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In the Latin language of the ancient Roman Empire, castra〔A nominative plural noun of neuter gender. According to Lewis & Short, dictionary item linked in External links, General, either the singular or plural was used, castra with a possible meaning of "tents."〕 (singular castrum) were buildings or plots of land reserved for or constructed for use as a military defensive position. The word appears in both Oscan and Umbrian (dialects of Italic) as well as in Latin.〔According to Julius Pokorny, ''Indogermanisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch'', p. 586 under ''kes''- (palatal "k"), Oscan ''castrous'' (genitive case) and Umbrian ''castruo'', ''kastruvuf'' (nominative case) have the same original meaning as ''castrum'', which was an estate, or tract of land. Not enough is known of Oscan and Umbrian culture to understand whether the word was a military reservation in their cultures, allowing the possibility that the Romans took their military practices partially or wholly from elsewhere or developed them, or some combination.〕 In classical Latin the word ''castra'' means "great legionary encampment" and included "marching", "temporary" and "fortified permanent" ones, while the diminutive form ''castellum'' was used for the smaller forts, which were usually, but not always, occupied by the auxiliary units and used as logistic bases for the legions, as explained by Vegetius.〔See Vegetius, ''Epitoma rei militaris'', 3.8.〕 A generic term is ''praesidium'' ("guard post or garrison"). The terms ''stratopedon'' ("army camp") and ''phrourion'' ("fort") were used by Greek language authors, in order to designate the Roman ''castra'' and the Roman ''castellum'' respectively. In English, the terms "Roman fortress", "Roman fort" and "Roman camp" are commonly used for the ''castra''. However, scholastic convention tends toward the use of the word "camp", "marching camp" and "fortress" as a translation of ''castra'', and the use of the word "fort" as a translation of ''castellum''. These conventions are usually followed and found in scholarly works.〔See D. B. Campbell, ''Roman Auxiliary Forts 27 BC-AD 378'', Oxford 2009, page 4, with a discussion about the typologies of Roman fortifications.〕 ==Etymology== According to Julius Pokorny, ''Indogermanisches Etymologisches Woerterbuch'', page 586 under ''kes-'' (palatal ''k''), Oscan ''castrous'' (genitive case) and Umbrian ''castruo'', ''kastruvuf'' (nominative case) have the same original meaning as castrum, which was an estate, or a tract of land. Being the term used to designate a private estate, in Latin the word ''castrum'' was probably then the term for an estate or a tract of land enclosed by a fence or a wooden or stone wall of some kind, as seems to be used in a few passages in Cornelius Nepos' works.〔See Cornelius Nepos, ''Alcibiades'', 9.3.〕 The ''American Heritage Dictionary'', following Julius Pokorny, lists ( *kes- ), "cut", as the root. One castrum was a reservation of land "cut off" for military use. It could be an entire base, such as ''castrum Moguntiacum'', or it could be a single fortified building. From the latter use came the English word castle (castellum, a diminutive of castrum). In Latin the term ''castrum'' is much more frequently used as a proper name for geographical locations: e.g. Castrum Album, Castrum Inui, Castrum Novum, Castrum Truentinum, Castrum Vergium. ''Castra'' in the plural refers to a collection of structures. Considering that the earliest structures were tents, which were cut out of hide or cloth, one castrum may well be a tent, with the plural meaning tents.〔Lewis & Short under External links, General, as well as many uncited Latin dictionaries, make this suggestion.〕 All but the most permanent bases housed the men in barracks of tents placed in quadrangles and separated by numbered streets. The term ''castra'' then means ''marching camp'', ''temporary camp'', ''permanent camp'', ''fortified camp'' and ''fortress'', always designating a great legionary encampment. The plural was also used as a place name, as Castra Cornelia, and from this come the Welsh place name prefix "Caer" and English suffixes "Caster" and "Chester"; e.g. Winchester, Lancaster. The commonest Latin syntagmata for the term ''castra'' are: * ''castra stativa'': permanent camp/fortress * ''castra aestiva'': summer camp/fortress * ''castra hiberna'': winter camp/fortress * ''castra navalia'' or ''castra nautica'': navy camp/fortress ''Castrorum Filius'' was one of names used by the emperor Caligula and then also by other emperors. "Castro", also derived from "Castrum", is a common Spanish family name, as well as a place name in Spain and Spanish-speaking countries, Italy and the Balkan, either by itself or in various compounds such as Argyrocastro (see Castro). 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Castra」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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