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Book III, Chapter 2

Location of Corsica island
(from the Sixth Map of Europe)

Thayer's Note: Stevenson's "translation" of Ptolemy, to which this page belongs, is abysmally bad. It should not be used for any serious purpose. For details and correctives, see my Ptolemy homepage.

[image ALT: A schematic map of Corsica in Roman times. ]

My notes on the Map:

No information has been added to Ptolemy's text as I have it; there is almost no topographic information, and the courses of the rivers remain unmapped.

This is a case where the text looked fine until I plotted the map: which then made me realize that the 1932 editor had mistranscribed the latitude of Casalus Bay (see below).

Cyrnus island, which is also called Corsica, is surrounded on the west and the north by the Ligurian sea, on the east by the Tyrrhenian sea, and on the south by that sea which lies between it and the Sardinian island.

The seacoast of this island, if we begin in the middle on the north side, is described in this order:

mouth of the Volerius river 30*40 41°00
Caesia coast 30*30 41°10
Tilox promontory 30*00 41°30

Description of the west coast:

Attii promontory 30*00 41°10
Casalus bay 30*15 40°45 ? a
Viriballum promontory 30*10 40°30
mouth of the Circidius river 30*10 40°25
Rhoetius mountains 30*00 40°20
Rhium promontory 30*00 40°15
Urcinium town 30*10 40°10
Arenosum coast 30*15 40°00
mouth of the Locra river 30*10 39°55
Pauca town 30*15 39°45
mouth of the Ticarius river 30*15 39°40
Titianus harbor 30*10 39°35

Description of the south coast:

Ficaria town 30*30 39°30
mouth of the Pitanus river 30*45 39°20
Marianum promontory and town 31*00 39°10

Description of the east coast:

Palla town 31*20 39°20
Syracusanus harbor 31*20 39°25
Rubra town 31*20 39°30
Granianum promontory 31*30 39°40
Alista town 31*20 39°45
Philonii harbor 31*30 39°55
mouth of the Sacer river 31*30 40°00
Aleria colonia 31*30 40°05
mouth of the Rotanus river 31*30 40°10
Diana harbor 31*20 40°20
Tutela altar 31*30 40°30
mouth of the Guola river 31*30 40°35
Mariana town 31*40 40°40
Vagum promontory 31*30 40°45
Mantinon town 31*20 41°00
Clunium town 31*20 41°10

Description of the northeast coast:

Sacrum promontory 31*30 41°35
Centurinum town 31*15 41°30
Canelata town 31*00 41°20

The native races inhabiting the island are the following: the Cervini, occupying the western part above the Aureus mountains

and the location is 30*45 40°45

Below these are the Tarabeni; then the Titiani; next the Balatini; more to the north are the Vanacini; below whom are the Celebenses; then the Licmini and the Macrini; below whom are the Opini; then the Symbri and the Coymaseni; below these but more toward the south are the Subasani.

The towns in the interior are

Ropicum 30*15 41°00
Cersunum 30*30 41°00
Palanta 30*20 40°45
Lurinum 31*00 40°45
Aluca 30*20 40°30
Osincum 30*30 40°30
Sermigium 30*20 40°20
Talcinum 30*45 40°30
Venicium 30*50 40°20
Cenestum 31*00 40°15
Opinum 31*20 40°25
Mora 30*30 40°00
Matisa 30*45 39°35
Albiana 31*00 39°30

Thayer's Note:

a The 1932 edition has 40°25 but this is an error. The map that figure yields shows the mistake clearly. This is no longer a bay but an unlikely estuary. I've followed the medieval map, which marks Casalus Bay at around 40°45N.

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