Book II, Chapter 2

Location of Albion island of Britannia
(from the First Map of Europe)

 

My notes on the map: No information has been added to Ptolemy's text as I have it, so there is almost no topographic data; the courses of the rivers also remain unmapped.     The interesting item is of course one of Ptolemy's biggest mistakes: Scotland is rotated clockwise by about 90°. The error occurs at a very specific place, which I've marked by a red line on the map, extending from the Solway Firth to Newcastle. No coincidence at all that this is almost exactly the line of Hadrian's Wall: all of a sudden the Roman geographer loses all his land data and has to rely on pilot's accounts, with choppy seas and strong currents accounting for the bad data. Ptolemy may well have had only a single report for the navigation of the top of Scotland; what else could he do? (For an alternative and vaguer explanation — I'm not in the least convinced — see John Ward's The Roman Era in Britain, p14; for yet another explanation, far more convincing and detailed, see Thomas G. Ikins' Roman Map of Britain.) This map, when examined together with Ptolemy's maps of Belgica and Cimbria (now the Low Countries and Denmark), reveals something important about the sources of error in the Geography. In Book II, Chapter 8 we see the Dutch coast correctly placed; navigation thence along the coast ought to have showed Denmark to be, in terms of absolute coördinates within his own system, where Ptolemy puts northern Scotland, and the positions on the map of Britain would have been provided with cross-checks.     What happened instead is that in Book II, Chapter 10 we do indeed see Denmark: similarly tilted by a same large clockwise angle. I haven't yet figured them exactly, but Ptolemy's distances from Scotland to Denmark appear to be roughly the same as ours. He did his cross-checks all right, but both Scotland and Denmark were beyond the pale of Roman dominion. He is relying on sea data.     To me this suggests that Ptolemy kept two sets of data, obtained by land and by sea; that he cross-checked each internally; that he favored the land data because he knew they were more accurate; and that for the sea data he knew they weren't good, but at least he made them consistent.

 

A description of the northern coast, above which is the Duecaledonius ocean.

Novantarum peninsula, and promontory of the same name	21*00	61°40
Rerigonius bay	20*30	60°50
Vindogara bay	21*20	60°30
Clota estuary	22*15	59°20
Lemannonius bay	24*00	60°00
Epidium promontory	23*00	60°40
mouth of the Longus river	24*30	60°40
mouth of the Itis river	27*00	60°40
Volas bay	29*00	60°30
mouth of the Navarus river	30*00	60°30
Tarvedum or Orcas promontory	31*20	60°15

Description of the west a side which borders on the Hibernian ocean and the Vergionius ocean.

From the Novantian promontory	21*00	61°40
mouth of the Abravannus river	19*20	61°00
Iena estuary	19*00	60°30
mouth of the Devas river	18*00	60°00
mouth of the Novius river	18*20	59°30
Ituna estuary	18*30	58°45
Moricambe estuary	17*30	58°20
Setantiorum harbor b	17*20	57°45
Belisama estuary	17*30	57°20
Seteia estuary	17*00	57°00
Caeanganorum promontory	15*00	57°00 c
mouth of the Toesobis river	15*40	56°20
mouth of the Stuccia river	15*20	55°30
mouth of the Tuerobis river	15*00	55°00
Octapitarum promontory	14*20	54°30
mouth of the Tobius river	15*30	54°30
mouth of the Ratostabius river	16*30	54°30
Sabrina estuary	17*20	54°30
Uxella estuary	16*00	53°30
Herculis promontory	14*00	52°45
Antivestaeum or Bolerium promontory	11*30	52°30
Damnonium or Ocrium promontory	12*00	51°30

Description of the south side below which is the Britannic ocean. After the Ocrium promontory is

the mouth of the Cenio river	14*51 d	51°45
mouth of the Tamarus river	15*40	52°10
mouth of the Iscas river	17*40	52°20
mouth of the Alaunus river	17*40	52°40
Magnus Portus	19*00	53°00
mouth of the Trisantonis river	20*20	53°00
New harbor	21*00	53°30
Cantium promontory	22*00	54°00

A description of the eastern and the southern side next to which is the Germanic ocean. After the Tarvedum promontory, or Orcades, by which it is known,

Virvedrum promontory	31*00	60°00
Verubium promontory	30*30	59°40
mouth of the Ila river	30*00	59°40
a high shore	29*00	59°40
Varar estuary	28*00 e	59°40
mouth of the Loxa river	27*30	59°40
Tuesis estuary	27*00	59°00
mouth of the Caelis river	27*00	58°45
Taezalon promontory	27*30	58°30
mouth of the Deva river	26*00	58°30
mouth of the Tina river	24*00	58°30
Boderia estuary	22*30	59°00
mouth of the Alaunus river	21*20	58°30
mouth of the Vedra river	20*10	58°30
Dunum bay	20*15	57°30
Gabrantuicorum bay with many harbors	21*00	57°00
Ocelus promontory	21*15	56°40
mouth of the Abi river	21*00	56°30
Metaris estuary	20*30	55°40
mouth of the Gariennus river	20*50	55°40
A promontory	21*15	55°05
mouth of the Sidumanis river	20*10	55°00
Tamesa estuary	20*30	54°30
Next to this the Cantium promontory	22*00	54°00

The Novantae dwell on the side toward the north below the peninsula of this name, among whom are the following towns:

Locopibia	19*00	60°20
Rerigonium	20*10	60°40

Below are the Selgovae, among whom are the following towns:

Carbantorigum	19*00	59°30
Uxellum	18*30	59°20
Corda	20*00	59°40
Trimontium	19*00	59°00

From these toward the east, but more northerly, are the Damnoni, among whom are the following towns:

Colanica	20*45	59°10
Vindogara	21*20	60°00
Coria	21*30	59°20
Alauna	22*45	59°50
Lindum	23*00	59°30
Victoria	23*30	59°00

Further south are the Otalini, among whom are the following towns:

Coria	20*10	59°00
Alauna	23*00	58°40
Bremenium	21*00	58°45

Next to the Damnoni, but more toward the east near the Epidium promontory are the Epidi and next to these the Cerones; then the Carnonacae, and the Caereni but more toward the east; and in the extreme east dwell the Cornavi; from the Lemannonis bay as far as the Varar estuary are the Caledoni, and above these is the Caledonian forest, from which toward the east are the Decantae, and next to these the Lugi extending to the Cornavi boundary, and above the Lugi are the Smertae; below Caledonia are the Vacomagi, among whom are the following towns:

Bannatia	24*00	59°30
Tamia	25*00	59°20
Pinnata camp	27*15	59°20
Tuesis	26*45	59°10

Below these toward the west are the Venicones, whose town is

Orrea

24*00

58°45

More toward the east are the Taezali

and the town Devana

26*00

59°00

Below the Selgovae and Otalini f are the Brigantes extending to both seas, among whom are the following towns:

Epiacum	18*30	58°30
Vinovium	17*45	58°00
Caturactonium	20*00	58°00
Calatum	19*00	57°45
Isurium	20*00	57°40
Rigodunum	18*00	57°30
Olicana	19*00	57°30
Eboracum, Legio VI Victrix	20*00	57°20
Camulodunum	18*00	57°45

Near which on the Opportunum bay are the Parisi and the town

Petuaria

20*40

56°40 g

Below these are the Brigantes but some distance toward the west are the Ordovices, among whom are the towns:

Mediolanum	16*45	56°40
Brannogenium	16*45	56°15

From these toward the east are the Cornavi, among whom are the towns:

Deva, Legio XX Victrix	17*30	56°45
Viroconium	16*45	55°45

Next to these are the Coritani, among whom are the towns:

Lindum	18*40	56°30
Ratae	18*00	55°30

Next are the Catuvellauni, among whom are the towns:

Salinae	20*45	55°50
Urolanium	19*20	55°30

Next to these are the Iceni,

whose town is called Venta

20*30

55°20

Farther eastward and near the estuary of the Tamesa are the Trinovantes

and the town Camulodunum

21*00

55°00

Below the peoples we have mentioned, but more toward the west are the Demetae, whose towns are:

Luentinum	15*45	55°10
Maridunum	15*30	54°40

More toward the east are the Silures

whose town is Bullaeum

16*50

55°00

Next to these are the Dobuni,

and their town Corinium

18*00

54°10

then the Atrebati

and their town Caleva

19*00

54°15

Next to these, but farther eastward, are the Canti among whom are the towns:

Londinium	20*00	54°00
Daruernum	21*00	54°00
Rutupie	21*45	54°00

Below the Atrebati and the Canti are the Regni and the town

Noeomagus

19*45

53°05

Below the Dobuni are the Belgae and the towns:

Iscalis	16*00	53°40
Aquae calidae	17*20	53°40
Venta	18*40	53°00

Toward the west and south of these are the Durotriges whose town is

Dunium

18*00

52°40

Next to these, but more to the west, are the Dumnoni, whose towns are:

Voliba	14*45	52°00
Uxella	15*00	52°45
Tamara	15*00	52°15
Isca, where is located Legio II Augusta	17*30	52°45

The islands which are near Albion island and the Orcades promontory are:

Scetis island	32*40	60°45
Dumna island	30*00	61°20

Above these islands are the Orcades, about thirty in number,

the middle of which is in

30*00

61°40

Far above these is the island Thule.

The part of this which extends much toward the west is in	29*00	63°00
that which is farthest eastward is	31*40	63°00
that which is farthest northward is	30*20	63°15
that which is farthest southward is	30*20	62°40
the middle is in	30*20	63°00

Eastward from the Trinovantes region there are two islands:

Toliapis	23*00	54°20
Counus island	24*00	54°30

Below Magnus Portus is the island Vectis,

the middle of which is in

19*20

52°20

 

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Thayer's Notes:

a Here, the 1932 edition has east; whether this is due to the manuscript(s) of Ptolemy or to modern carelessness, it is an egregious error and I have corrected it.

Portus Setantiorum (in Greek: Setanti/wn limh/n)
Here is Karl Müller's apparatus:
    Setanti/wn] Setani/wn DX, sed Setanti/wn D in tabula; Seganti/wn BL2N2SZWd, Gesanti/wn E.
    iz´ g´´] iz´ go´´ DX, 17 1/2 arg.; 17 1/2, al. 17-1/3 cod. 4803.
    nz´ d´´] nz´ CW, nz´ g´´ d´´ EZ.
    Portus 300 stadia a Morecambe bay dissitus, non ponendus ad Layne fl. et Lancaster (Longoricum in Not. Dign., ut vid.) oppidum, ut nonnullis placuit, sed ad Ribble fl. et Preston opp., uti recte monuit Horslejus in Brit. Rom. In Geogr. Rav. 5, 31, p438, oppida hujus regionis afferuntur: Seguntio (h. Caer Siont), Canubio (Conovium Itin., hod. Convey), Mediolano, Saudonia, Deva (h. Chester), ex quibus Saudonia fort. ad eos pertinet quos Ptolemaeus Setantios dicit. Nescio an conferendum sit Sextantio nomen urbis Gallicae. In populorum oppidorumque recensu Ptolemaeus neque Setantios memorat, neque Duecaledonios neque Ceangos; alium sc. fontem in hoc, alium in periplo ob oculos habuit. Ceterum quoniam Setantiorum portus sec. Ptol. a Deva (Chester) boream versus tantum fere distat, quantum ab eadem Deva urbe versus occasum recte distat Segontium oppidum (Caer Siont) Monae insulae objacens, fuere qui Segonti/wn pro Setanti/wn legendum esse ac de situ hujus portus Ptolemaeum errasse censerent (V. Camden, p793).

c On plotting the map, I found that the modern edition's 56°00 must surely be an error, probably for 57°00 which is where the medieval map puts this peninsula. Müller, however, has nj´ in the Greek original and 56 in his Latin.

d Here, the 1932 edition has 14*51, clearly a modern error for 14*00, at which exact longitude the medieval map puts a Cemnonus fl.; and in fact Müller has 14*/51°45 so that the mistake can be ascribed to sloppy reading of the Latin in Müller: one of the many pieces of internal evidence that show that Stevenson did not work from an original text, but from Müller's Latin translation.

e On plotting the map, I found that the modern edition's 27*00 must be in error, Ptolemy's own value almost certainly being between 27*30 and 29*00 exclusive; I've emended it to 28*00 which seems to be where the medieval map puts this estuary.

f Here, the 1932 edition has Otadini; I have emended this probably modern error to Otalini based on the previous text and a check against the medieval map.

g No reasonable emendation will put Petuaria on a bay; and I can't tell whose error this is, either.