Hippo's name

The name of the city of Hippo Regius is part Punic part Latin: "Hippo" for "bay" or "gulf" and "Regius" for its association with the Numidian kings. The Augustine enthusiasts of Port-Royal, in the seventeenth century, thought that the name was close enough to that of their monastery (assuming "Port" for "bay") as to be thought a translation. (See S. Lancel, Saint Augustine, p. 690.

The name is thus not associated with the quite separate Greek name for "river-horse" -- hippopotamus. If one is prepared to look closely, however, on very rare occasions some representatives of that species may be seen visiting the archaeological sites of the city.


The grey version of the TY Beanie Baby hippopotamus is considerably rarer than the mauve