Antonine Itinerary
Encyclopedia
The Antonine Itinerary is a register of the stations and distances along the various roads of the Roman empire
, containing directions how to get from one Roman settlement to another. According to the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica
, the Antonini Itinerarium is seemingly based on official documents, probably of the survey organized by Julius Caesar
, and carried out under Augustus
. Due to the scarcity of other extant
sources of this type of information, it is a very valuable source. Nothing is known with certainty as to the date or author. It is considered probable that the date of the original edition was the beginning of the 3rd century, while that which we possess is to be assigned to the time of Diocletian
. Although traditionally ascribed to the patronage of Antoninus Augustus
, if the author or promoter of the work is one of the emperors, it is most likely to be Antoninus Caracalla.
. There are 15 such itineraries in the document.
The itinerary measures distances in Roman miles, where 1,000 Roman paces equals one Roman mile. A Roman pace was two steps, left plus right. Roman paces were not everywhere the same, and conversion to modern units is imprecise, but 1 Roman mile approximately equals 4,690 feet, or 1430 m.
Below is the original Latin for route 14 followed by a translation with a possible (but not necessarily authoritative) name for the modern site.
(made available ca. 1749, published 1757) was a forgery that provided much spurious information on Roman Britain
, including "itineraries" that overlapped the legitimate Antonine Itineraries, sometimes with contradicting information. Its authenticity was not seriously challenged until 1845, and it was still an authority up to the late nineteenth century. By then, its false information had infected almost every telling of ancient British history, even working its way into the Ordnance Survey
maps, as General Roy
and his successors believed it to be a legitimate source of information, on a par with the Antonine Itineraries. While it was no longer cited when its authenticity became indefensible, it was also not systematically rooted out of past and present works.
Some authors such as Thomas Reynolds, without challenging the authenticity of the forgery, took care to note its discrepancies and challenge the quality of its information. This was not always so, even after the forgery was debunked.
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
, containing directions how to get from one Roman settlement to another. According to the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica
Encyclopædia Britannica
The Encyclopædia Britannica , published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia that is available in print, as a DVD, and on the Internet. It is written and continuously updated by about 100 full-time editors and more than 4,000 expert...
, the Antonini Itinerarium is seemingly based on official documents, probably of the survey organized by Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
, and carried out under Augustus
Augustus
Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
. Due to the scarcity of other extant
Extant literature
Extant literature refers to texts that have survived from the past to the present time. Extant literature can be divided into extant original manuscripts, copies of original manuscripts, quotations and paraphrases of passages of non-extant texts contained in other works, translations of non-extant...
sources of this type of information, it is a very valuable source. Nothing is known with certainty as to the date or author. It is considered probable that the date of the original edition was the beginning of the 3rd century, while that which we possess is to be assigned to the time of Diocletian
Diocletian
Diocletian |latinized]] upon his accession to Diocletian . c. 22 December 244 – 3 December 311), was a Roman Emperor from 284 to 305....
. Although traditionally ascribed to the patronage of Antoninus Augustus
Antoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius , also known as Antoninus, was Roman Emperor from 138 to 161. He was a member of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty and the Aurelii. He did not possess the sobriquet "Pius" until after his accession to the throne...
, if the author or promoter of the work is one of the emperors, it is most likely to be Antoninus Caracalla.
Iter Britanniarum
The British section is known as the Iter Britanniarum, and can be described as the 'Road Map' of Roman BritainRoman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
. There are 15 such itineraries in the document.
The itinerary measures distances in Roman miles, where 1,000 Roman paces equals one Roman mile. A Roman pace was two steps, left plus right. Roman paces were not everywhere the same, and conversion to modern units is imprecise, but 1 Roman mile approximately equals 4,690 feet, or 1430 m.
Examples
Below is the original Latin for route 13 followed by a translation with a possible (but not necessarily authoritative) name for the modern site. A transcriber omitted an entry, so that the total number of paces does not equal the sum of paces between locations.| Item ab Isca Calleva mpm cviiii sic | A route from Isca Silurum to Calleva Atrebatum 109,000 paces thus |
|---|---|
| Burrio Burrium Burrium was a legionary fortress in the Roman province of Britannia Superior or Roman Britain.Its remains today lie beneath the town of Usk in Monmouthshire.... mpm viii |
Usk Usk Usk is a small town in Monmouthshire, Wales, situated 10 miles northeast of Newport.The River Usk flows through the town and is spanned by an ancient, arched stone bridge at the western entrance to the town. A castle above the town overlooks the ancient Anglo-Welsh border crossing - the river can... , Monmouthshire, 8,000 paces |
| Blestio Blestium Blestium was a small town and probable fort in Roman Wales within the Roman province of Britannia Superior, part of Roman Britain... mpm xi |
Monmouth Monmouth Monmouth is a town in southeast Wales and traditional county town of the historic county of Monmouthshire. It is situated close to the border with England, where the River Monnow meets the River Wye with bridges over both.... , Monmouthshire 11,000 paces |
| Ariconio Ariconium Ariconium was a road station of Roman Britain mentioned in Iter XIII of the Iter Britanniarum of the Antonine Itineraries. It was located at Bury Hill in the parish of Weston under Penyard, about east of Ross on Wye, Herefordshire, and about southeast of Hereford. The site existed prior to the... mpm xi |
Bury Hill, Weston under Penyard, Herefordshire 11,000 paces |
| Clevo Glevum Glevum was a Roman fort in Roman Britain that become "colonia" of retired legionaries in AD 97. Today it is known as Gloucester, located in the English county of Gloucestershire... mpm xv |
Gloucester Gloucester Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham.... , Gloucestershire 15,000 paces |
| (no entry) | perhaps Corinium Dobunnorum Corinium Dobunnorum Corinium Dobunnorum was the second largest town in the Roman province of Britannia. Today it is known as Cirencester, located in the English county of Gloucestershire.-Fortress:... at modern Cirencester Cirencester Cirencester is a market town in east Gloucestershire, England, 93 miles west northwest of London. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames, and is the largest town in the Cotswold District. It is the home of the Royal Agricultural College, the oldest agricultural... , Gloucestershire |
| Durocornovio mpm xiiii | perhaps Wanborough, Wiltshire Wanborough, Wiltshire Wanborough is a village and civil parish in the borough of Swindon, Wiltshire. The village is about southeast of Swindon town centre. The parish includes the hamlet of Foxhill, southeast of the village.-History:... 14,000 paces |
| Spinis mpm xv | Speen, Berkshire Speen, Berkshire Speen is a village and civil parish in the unitary district of West Berkshire and county of Berkshire, England. The parish is about north west of Newbury.... 15,000 paces |
| Calleva mpm xv | Silchester Silchester Silchester is a village and civil parish about north of Basingstoke in Hampshire. It is adjacent to the county boundary with Berkshire and about south-west of Reading.... , Hampshire 15,000 paces |
Below is the original Latin for route 14 followed by a translation with a possible (but not necessarily authoritative) name for the modern site.
| Item alio itinere ab Isca Calleva mpm ciii sic | An alternate route from Isca Silurum to Calleva Atrebatum 103,000 paces thus |
|---|---|
| Venta Silurum Venta Silurum Venta Silurum was a town in the Roman province of Britannia or Britain. Today it consists of remains in the village of Caerwent in Monmouthshire, south east Wales. Much of it has been archaeologically excavated and is on display to the public.... mpm viiii |
Caerwent Caerwent Caerwent is a village and community in Monmouthshire, Wales. It is located about five miles west of Chepstow and eleven miles east of Newport, and was founded by the Romans as the market town of Venta Silurum, an important settlement of the Brythonic Silures tribe. The modern village is built... , Monmouthshire 9,000 paces |
| Abone mpm xiiii | Sea Mills Sea Mills, Bristol Sea Mills is a suburb of the English port city of Bristol. It is situated some 3.5 miles north-west of the city centre, towards the seaward end of the Avon Gorge. Nearby suburbs are Shirehampton, Sneyd Park, Combe Dingle and Stoke Bishop... , Gloucestershire 14,000 paces |
| Traiectus mpm viiii | perhaps Bitton Bitton Bitton is a village and civil parish in South Gloucestershire, England, in the Greater Bristol area on the River Boyd.It is in the far south of the South Gloucestershire district, near the border with Bath and North East Somerset... , near Willsbridge, Gloucestershire 9,000 paces |
| Aquis Solis Aquae Sulis Aquae Sulis was a small town in the Roman province of Britannia. Today it is known as Bath, located in the English county of Somerset.-Baths and temple complex:... mpm vi |
Bath, Somerset 6,000 paces |
| Verlucione mpm xv | Sandy Lane, Wiltshire Sandy Lane, Wiltshire Sandy Lane is a hamlet situated between the towns of Chippenham and Devizes in Wiltshire, and between the villages of Bromham and Derry Hill on the A342 road. It is 3 km south of the old Roman Road running from Bath to London, now called the A4, and was called Verlucio in Roman times... 15,000 paces |
| Cunetione mpm xx | Mildenhall, Wiltshire Mildenhall, Wiltshire Mildenhall is a village and civil parish in the Kennet Valley in Wiltshire about east of the market town of Marlborough.-History:The toponym is derived from the Old English but the site has been occupied since the Roman occupation of Britain, when the fortress town of Cunetio stood at an... 20,000 paces |
| Spinis mpm xv | Speen, Berkshire Speen, Berkshire Speen is a village and civil parish in the unitary district of West Berkshire and county of Berkshire, England. The parish is about north west of Newbury.... 15,000 paces |
| Calleva mpm xv | Silchester Silchester Silchester is a village and civil parish about north of Basingstoke in Hampshire. It is adjacent to the county boundary with Berkshire and about south-west of Reading.... , Hampshire 15,000 paces |
A confounding factor
De Situ BritanniaeDe Situ Britanniae
De Situ Britanniae is a fictional description of the peoples and places of ancient Britain. Purported to contain the account of a Roman general preserved in the manuscript of a fourteenth century English monk, it was considered the premier source of information on Roman Britain for more than a...
(made available ca. 1749, published 1757) was a forgery that provided much spurious information on Roman Britain
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
, including "itineraries" that overlapped the legitimate Antonine Itineraries, sometimes with contradicting information. Its authenticity was not seriously challenged until 1845, and it was still an authority up to the late nineteenth century. By then, its false information had infected almost every telling of ancient British history, even working its way into the Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
maps, as General Roy
William Roy
Major-General William Roy FRS was a Scottish military engineer, surveyor, and antiquarian. He was an innovator who applied new scientific discoveries and newly emerging technologies to the accurate geodetic mapping of Great Britain....
and his successors believed it to be a legitimate source of information, on a par with the Antonine Itineraries. While it was no longer cited when its authenticity became indefensible, it was also not systematically rooted out of past and present works.
Some authors such as Thomas Reynolds, without challenging the authenticity of the forgery, took care to note its discrepancies and challenge the quality of its information. This was not always so, even after the forgery was debunked.
Hispania