Gallicenae (53 page)

Tonnage:
Mediterranean grain ships had burdens of up to 1200 tons. Oceangoing vessels were doubtless smaller, but not too much so. A typical merchantman is described in
Roma Mater.

Speed:
Merchantmen could do four or five knots under good conditions. They could point up to the wind to a limited extent and lie hove to, after a fashion, when that was the prudent thing to do.

Periplus:
A set of sailing directions for a given route, describing landmarks, hazards, etc. Maps were so crude as to be virtually useless to navigators.

Clerestory:
Rome also had adopted this useful Egyptian technique for lighting interiors.

Sucat and Martin:
Again we are forced to select from among the often contradictory stories about St. Patrick; but we have invented essentially nothing. He may actually have been an Armorican rather than a Briton, and he may have been born as late as 389. However, this would probably rule out the kinship to St. Martin which tradition gives him, and certainly the story that he became a disciple of the latter. His career after escape from captivity is obscure in the extreme. The reconstruction that we employ has him come to Marmoutier
in 396, seeking holy orders, and live there until the bishop’s death, after which he went south to pursue his studies and devotions.

Banaventa
(or
Bannauenta
or other variants): Mentioned in Patrick’s
Confessions
(which some modern scholars consider spurious), this may have been Daventry, but may also have been one of three places in Glamorganshire called Banwent; we assume the latter. It is described as the home of his mother’s parents, whom he was visiting when the raiders struck, but this does not seem to square with the claim that she was Martin’s niece, so we follow the school of thought that makes Banaventa his father’s and his own dwelling place.

Sucat’s future:
He spent many years on the Continent. Legend declares that Pope Celestine, in consecrating him for his mission, gave him the new name Patricius—now Patrick. There is reason to think he may have assumed it himself and, indeed, even consecrated himself a bishop. The traditional date for his return to Ireland is 432, for his death 461. Thus he, like Martin, had a long life, active until the very end.

XVII

Garomagus:
Our conjectural name for a Roman town that, archeology has revealed, existed on the site of present-day Douarnenez. In fact, the entire littoral of the bay there was reasonably populous and prosperous in the heyday of the Empire. Local tradition makes the city Douarnenez the seat of legendary King Mark, and the islet bears the name of his nephew Tristan. This suggests that the area has ancient magical associations.

Roman Bay:
Baie de Douarnenez. This is the Ysan name; what the Romans called it is not known.

Goat Foreland:
Cap de la Chévre. We are supposing that a name Gallic or even older has kept the same meaning though languages have changed—unless the identity is coincidental.

These equivalents are for the most part only approximations. For further details, see the Notes.

Abona:
The River Avon in Somerset.

Abonae:
Sea Mills.

Africa:
North Africa, exclusive of Egypt and Ethiopia.

Alba:
Scotic name of what is now Scotland, sometimes including England and Wales.

Aquae Suits:
Bath.

Aquileia:
Near present-day Trieste.

Aquilo:
Locmaria, now a district at the south end of Quimper.

Aquitania:
See
Gallia Aquitania.

Aregésla:
Counties Monaghan, Cavan, and Leitrim in Ireland.

Arelate:
Aries.

Armorica:
Brittany.

Asia:
Asia Minor

Audiarna:
Audierne (hypothetical).

Augusta Treverorum:
Trier.

Avela:
Ávila

Bay of Aquitania (Sinus Aquitanicus):
Bay of Biscay.

Boand’s River:
The River Boyne.

Bonna:
Bonn

Borcovicium:
Housesteads, at Hadrian’s Wall.

Bridge of Sena:
Pont de Sein.

Britannia:
The Roman part of Britain, essentially England and Wales.

Britannic Sea (Oceanus Britannicus):
The English Channel.

Burdigala:
Bordeaux.

Caesarodunum Turonum:
Tours.

Caledonia:
Roman name of Scotland.

Campania:
A district of Italy including modern Capua and Naples.

Cape Rack:
Pointe du Raz (hypothetical).

Cassel:
Cashel.

Castellum:
Original form of “Cassel.”

Cenabum:
Orleans

Cimbrian Chersonese, Cimbrian peninsula:
Jutland.

Clón Tarui:
Clontarf, now a district of Dublin.

Condacht:
Connaught.

Condate Redonum:
Rennes.

Condevincum:
A small city, now part of Nantes.

Confluentes:
Quimper (hypothetical).

Corbilo:
St. Nazaire.

Dacia:
Romania.

Dalmatia:
A province occupying, approximately, what is now much of Yugoslavia.

Dál Riata:
A realm in Ulster, or its colony on the Argyll coast.

Danastris:
The River Dniester.

Danuvius:
The River Danube.

Darioritum Venetorum:
Vannes.

Deva:
Chester.

Dochaldun:
An Osismiic village (imaginary).

Dubris:
Dover.

Dún Alinni:
Near present-day Kildare.

Duranius:
The River Dordogne.

Durocotorum:
Reims.

Eboracum:
York.

Emain Macha:
Seat of the principal Ulster kings, near present-day Armagh.

Érin:
Early Gaelic name of Ireland.

Etruria:
Tuscany and northern Latium.

Euxinus:
The Black Sea.

Falernia:
An area in Campania, noted for wine.

Fanum Martis:
Corseul.

Gallia:
Gaul, including France and parts of Belgium, Germany, and Switzerland.

Gallia Aquitania:
A province of Gaul, bounded approximately by the Atlantic Ocean and the Garonne and Loire Rivers.

Gallia Lugdunensis:
A province of Gaul, comprising most of what is now northern and a fair portion of central France.

Gallia Narbonensis:
A province in southwestern France.

Garomagus:
A town at or near present-day Douarnenez (hypothetical).

Garumna:
The River Garonne.

German Sea (Oceanus Germanicus):
The North Sea.

Gesocribate:
A seaport at or near the site of Brest.

Gesoriacum:
Boulogne.

Goana:
The River Goyen (hypothetical).

Goat Foreland:
Cap de la Chêvre (hypothetical).

Gobaean Promontory (Promontorium Gobaeum):
Cap Sizun.

Hispania Tarraconensis:
A province in the northeast and east of Spain.

Hispania:
Spain and Portugal.

Histria:
The area around what is now Trieste.

Hivernia:
Roman name of Ireland.

lcenia:
Norfolk and Suffolk.

Illyricum:
A Roman diocese (major administrative division) occupying, approximately, Greece and much of Yugoslavia.

Ingena:
Avranches.

Isca Silurum:
Caerleon

Islands of Crows:
The Channel Islands (hypothetical nickname).

Jecta:
The River Jet (hypothetical).

Juliomagus:
Angers.

Lemovicium:
Limoges.

Liger:
The River Loire.

Liguria:
A region of Italy including Lombardy and present day Liguria.

Londinium:
London.

Lugdunensis:
See
Gallia Lugdunensis.

Lugdunensis Tertia:
A Roman province comprising northwestern France.

Lugdunum:
Lyons.

Lugovallium:
Carlisle.

Lutetia Parisiorum:
Paris (in part).

Maedraecum:
Médréac (hypothetical).

Mag Slecht:
A pagan sanctuary in County Cavan, Ireland.

Maia:
Bowness.

Massilia:
Marseilles.

Mauretania:
Northern Morocco.

Mediolanum:
Milan.

Mide:
A kingdom occupying present-day Counties Meath, Westmeath, and Longford, with parts of Kildare and Offaly, Ireland.

Moguntiacum:
Mainz.

Mons Ferruginus:
Mont Frugy (hypothetical).

Mosella:
The River Moselle (or Mosel).

Mumu:
Munster.

Namnetum:
See
Portus Namnetum.

Narbonensis:
See
Gallia Narbonensis.

Neapolis:
Naples.

Nemetacum:
Arras.

Odita:
The River Odet (hypothetical).

Osismia:
The country of the Osismii, in western Britanny.

Osismiis:
Later name of Vorgium (q.v.)

Ossanuba:
Faro, Portugal.

Ossraige:
A realm occupying the western part of Counties Laoighis and Kilkenny, Ireland.

Pannonia:
A Roman province occupying parts of Hungary, Austria, and Yugoslavia.

Pergamum:
A former kingdom in western Anatolia, eventually assimilated by Rome.

Pictavum:
Poitiers.

Point Vanis:
Pointe du Van (hypothetical).

Portus Namnetum:
Nantes (in part).

Pyrenaei Mountains:
The Pyrenees.

Qóiqet Lagini:
Leinster (in part).

Qóiqet nUlat:
Ulster.

Race of Sena:
Raz de Sein.

Raetia (or Rhaetia):
A Roman province occupying the eastern Alps and western Tyrol.

Redonia:
The country of the Redones, in eastern Brittany.

Redonum:
See
Condate Redonum.

Rhenus:
The River Rhine.

Rhodanus:
The River Rhone.

Roman Bay:
Baie de Douarnenez (hypothetical).

Rotomagus:
Rouen.

Ruirthech:
The River Liffey.

Sabrina:
The River Severn.

Samarobriva:
Amiens.

Savus:
The River Drava.

Scandia:
The southern part of the Scandinavian peninsula.

Scot’s Landing:
A fisher hamlet near Ys (imaginary).

Sena:
Île de Sein.

Sequana:
The River Seine.

Sinand:
The River Shannon.

Stag Run:
An Osismiic village (imaginary).

Stegir:
The River Steir (hypothetical).

Suebian Sea (Mare Suebicam):
The Baltic Sea.

Tallten:
Teltown, in County Meath, Ireland.

Tamesis:
The River Thames.

Tarraconensis:
See
Hispania Tarraconensis.

Temir:
Tara.

Teutoburg Forest:
Scene of a Roman military disaster at German hands
in the reign of Augustus Caesar.

Thracia:
Thrace, occupying approximately the northeastern end of Greece, the northwestern end of Turkey, and a part of Bulgaria.

Treverorum:
See
Augusta Treverorum.

Turnacum:
Tournay.

Turonum:
See
Caesarodunum Turonum.

Venetorum:
See
Darioritum Venetorum.

Vienna:
Vienne.

Vindolanda:
Chesterholm, at Hadrian’s Wall.

Vindoval:
An Osismiic village (imaginary).

Vindovaria:
A village in Britain (imaginary).

Vorgium:
Carhaix.

Whalestrand:
A fisher hamlet in western Britanny (imaginary).

Ys:
City-state at the far western end of Brittany (legendary).

Where characters are fictional or legendary, their names are in Roman lower case; where historical (in the opinion of most authorities), in Roman capitals; where of doubtful or debatable historicity, in italics. When a full name has not appeared in the text, it is generally not here either, for it was of no great importance even to the bearer.

Adminius: A legionary from Londinium in Britannia, second in command (deputy) of Gratillonius’s detachment in Ys.

Adruval Tyri: Sea Lord of Ys, head of the navy and marines.

Aébell: A daughter of Cellach.

Aed: A tuathal king in Munster.

AETHBE: A wife of Niall (name conjectural).

ALARIC: King of the Visigoths.

Allil:
A half-brother of Niall.

Amair: A daughter of Fennalis by Hoel.

AMBROSIUS: Bishop of Milan, today known as St. Ambrose.

Ámend:
Second wife of Conual Corcc.

Amreth Taniti: Commander of the surviving Ysan marines.

Anmureg maqq Cerballi: A sea rover from Mide.

Antonia: (1) A sister of Gratillonis; (2) Second daughter of Guilvilis and Gratillonius.

Apuleius Vero: A senator in Aquilo and a tribune of the city.

Arator: A Gallo-Roman prelate.

Arban Cartagi: An Ysan Suffete, husband of Talavair, father of Korai.

ARBOGAST: A Frankish general in the Roman army.

ARCADIUS, FLAVIUS: A son of Theodosius and his successor as Augustus of the East.

Ardens, Septimius Cornelius: Praetorian prefect of Gallia, Hispania, and Britannia.