Novaesion

Novaesion
Greek Surname	Νουαίσιον
Lat. Surname	Novaesium
Polis	53. Polis in Germania magna
ptol. climate	Ptolemaic climate III, inner zone south
ptol. map	Germania magna
Dating	around 150 AD
Poli type	Place by the river
ptol. length	31 ° 00 'or 31 ° 10' longitude
ptol. width	51 ° 10 'latitude
Location after Kleineberg	Melsungen on the Fulda
State of research	on the Fulda (Mannert 1820)
Brief description	potentially Nausis
Polis before	Artaunon
Polis afterwards	Melokabos

Novaesion , in Latin Novaesium ( Greek  Νουαίσιον ) is a place name, which in the Geographia of Claudius Ptolemaios as one of the places (πόλεις) lying further south in the west and in the interior of the Germania magna with 31 ° 00 ′ longitude (according to the manuscript U ) resp. 31 ° 30ˈ longitude (according to handwriting X ) and 51 ° 10 ′ latitude are given. According to Ptolemy, Novaesion lies between Artaunon and Melokabos . Because of the age of the source, the existence of the place around 150 AD can be assumed.

localization

So far the place could not be located safely. An interdisciplinary team of researchers led by Andreas Kleineberg, who re-examined the information provided by Ptolemy, located Novaesion based on the transformed ancient coordinates at today's Melsungen an der Fulda in the Schwalm-Eder district in Hesse . Conrad Mannert already located Novaesion on the Fulda.

In addition, the research group around Kleineberg is considering whether the second reading Nαυαίσιον (after the handwriting X) represents the more original form and is related to the place name Nausis, which occurs several times in the Schwalm-Eder district . In this way, she potentially locates Novaesion in the Spangenberg district of Nausis in Hesse , the transformed ancient coordinates also allow this interpretation.

Legion camp Neuss on the left bank of the Rhine

The Ptolemaic coordinates speak against equating Novaesion with the Roman legionary camp Novaesium of Neuss near Düsseldorf on the left bank of the Rhine . Ancient historical research often assumes that it was erroneously entered by Ptolemy in the Germania magna on the right bank of the Rhine. Corinna Scheungraber and Friedrich E. Grünzweig said that a controversial formulation in Tacitus is likely to be a possible cause of the Ptolemaic mistransferences.

Remarks

1. ↑ Ptolemy, Geographia 2,11,14 ( online )
2. ↑ ^{a b c} Andreas Kleineberg, Christian Marx, Eberhard Knobloch, Dieter Lelgemann : Germania and the island of Thule. The decoding of Ptolemy's "Atlas of the Oikumene". Scientific Book Society, Darmstadt 2011, ISBN 978-3-534-24525-3 , p. 52.
3. ^ Conrad Mannert: Geography of the Greeks and Romans . Part 3, Germania, Rhaetia, Noricum, Pannonia . Leipzig 1820, p. 566.
4. ^ Corinna Scheungraber, Friedrich E. Grünzweig: The old Germanic toponyms and un-Germanic toponyms of Germania. A handbook on its etymology using a bibliography by Robert Nedoma. Edited by Hermann Reichert (= Philologica Germanica . Volume 34). Fassbaender, Vienna 2014, ISBN 978-3-902575-62-3 , p. 265.

literature

• Ludwig Rübekeil :  Neuss. In: Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde (RGA). 2nd Edition. Volume 21, Walter de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 2002, ISBN 3-11-017272-0 , pp. 119–120 ( chargeable via GAO , De Gruyter Online).
• Hermann Reichert :  Ptolemaeus. In: Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde (RGA). 2nd Edition. Volume 23, Walter de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 2003, ISBN 3-11-017535-5 , pp. 567–597 ( paid for via GAO , De Gruyter Online).
• Alfred Stückelberger, Gerd Graßhoff (ed.): Ptolemaios, Handbook of Geography (Greek-German) . Schwabe Verlag, Basel 2006, ISBN 3-7965-2148-7 (work in 2 half-volumes, with CD-ROM).
• Corinna Scheungraber, Friedrich E. Grünzweig: The old Germanic toponyms as well as non-Germanic toponyms of Germania. A handbook on its etymology using a bibliography by Robert Nedoma. Edited by Hermann Reichert (= Philologica Germanica . Volume 34). Fassbaender, Vienna 2014, ISBN 978-3-902575-62-3 , pp. 334–335.

Web links

• Edition of Geographike Hyphegesis with translation and map of Germania magna , accessed on November 16, 2016
• Google Earth in ancient times. In: Der Spiegel. 39/2010, accessed November 16, 2016