Plinius the elder on the islands of southern Liburnia

Abstract

On two places Plinius speaks about soudi-Libumian islands and coastal area: Nat. hist, 3, 140-141 and 152. Both places have been repeatedly discussed as a result of different lections and difficulties in obtaining correct interpretation. In the first place the author discusses the question of Colentum island (Nat. hist. 3, 140). He proves that in this Plinius's place stated distances from ladcr (30 Roman miles) and the Krka mouth (Titius fl., 18 Roman miles) punctually correspond with the island of Murter (with Libumo-Roman town Colentum situated above the port Hramina in the village Murter). Distance of 18 miles from Colentum to the Krka mouth was measured across the straits between island of Murter and mainland. In the Antiquity this strait must have been navigable. Emendation XVIII (manuscripts) > XLIH (C. Müller) is superfluous. Also, the author proves that it is necessary to connect lader - Colentum - ostium Titii distances with the information on how distant Scardona was from the sea (12 miles up the river Krka: 3, 141). This is the only Plinius's definition of Scardona location realized across lader, which was repeatedly incorporated into the distance system of Adriatic. Therefore, the above mentioned sentence in Plinius should be read: Rursus in continente colonia ladcr quae a Pola CLX abest, inde XXX Colentum insula, XVIII ostium Titii fluminis. Another problem is Plinius’s mention of the island of Lissa, that is contra lader (3, 152). A review of Plinius’s uses of expression contra X (est) insula Y shows dial Lissa can be identified only with an island that is really opposite Zadar -Ugljan (possibly together with Pašman, which once was joined to it).
The author holds dial colonia lader must have obtained an important place in Roman cartography (Agripa), which reflected in other sources, beginning with Plinius. The author also discusses other questions concerning islands of Southern Liburnia in Antiquity.