Melamoni
Attested: Melamoni at position 15 in the Ravenna Cosmography
Where: Probably the Roman fort at SX596960 near Okehampton, Devon, on the north edge of Dartmoor, occupying the saddle of a spur between the river Okement and one of its tributaries. Modern Meldon (Meledon in 1176) is not far away. The complex of fort and camps at North Tawton near SX660997 is a less likely candidate.
Name origin: See here for a general discussion of M-vowel-L ‘protruding, sticking out or up’ in ancient names. For the -moni part, Latin mons ‘hill’may be less appropriate than PIE *mono- ‘mane, nape of neck’.
Notes: This analysis overrules a previous guess of a high point on Dartmoor, possibly on the Black Ridge, serving as a marker point for Roman soldiers yomping an approximately straight line across the moor.
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Last edited 1 February 2023 to main Menu.