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Help[Facts] Etymology of Cabiria
Hello :)
Can someone help me finding the etymology of the name Cabiria ? I know two movies featuring this name : Firstly "Cabiria" (1914), in which the story takes place 3 centuries BC between Italy and Numidia. And then "The Nights of Cabiria" (1957) by Fellini, about a waifish prostitute that wanders through Rome looking for love.
I guess it's Latin.
Thanks in advance,
Andria.
Can someone help me finding the etymology of the name Cabiria ? I know two movies featuring this name : Firstly "Cabiria" (1914), in which the story takes place 3 centuries BC between Italy and Numidia. And then "The Nights of Cabiria" (1957) by Fellini, about a waifish prostitute that wanders through Rome looking for love.
I guess it's Latin.
Thanks in advance,
Andria.
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Replies
Thank you Cleveland !
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I don't know anything about the use of CABIRIA as given name in ancient Rome; maybe others can find famous bearers of that name.
If it is Latin, it could be from "Cabiri", the name of one or several deities of Semitic-Greek origin, meaning "the big/great ones" ("die Großen"). This is what my Latin dictionary has (Menge/Güthling).
A Lexicon of Antiquity (Lexikon der Alten Welt, Düsseldorf 1990) says: Both its cult and name are non-Greek, probably Phrygian. The Greeks were obviously not able to interprete the name. The oldest proof is a play by Aishylos called "Kabeiroi".
Hope this helps a bit.
If it is Latin, it could be from "Cabiri", the name of one or several deities of Semitic-Greek origin, meaning "the big/great ones" ("die Großen"). This is what my Latin dictionary has (Menge/Güthling).
A Lexicon of Antiquity (Lexikon der Alten Welt, Düsseldorf 1990) says: Both its cult and name are non-Greek, probably Phrygian. The Greeks were obviously not able to interprete the name. The oldest proof is a play by Aishylos called "Kabeiroi".
Hope this helps a bit.
1