Where the River Converges: Toponymic Stratigraphy of 'Bistagno' and 'Sessame'

The aim of this paper is the reconstruction of the remote naming process and toponymic stratigraphy of the place names Bistagno and Sessame, proposing two new etymological reconstructions for them, in order to recover the prehistoric origins of the two toponvms, taking into account previous interpretations and hypotheses. The aim of the paper is also to highlight possible paretymologies inherent in the two place names. Bistagno and Sessame arc two small neighboring villages of prehistoric origins located in Piedmont, North-Western Italy, at the border between the current Provinces of Alessandria and Asti. Since the origins of their names are still disputed, this paper sheds some light on their toponymic stratigraphies, investigating both of them in-depth.