Izco

Camino Aragonés

NavarraNavarra

Vasco-pre-Roman toponym of disputed etymology. The hypothesis with most support —⁠Patxi Salaberri⁠— derives it from the Basque base itz- ('peak, ridge, sharp height') with apocopated suffix, descriptive of the elevated position of the hamlet on the Izco hill at 870 metres.

Itz-, Basque word for 'peak, ridge, sharp height', is one of the most productive orographic lexemes of old Basque and appears in Pyrenean toponyms like Izco, Izaba, Izarra, Iza. The hamlet of Izco is documented from 1095 as a hamlet of the Leyre monastery, dependent on the Navarrese royal seigneury. The Izco hill was a medieval watch post with a tower documented in the 12th century.

Evolution of the name

  1. *itz- Basque pre-Roman before the 9th century
  2. Izco medieval Navarrese from the 11th century

Reflections, to the letter

Pastoral hamlet of thirty inhabitants at 870 metres. The Romanesque 12th-century parish church of San Martín, with Baroque belfry, preserves the original apse. The ruins of the medieval tower, atop the Izco hill, offer the panoramic view of the Izco range and the Aragón valley.

Languages of origin

Themes

Origin status

confirmed

Glossary

Etymology
The origin and history of a word and the phonetic and semantic changes it has undergone. An etymology may be confirmed, probable or disputed depending on documentary attestations and linguistic parallels.
Izco Range
Small Pre-Pyrenean Navarrese range 30 kilometres in length between the Aragón valley and the Pamplona Basin, with maximum height at Alto de Untzue (1,077 m). The range was historical divide between the early medieval Pyrenean counties and maintained transhumant livestock importance until the 20th century. The Aragonese Camino crosses the range by the Izco pass between Sangüesa and Monreal.
Pre-Roman
Prior to the Romanisation of the Iberian peninsula (3rd century BC); applied to toponyms, linguistic roots and populations.

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Camino Aragonés

  1. ··· toward Santiago
  2. Obanos
  3. Eunate
  4. Enériz
  5. Tiebas
  6. Salinas de Ibargoiti
  7. Monreal
  8. Izco
  9. Lumbier
  10. Liédena
  11. Sangüesa
  12. Artieda
  13. Undués de Lerda
  14. Ruesta
  15. ··· toward the start