“Irippo y la Mesa de Gandul (Alcalá de Guadaíra): ‘la fortificación del río Ira’ en época turdetana”, Congreso Internacional Fortificaciones en el entorno del Bajo Guadalquivir (Alcalá de Guadaíra: Ayuntamiento, 2002), 169-177

We propose to locate Irippo, whose coinage may be dated between 44 and 25 BC, in the ancient city of Mesa de Gandul on the Guadaíra River, whose valley was controlled from this important city until that time. Here the most significant archaeological remains of an unnamed Roman town in the whole Baetica are still visible, and in the surrounding territory many Irippo coins have been found. Gandul is an Arabic word meaning ‘spiny broom’. Furthermore, the coins of Irippo, Osset (San Juan de Aznalfarache) and Orippo (near Dos Hermanas) suggest that they were neighbor towns. It is uncertain whether Serippo (Plin.3,14) is a misreading of Irippo. In any case, Irippo may be linked with the quattrosyllabic river Guadaíra, whose pre-Arabic name was Ira. This word may be linked with indoeuropean *IR, which was applied to other rivers. The second part, IPPON, is possibly of Phoenician origin and belongs to the Turdetan language, meaning ‘fortified town’ like Latin oppidum. Irippo therefore meant in Turdetan ‘the city of the Ir(a river)’, just like the neighbour city of Alcalá de Guadaíra in the Middle Age.