sites Internet traitant de Kintyre / Epidium Promontarium  :   

* Autre page consacrée aux Epiddi dans l'encyclopédie Marikavel : Epiddi

* forum du site Marikavel : Academia Celtica

hast buan, ma mignonig vas vite, mon petit ami

go fast, my little friend