The Parisi were a

British Celtic Insular Celtic languages are the group of Celtic languages of Brittany, Great Britain, Ireland, and the Isle of Man. All surviving Celtic languages are in the Insular group, including Breton, which is spoken on continental Europe in Brittany, ...

tribe located somewhere within the present-day East Riding of Yorkshire, in England, known from a single brief reference by Ptolemy in his ''

Geographica The ''Geographica'' (Ancient Greek: Γεωγραφικά ''Geōgraphiká''), or ''Geography'', is an encyclopedia of geographical knowledge, consisting of 17 'books', written in Ancient Greek, Greek and attributed to Strabo, an educated citizen ...

'' of about AD 150. Many writers have connected them with the archaeological Arras culture and some with the more widely known Parisii of Gaul.

Historical sources and archaeology

The Parisi are known from a description in Ptolemy's ''

'' (''Geographica'' II, 3, 10) which locates them to near ''Opportunum Sinus'' ("Good harbour"). Ptolemy is presumed never to have visited Roman Britain, compiling his work from existing sources, probably in Alexandria. The tribe is inferred to have been surrounded by the

Brigantes The Brigantes were Ancient Britons who in pre-Roman times controlled the largest section of what would become Northern England. Their territory, often referred to as Brigantia, was centred in what was later known as Yorkshire. The Greek geogr ...

, and with the

Coritani The Corieltauvi (also the Coritani, and the Corieltavi) were a tribe of people living in Britain prior to the Roman conquest, and thereafter a '' civitas'' of Roman Britain. Their territory was in what is now the English East Midlands. They were ...

south of them across the Humber. Ptolemy mentions the Parisi in association with ''

Petvaria Petuaria (or Petuaria Parisorum) was originally a Roman fort situated where the town of Brough in the East Riding of Yorkshire now stands. Petuaria means something like 'quarter' or 'fourth part', incorporating the archaic Brythonic *''petuar'', ...

'', a town thought to be located close to Brough, East Riding of Yorkshire. Ptolemy also mentions a promontory ''Promontarium Ocellum'', which may be either Spurn Head or

Flamborough Head Flamborough Head () is a promontory, long on the Yorkshire coast of England, between the Filey and Bridlington bays of the North Sea. It is a chalk headland, with sheer white cliffs. The cliff top has two standing lighthouse towers, the olde ...

. The translation and interpretation of Ptolemy's work has not been consistent over time, with differing interpretations creating potential contradictions in the spatial relationship between ''Opportunum Sinus'' and ''Petuaria''. A more recent interpretation (2005) places both the ''Parisi'' and ''Petuaria'' on the ''Opportunum Sinus'' which leads to the common interpretation of ''Opportunum Sinus'' to be impossible geographically – an alternative feature – the inlet near Brough to

Walling Fen Walling is a method of torture used by the CIA in which a person's neck is encircled by a collar, and is then used to slam the person against a wall. According to information gathered by the International Committee of the Red Cross from six deta ...

has been suggested. Brough/Petuaria also had a harbour in Roman times (further inland than the current Brough Haven) which has long since silted up, further supporting this interpretation. The Parisi are also mentioned in the forgery ''

De Situ Britanniae ''The Description of Britain'', also known by its Latin name ' ("On the Situation of Britain"), was a literary forgery perpetrated by Charles Bertram on the historians of England. It purported to be a 15th-century manuscript by the English monk R ...

'' originally credited to Richard of Cirencester (14th century AD): the Parisi's towns supposedly included ''Petuaria'' and a place '' Portus Felix'', the locations of which were uncertain, and subject to speculation in the 19th century.

Evidence for link with continental tribes

Burials in East Yorkshire dating from the pre-Roman Iron Age are distinguished as those of the Arras Culture, and show differences from surrounding areas, generally lacking grave goods, but

chariot burial Chariot burials are tombs in which the deceased was buried together with their chariot, usually including their horses and other possessions. An instance of a person being buried with their horse (without the chariot) is called horse burial. Fin ...

s and burials with swords are known, but are similar (chariot burials) to those ascribed to the La Tène culture of areas of western and central Europe, giving a potential link to the similarly named Parisii of Gaul.

Etymology

The origin of the name is uncertain; Celticists

John T. Koch John T. Koch is an American academic, historian and linguist who specializes in Celtic studies, especially prehistory and the early Middle Ages. He is the editor of the five-volume ''Celtic Culture. A Historical Encyclopedia'' (2006, ABC Clio). He ...

and Raimund Karl propose a Celtic linguistic origin, meaning "the commanders", similar to the

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

verb ''peri'' (to cause, command or have done, from Proto-Celtic ''*k^wer-''). Linguist

Eric Hamp Eric Pratt Hamp (November 16, 1920 – February 17, 2019) was an American linguist widely respected as a leading authority on Indo-European linguistics, with particular interests in Celtic languages and Albanian. Unlike many Indo-Europeanists, who ...

also links the name to this verb and suggests a meaning of "fighters". Xavier Delamarre prefers to link the ethnic name to the P-Celtic root ''*pario-'' "cauldron" and translates ''Parisi'' as "they of the cauldrons" (taking their name after a distinctive type of vessel used by the Iron Age Celts).Delamarre, Xavier, ''Dictionnaire de la langue gauloise'', 2nd ed., Editions Errance, Paris, 2003, p. 247.

Notes

References

Sources

* *

External links

{{Yorkshire Ancient peoples Celtic Britons History of the East Riding of Yorkshire Archaeology of the East Riding of Yorkshire Historical Celtic peoples