Gontia (deity)

Gontia (/ˈɡɒntiə/) was a Celtic goddess. She was the tutelary deity of the river Günz,^[1] near Günzburg in Germany. She is known from an inscription on a Roman-era altar at Günzburg (Latin: Guntia^[2]) that reads Gontiae / sac(rum) / G(aius!) Iulius / Faventianus / |(centurio) leg(ionis) I Ital(icae),^[3] or ‘Gaius Julius Faventianus, centurion of the Legio I Italica, (made) this offering to Gontia’.

She also appears to be connected with the Belgian city Ghent.^[4]

Notes

1. Lauren Adams Gilmour, Pagans and Christians, Archaeopress, 2007, p. 24.
2. Otto Klaus Schmich (2004-06-27). "Römische Ortsnamensreste in germanischen Nachfolgernamen" (PDF). Retrieved 2015-03-17.
3. Année Epigraphique 1930, 74.
4. Adrian Room, Placenames of the World: Origins and Meanings of the Names for 6,600 Countries, Cities, Territories, Natural Features, and Historic Sites, McFarland, 2006, p. 144.

References

• Czysz, Wolfgang (2002). Gontia: Günzburg in der Römerzeit; archäologische Entdeckungen an der bayerisch-schwäbischen Donau. Friedberg: Likias-Verlag. pp. 81ff. ISBN 3-980-76282-3.
• Kraft, Klaus (1993). Landkreis Günzburg: Stadt Günzburg. Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag. pp. 12–13. ISBN 3-486-55211-2.
• Schmid, Jürgen (2000). Gontia. Studien zum römischen Günzburg. Arethousa Verlag, München. ISBN 3-934207-03-0.