Dacia in the Cosmography of the Unknown Ravennese

Abstract

Anonymous of Ravenna wrote his Cosmography in the early 9th century. This work is a detailed description of the world. The first and fourth books of Cosmography contain a description of Dacia. The present study examines the Dacia chapter. The study finds that Anonymous of Ravenna used Jordans’ Getica (The Origin and Deeds of the Goths) and History of Rome (Romana), an early version of the Tabula Peutingeriana, and Paul the Deacon’s History of the Lango-bards. Anonymous of Ravenna described the territory, rivers, cities and inhabitants of Dacia. Dacia appeared in Cosmography under the following names: Dacia Minor, Magna and Dacia Prima et Secunda. Anonymous of Ravenna also named Dacia under the name Gepidia because the Gepids occupied the territory of Dacia. He took this information from Getica. Anonymous of Ravenna listed the rivers of Dacia: Tisia, Tibisia, Drica Marisia, Ariane, Gilpit, Grisia, Flautasis, Danube (Ister). The names of the rivers of Dacia came from Jordan’s Getica. The territory of Dacia, based on the rivers, can be drawn. The fourth book of Cosmography contains the names of the cities in Dacia (Drubetis, Medilas, Pre-torich, Panonin, Gazanam, Masclianis, Tibis, Tema, Tiviscum, Gubali, Bersovia, Arcibada, Canonia, Potula, Bacaucis). Anonymous of Ravenna may have taken most of the toponyms from an early version of the Tabula Peutingeriana, but Tema, Canonia and Bacaucis are new names between the settlements. According to Anonymous, the Huns or Avars inhabited Dacia. Anonymous of Ravenna took this information from Paul the Deacon’s Langobard history. In the Cosmography, the description of Dacia differed from that of Dacia written by antique writers. Anonymous of Ravenna supplemented the data from antique books with information from his century.