The trouble with Portus Adurni is that corruption is involved in the
transmission of the name. Portum Adurni is what appears in the Notitia
Dignitatum, but Ravennas has Ardaoneon (no Portus). Usually one wouldn't
trust Ravennas an inch, and if we followed form, we'd trust ND more; but
what the ND form means is unclear. Andrew Breeze tells me he has a story
about PA, but I haven't seen it and it isn't in print yet.
Richard
--On 17 December 2004 13:28 +0000 John Briggs <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:
> R.A. Coates wrote:
>> All I would add here is that the name Anderitu (Latin -um) `big ford'
>> can be understood to suit the situation of Pevensey perfectly: a wade
>> across an inlet between what are now the Bexhill and Eastbourne areas.
>
> Fine, OK - but that still leaves us with the problem of nine names for ten
> forts! It's a pity that we don't know the Roman name for Walton Castle.
> And if Portus Adurni really is Portchester, what does the "Adurni" mean?
>
> John Briggs
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Richard Coates
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