Coustaussa - a roman foundation?

[Markus]

There is much fuzz about the etymologic origin of this name. According to Fénié, Bénédictine et Jean-Jacques, Toponymie occitane, names like Coustorelles, Cousterau, Coustel, Costalou, Costette or Costasse
do refer to the catalan word costat, or the french word cote.

This does not necessarily mean sea-shore, it could be also an edge, a side, a cliff and so on. This explanation would fit to Coustaussa perfectly.

The authors offer another explanation: Coustouge, derives from custos, custodis (i.e. latin: the guard) This would fit even as perfect as the above mentioned sense, as the village of Coustaussa has indeed an overviewing, somewhat safeguarding position.

Friends of the punic language should have their pleasure: both explanations, when mixed, would give the real existing word of double meaning:

coast guard! Well done, dear Boudet - Reader! But: Nonsense


According to other sources Coustaussa derives from roman sources such as villa quae constantianum dicitur or something like that.

The question is: Could this have been indeed a roman foundation? Nautonnier and me found the answer.

As we know, roman foundations used to have a decumanus maximus and an ordo maximus system: two rectangular main streets forming a chess-board structure. When the terrain allows it, they used to orientate the system with a northbound and a westbound axis.

When you watch Coustaussa on the map via michelin, you will find such an system. In the middle of the village there is still to be seen an alley in strict northbound direction. And at the crossroads in the center, there leads another alley in 90° angle to the west.

Last June Nautonnier and I proved this theory with a swiss army compass
(please: no complains against a swiss army precision tool... )





This is me and the swiss precision instrument checking the position of the westbound alley. (Photo: Nautonnier)


q.e.d.

[Mariano Tomatis]

It may work. Turin, my city, was Augusta Taurinorum, and its structure is very rigid and follows a chessboard.
Just a curiosity: in Italy we have a town called Custoza, with the same pronounce of Coustaussa (but the accent on the O). There was a famous battle in Custoza:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Custoza_%281866%29
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Mariano Tomatis Antoniono