This story is set amid real historical events in real places that still exist today. Over the years, however, the names of the locations have changed. Some of the fourth-century names were close enough to the modern ones that I used the current spelling without straying too far into modernity (e.g. Geneva). Others are very different. For that reason this glossary is provided so readers can orient themselves as to where events in the tale are set.
|
Ancient name |
Location |
Modern name |
|
Aquae Sulis |
Britannia |
Bath, Somerset, England |
|
Aquileia |
North-east Italia |
Aquileia, Italy |
|
Arelate |
Southern Gaul |
Arles, France |
|
Argantoratum |
City in Roman province of Germania Inferior |
Strasbourg, France |
|
Armorica |
North-west Gaul |
Brittany and Normandy, France |
|
Aurelianum |
Gaul |
Orléans, France |
|
Bleda Vár |
Bleda’s fortress, Hun Land |
Budapest, Hungary |
|
Bonaven |
Britannia |
Unknown: childhood home of St Patrick, somewhere in northern Britain |
|
Comum |
Northern Italia |
Como, Italy |
|
Constantinople |
Capital of the Eastern Roman Empire |
Istanbul, Turkey |
|
Dacia |
Roman province |
Transylvania, Oltenia and Banat in Romania |
|
Divodurum |
City in Roman province of Belgica |
Metz, France |
|
Dyrrhachium |
Roman city |
Durrës, Albania |
|
Hispania |
Roman province |
The Iberian Peninsula |
|
Lugdunum |
Gaul |
Lyon, France |
|
Mare Hadriaticum |
Sea north-east of Italia |
The Adriatic Sea |
|
Mare Nostrum |
Sea |
The Mediterranean Sea |
|
Mauretania |
Province in North Africa |
Mid-Algeria and northern Morocco |
|
Maxima Sequanorum |
Roman Province |
Burgundy, France and parts of Switzerland |
|
Naissus |
City in Roman Dacia |
Niŝ, Serbia |
|
Noviomagus |
City in Germania Inferior |
Nijmegen, the Netherlands |
|
Pannonia |
Province of the Roman Empire between the Danube and Dalmatia |
Areas of western Hungary, western Slovakia, eastern Austria, northern Croatia, north-western Serbia, northern Slovenia, and northern Bosnia and Herzegovina |
|
Ravenna |
Capital city of the Western Roman Empire, Northern Italia |
Ravenna, Italy |
|
Remorum |
City in Gaul |
Reims, France |
|
Santen |
City in Germania Inferior |
Xanten, Germany |
|
Scythia |
Kingdom extending from the Don in the east to the Danube in the west, and covering the territory north of the Black Sea’s coastline |
Lands extending from the Danube in the west to the Black Sea in the east |
|
Sirmium |
City in the Roman province of Pannonia |
Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia |
|
Tanais |
River |
The Don river in Ukraine/Russia |
|
Tarvisium |
City in northern Italia |
Treviso, Italy |
|
Tolosa |
Visigoth capital |
Toulouse, France |
|
Tungrorum |
Roman District in Belgica |
Liège and Limburg, Belgium |
|
Trans-Sylvania |
Roman Dacia |
Transylvania, Romania |
|
Tricassium |
City in Gaul |
Troyes, France |
|
Verona |
City in northern Italia |
Verona, Italy |
|
Vicentia |
City in northern Italia |
Vicenza, Italy |
|
Vorbetomagus |
City in Germania Superior |
Worms, Germany |