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III. Observations on Chapter V. 31, Britannia, in the Ravenna Cosmography
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 April 2011
Abstract
The Ravenna Cosmography is apparently a valuable work, since it contains a large number of place-names of which many are not known in other sources. Unfortunately its bare enumerations, generally lacking in any significant detail, are often disfigured by serious errors; an over-all view of the work makes these show up more clearly than does any partial study. When the names peculiar to the work really existed, it is possible to find their sense by etymology, and by toponymic study one can locate them on the ground, but then one faces the problem of their provenance, perhaps in some source as yet unexplored or lost, since the Cosmographer was nothing more than a compiler.
Our answer depends on two preliminary definitions, that concerning the date of the Cosmography in relation to that of its possible sources, and the role of the unknown authors cited in Books II–IV. Since Book V, despite its relationship to the previous Books, makes no mention of these, a discussion of this highly controversial matter would be out of place here. It should be noted merely that the coincidence between the information given from unknown sources and the unknown authors has not yet been proved.
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- Copyright © The Society of Antiquaries of London 1979
References
Notes
1 J. Schnetz, Untersuchungen zum Geographen von Ravenna (abbreviated U), in Programm des Wilhelmsgymnasiums in München für das Schuljahr 1918/19.
2 Stolte, B. H., De Cosmographie van den Anonymus Ravennas, 1949.Google Scholar
3 Schnetz (edition, pp. 19, 46, 60) changed Olafi Sata, two names from Ptolemy in Arabia Eudaemon, into Mafaritae; Bassarinon into (h)ac Sarmaton; Rausa Confitio into Iuga Poenina, etc.
4 Certain mistakes show that the Cosmographer did not have a map before him, but a more manageable booklet drawn up on the basis of a map. Thus Valeria (IV. 20), whose two roads provide a framework for the Pannonias, is called Media, a name entered on T.P. IVB, with this comment: pro eo quod reiacet inter supra scriptas Pannonias. Jordanes (de Get. 1) confirms the existence of such booklets: Scriptores qui non solum urbium locorumque positiones explanant vero etiam passuum miliarumque demetiuntur quantitatem.
5 In Mauretania Sitifensis (III. 7), Amabu municipium Gaddo Leba Balicin Vicum Mobziacum comes from T.P.'s Ad Sava muni/c(ipium) Ad Oliva Ad Basilicam Ad Ficum Mopti municipium.
6 Schnetz, J., articles ‘Unnamen beim Geog. von Rav.’ and ‘Namenprobleme beim Geog. von Rav.’, in Z.N.F., xiv (1938), 85, and xv (1939), 86.Google Scholar
7 Goff, J. Le, La Civilisation de l'Occident médiéval (1972), ch. v.Google Scholar
8 On sheet X, one finds in a part of the south of Mesopotamia (II. 13), which is today uncultivated, a road having thirteen stations, with their distances, in a region where it is not likely that there were more than tracks and halting-places.
9 T.P. is poorer than the Cosmography in Sardinia and Corsica. Chapter V. 26 has twenty-eight towns in three groups, while T.P. has only the first six out of order and without trace of any road; chapter V. 27 has five towns, of which only the first figures on T.P.
10 See the article on Carneola patria in Philologus, cxvi (1972).Google Scholar
11 Ravenna cites the name of Ptolemy only when it has indirect knowledge of him through Jordanes. The Cosmographer takes him to be a Macedonian king of Egypt.
12 The article was published in Arch, xciii (1949), under the title of ‘The British Section of the Ravenna Cosmography’.Google Scholar
13 Schnetz, J., ‘Untersuchungen über die Quellen der Kosm. des Anonym. Geogr. von Ravenna’, in Sitzungsberichte der Bayer. Akad. der Wissenschaften, Band 6 (1942); abbreviated Quellen.Google Scholar
14 By convention and unless there is an indication to the contrary, references are given according to the Parthey-Pinder edition (abbreviated P.P.), whose pagination is reproduced in Schnetz's more recent edition. The It. Ant. is cited with the Wesseling pagination as reproduced in the edition of P.P.
15 We can dismiss Schnetz's correction (edition, p. 58) of in valle to in ali[a part]e. See Philologus, cxvi, article Carneola.
16 In Numidia, forty-five towns desuper in ipsa Numidia follow uninterruptedly upon each other, with journeys up and back down several roads of the interior (pp. 1486–15016,). In Moesia, the first two groups of names stop at Nobas Italica and Gavilis (p. 1877 and 18717) from which groups 5 and 6 start out (pp. 18910–1912), with an item iuxta which is lacking in Britannia as also in Mauretania Gaditana (III. 11).
17 Thus in Parthia, Colcana and Colphiana (p. 506, and 507, ed. Schnetz, p. 17); in Mesopotamia, Singara and Digeren (p. 8011 and 8013), with the common confusion S = D; in Assyria, Ad Tomenta of T.P. has given Tumerta without Ad and Astenuta with Ad (p. 6617 and 6618).
18 Compare in the Periplus Theodosia and Dosiopolis (p. 3704 and 3705, ed. Schnetz, p. 93), which explains in Mauretania Gaditana Subulcus and Ubus for Sububus (p. 16418, and 16419); in Numidia, Masaga and Amesa for Ampsaga (p. 1531 and 15315); in Dalmatia, Burzumon and Emanio (p. 2118 and 21113) for Birziminio, a spelling present in the It. Ant.
19 In Mesopotamia (II. 13), Dura Nicanoris comes from Isidore of Charax, the use of whom is proved by the mention of Cubicumbilo (p. 549) = Komisimbela, for which he is the sole source. In Corsica (p. 41312), Agiation = Agiagium is Ajaccio, probably of more recent origin.
20 Two articles in Bonner Jahrbücher, 163 (1963) and 175 (1975), show up several, but there are many more.
21 In chapter V. 32, Exosades ubi et gemmae nascuntur; in Jordanes (de Get. 2), it is in the island of Memma that the rivers produce gems.
22 These extracts are identified by Schnetz in his study ‘Jordanes beim Geogr. von Ravenna’, in Philologus, lxxxi (1926), 86–100.Google Scholar
23 On the possible existence of a map by Alypius, see A. L. F. Rivet, ‘Some Aspects of Ptolemy's Geography of Britain’, in R. Chevallier, Littérature gréco-romaine et géographie historique, 1974 (abbreviated Ptolemy).
24 For this dissimilation, see Schnetz, Quellen, p. 35.
25 References to Ptolemy are made according to the edition by C. Müller.
26 Rivet, A. L. F., ‘The British Section of the Antonine Itinerary’, Britannia, i (1970), 61Google Scholar, n. 87, seems to accept this identification in the Cosmography, but he explains it in a different way: ‘In fact the road north-east out of Exeter appears to be traversed three times, with three branches beyond, for the similarity of the three sequences can hardly be accidental, viz.:
Milidunum — Apaunaris Masona Alovergium
Moriduno — Alauna silva Omiretedertis Lindinis
Morionio Bolvelaunio Alauna Coloneas Aranus.’
27 In Mesogia Graecorum, Neapolis, Papa (pp. 10218–1031 and 10516–10517) and probably Thrivis, Nissa, Agrillo (p. 10510–12) have become Nicaea, item ad aliam partent (wrongly placed) Atravion, Agrillion (pp. 10819–1091–4). In Italy, Segatione, Occellio (pp. 24917–2501) and Oxilla, Scatione (p. 25110–11); Solanum, Galligus, Galatia (p. 2761–3) and Gatianibas (for Ga[la]Nobas) … Eclanon (p. 2767 and 27612), in T.P. Calatia, Ad Novas … Eclano.
28 For B = S, rejected by Schnetz (Quellen, p. 57), see Stolte, p. 72, and in T.P. Baromaci for (Cae)saromagi in Britain.
29 Compare the disappearance of Sangarius from Mesogia Graecorum. T.P. places its mouth near Artane and moves its name Sāgar fl. two places upstream. The Cosmographer made three localities out of it, Saccar, Sagarion, Sigoron (pp. 9914, 11017, 11112), as proved by the stations round about. He calls the river Artemon (p. 11314) in his list of rivers, from the name of the station near to which it joins the sea, Artamen (p. 9911), which is Artane in T.P. In Macedonia, Thuris (p. 1957) is a station between Stenas and Olympius on a river whose name is entered on a road marked in T.P. in the form Turiste, which was then reproduced in the Periplus as a place (p. 3749). The river-list has not preserved this name, any more than it did that of the Tundis (see above, p. 65, s.v. Elconio).
30 For a confusion of several roads, compare the crossroads at Tigranocerte between Colcana and Sardera (p. 506–13).
31 The word castra has been added, exceptionally, in MS. ‘B’, to the customary introductory formula (p. 4242). An addition by a better-informed successor?
32 Bede, H.E. I, 12: Murum a mari ad mare recto tramite inter urbes (…) locarunt. Cosmography: Iterum sunt civitates (…) quae recto tramite (…) de Oceano in Oceano existunt.
33 For two versions of the same name, see above, n. 17, Tumerta and Astenuta.
34 Insenos, which precedes Taniatide, is perhaps to be read In sinu, following the remark of Isidore of Seville (of whom the Cosmographer certainly knew extracts): Thanatos a Britannia aestuario tenui separata (Etym. xiv, vi, 3).
35 See insulae post Aquitaniam (p. 4423) between Dorcades and Thyle.