Unknown, Bordeaux Itinerary 584.1-586.2
https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/211
Context
The earliest surviving firsthand account of Christian pilgrimage was
written by an unknown man from Bordeaux in southwestern France (Roman
Burdigala) who travelled overland to Syria and Palestine in 333-334 C.E. His
account, organized as a strict itinerary according to distances between sites, notes
topographic associations with the stories in Hebrew and Christian scripture and
recounts local tradition. This passage covers the trip south from Tyre to the area of
Caesarea Maritima.
Text
Civitas Tyro mil. XII fit ab Antiochia Tyro usque milia CLXXIIII,
mutationes XX, mansiones XI. mutatio Alexandroschene mil. XII mutatio Ecdeppa mil. XII
civitas Ptolomaida mil. VIII mutatio Calamon mil. XII mansio Sicaminos ibi est mons
Carmelus, ibi Helias sacrificium faciebat. Civitas Caesareae
Palestinae id est Iudaea mil. VIII fit a Tyro Caesarea
Palestina milia LXXIII, mutationes II, mansiones III. ibi est balneus
Cornelii centurionis, qui multas elymosynas faciebat. Inde est tertio miliario mons
Syna, ubi fons est, in quem mulier si laverit, gravida fit.
1
Textual Note
Ed. Cuntz 1929Translation
City: Tyre 12 miles Tyre is 174 miles from Antioch, 20 exchanges, 11
overnights. Exchange: Alexandroschene 12 miles Exchange: Ecdeppa 12 miles City:
Ptolemaida 8 miles Exchange: Calamon 12 miles Overnight: Sicaminos 3 miles Located there
is Mount Carmel, where Elias made his sacrifice. Exchange: Certha 8 miles Border between
Syria Phoenice and Palestina City: Caearea Palestinae (i.e.
Judaea) 8 miles Caesarea Palestina is 73 miles from Tyre, two
exchanges, three overnights. Located there is the bath of the centurion Cornelius, who
did many charitable acts. From there at the third milestone is located Mount Syna, where
there is the spring where, if a woman bathes in it, she becomes pregnant.
Translation Note
Trans. J. L. RifeWorks Cited
- 1 Unknown, Itineraria Romana 1: Itineraria Antonini Augusti et Burdigalense, ed. Otto Cuntz (Leipzig: B. G. Teubner, 1929), section: 584.1-586.2.
Additional Bibliography
- Jaś Elsner, The Itinerarium Burdigalense: Politics and Salvation in the Geography of Constantine’s Empire, Journal of Roman Studies 90 (2000): 181–95
How to Cite This Entry
Joseph L. Rife, “Unknown, Bordeaux Itinerary 584.1-586.2,” in Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, entry published June 30, 2023, https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/211.
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Bibliography:
Joseph L. Rife, “Unknown, Bordeaux Itinerary 584.1-586.2.” In Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, edited by Joseph L. Rife., edited by Joseph L. Rife. Caesarea City and Port Exploration Project, 2023. Entry published June 30, 2023. https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/211.About this Entry
Entry Title: Unknown, Bordeaux Itinerary 584.1-586.2
Authorial and Editorial Responsibility:
- Joseph L. Rife, general editor, Vanderbilt University
- Joseph L. Rife, editor, Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia
- David A. Michelson, Daniel L. Schwartz, and William L. Potter, technical editor, “Unknown, Bordeaux Itinerary 584.1-586.2”
- Joseph L. Rife, entry contributor, “Unknown, Bordeaux Itinerary 584.1-586.2”
Additional Credit:
- TEI encoding by William L. Potter
- Electronic text added by Joseph L. Rife
- Testimonia identified by Joseph L. Rife