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La rivière Nith est localisée par le trait bleu clair. 

ii

Extrait d'Ordnance Survey : Map of Roman Britain.

Les points verts localisent des sources des tributaires de la Nith, et le bassin de celle-ci.

* Rivet & Smith, 428  : 

SOURCES

- Ptolemy II, 3, 2 : Noouiou potamou ekbolai (= NOVII FLUVII OSTIA)

- Ravenna 108₁₈ (= R&C 230) : PANOVIUS, var. PANONIUS

- Ravenna 108₃₂ (=R&C 253) : NOVITIA, var. NOVICIA

It seems probable that these are to be equated. Ravenna's entry at 108₁₈ is in the group of diversa loca, and was hence thought by R&C to represent a tribal meeting-place. However, one other
entry at least (Taba, 108₁₉) in this group is very plainly a river-name, and it seems certain enough that -Novius is too. The Pa- syllable is yet a further version of Fl, the abbreviation of Fl(umen) or Fl(uvius), misread from a map (see our entry for EL- names in Ravenna). Dillemann (p. 71) agrees with this proposal, and cites a telling parallel of Pa- for Fl- in TP, whose sheet for Cyrenaica includes a place Ampaleontes for *Ad Fl(utnen) Leontes. As for Ravenna's Novitia, both Müller in his edition of Ptolemy and Holder II. 793 suggest that it stands for Novius. We cannot tell much from its position in the listing, but such miscopying is perfectly possible; a doubt remains, however, because Ravenna seems in general to have had only one map-source for North Britain and does not duplicate names in this region.

DERIVATION. The name is precisely as in NOVI A. Watson CPNS 54-55 assesses the possibility that the modem name Nith derives from Novius; this seems likely, though 'one cannot be certain, as the name has passed from British through Welsh into Gaelic and thence into English'.

IDENTIFICATION. The river Nith, Dumfriesshire.

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* A.L.F Rivet & Colin Smith : The Place-Names of Roman Britain. B.T Batsford Ltd. London. 1979. Edition 1982.

Autres liens traitant de la Nith / Novius :

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