Magantia
Attested: Magancia or Magantia at position 290 in the Ravenna Cosmography
Where: Probably the Isle of Skye, around NG3937. Located by its position in the Cosmography's sequence of names and by its name.
Name origin: Magantia naturally means something like ‘great opposite’, based on PIE *magh- ‘to have power’ or *meg- ‘big, great’ (as in μεγα, magnus etc) plus *ant- ‘forehead’ (which led to αντι ‘opposite’ etc).
Notes: In scribal handwriting c and t can look very similar. Magantia would have made the Cosmographer think of the country of origin of the saint of that name, martyred in AD 308, mentioned by Eusebius. The narrow channel that separates Skye from the mainland may also be likened to river tributaries with ancient names that end in –antia or -entia. Skye was not Σκητις.
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Last edited 10 May 2020 to main Menu