Arentius (Portuguese: Arâncio) and Arentia (Portuguese: Arância) are considered to be a pair of indigenous deities that belong to the Lusitanian pantheon, and attested mainly in epigraphy.

Epigraphy

Scholars report at least 13 epigraphies (14 inscriptions, as of 2022) attesting either Arentius or Arentia, mostly located in central-eastern Lusitania, and, according to scholar Juan Olivares Pedreño, "well represented" in Egitania.

Both deities are attested either in isolation, or, rarely, as a pair. Olivares Pedreño suggested that their attestation as a pair seems to hark back to similar votive altars of a male and female divine couple in Celtic areas.

The pair is also alternatively attested as Arantius and Arantia, although this occurrence is rare.

In two inscriptions from Beira Baixa, Arentius is attested as Arantio Tanginiciaeco and as Arentio Cronisensi.

Etymology

Francisco Marco Simón suggested that the pair were aquatic deities, following Hans Krahe's study on Old European hydronymy that associates the stem *ar- with the names of bodies of water.

Spanish historian José María Blázquez Martínez[es] seems to support this interpretation. Also, according to Blazquez, Blanca María Prósper believes that Arantio (another attested name for Arentius) refers to a river deity.

See also

Bibliography

  • Beltrán Ortega, Alejandro (2021). . Antigüedad: Religiones y Sociedades (in Spanish). 19 (19): 239–69. doi:. S2CID ..
  • Marco Simón, Francisco (1999). . Veleia (in Spanish). 16: 33–49. hdl:.
  • Martínez, José (2006). "Nuevos teónimos indígenas hispanos. Addenda y corrigenda. II. La religiosidad de la Prehistoria hispana según F. Jordá". Zephyrus: Revista de prehistoria y arqueología (in Spanish). 59: 293–303. ISSN ..
  • Olivares Pedreño, Juan Carlos (1999). . Ilu. Revista de ciencias de las religiones (in Spanish). 4: 139–172. ISSN ..
  • Olivares Pedreño, José Carlos (2000–2001). . Lucentum (in Spanish). 19–20 (19–20): 245–256. doi: (inactive 11 July 2025). hdl:. ISSN .{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of July 2025 (link).
  • Olivares Pedreño, Juan Carlos; Ramajo Correa, Luis María (2013). . Veleia (in Spanish). 30: 193–203. doi: (inactive 11 July 2025). hdl:.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of July 2025 (link).
  • Olivares Pedreño, Juan Carlos (2022). "Una paradoja de la teonimia y la antroponimia lusitano-galaica: ¿Migraciones hacia el sur del Sistema Central y el valle del Tajo?". Complutum (in Spanish). 33 (1): 231–47. doi:. hdl:. S2CID ..
  • Redentor, Armando (2008). “Panorama da Teonímia Pré-romana em Trás-os-montes Oriental”. In: Divindades indígenas em análise. Coord. José d’ Encarnação. Coimbra e Porto: Centro de Estudos Arqueológicos, Universidade de Coimbra, Universidade do Porto, pp. 105-124.
  • Salvado, Pedro; Guerra, Amílcar; Mendes Rosa, João (2004). . Revista portuguesa de Arqueologia (in Portuguese). 7 (2): 237–242..