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The Ancasta Altar
Ancasta was a
Celtic goddess worshipped in
Roman Britain . She is known from a single dedicatory inscription found in the
United Kingdom at the Roman settlement of
Clausentum (
Bitterne , near
Southampton ).
[1] Ancasta may be taken to be a local goddess, possibly associated with the nearby
River Itchen .
The votive dedication to Ancasta reads:
DEAE ANCASTAE GEMINVS MANI VSLM
"To the goddess Ancasta, Geminus Mani[lius] willingly and deservedly fulfills his vow."
It may be possible that the name 'Ancasta' is related to
Proto-Celtic *kasto- meaning 'swift'.
[2]
The inscription is now in the
SeaCity Museum .
[3] It was previously in the museum at
God's House Tower .
[4]
References
^ Jufer, Nicole, & Thierry Luginbühl (2001). Les dieux gaulois : répertoire des noms de divinités celtiques connus par l'épigraphie, les textes antiques et la toponymie. Paris: Editions Errance.
ISBN
2-87772-200-7 . p.21.
^ Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies,
University of Wales . "
Proto-Celtic—English lexicon ." (See also
this page for background and disclaimers.)
^
Clausentum , Pastscape, retrieved 13 January 2012
^ Douch, Robert (1968). Monuments and memorials in Southampton (Southampton papers, no.6) . City of Southampton. p. 39.