Anonymus és a „Fekete-tenger” : 2. rész: További megjegyzések = Anonymus and the “Black Sea” : Part II: Further remarks

Holler, László (2014) Anonymus és a „Fekete-tenger” : 2. rész: További megjegyzések = Anonymus and the “Black Sea” : Part II: Further remarks. MAGYAR NYELV, 110 (1). pp. 56-67. ISSN 0025-0228 (nyomtatott), 1588-1210 (online)

Preview

Text 2014_Anonymus_es_a_Fekete-tenger_Tovabbi_megjegyzesek.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives. Download (413kB) | Preview

Abstract

In an earlier article Anonymus and the “Black Sea” (Magyar Nyelv (104) 2008: 306–316.), the author demonstrated that the expressions “ad nigrum mare” and “ad nigrum pontum”, which are found in Anonymus’ historical work Gesta Hungarorum, in both cases they are due to errors occurring in the copying process. Therefore, this text is not a reliable source for examples of the use of the term ‘Black Sea’ - referring to Pontus Euxinus - from the beginning of the 13th century. (The author contests that Anonymus' manuscript was completed between 1211 and 1213: Anonymus and “Cleopatra's town”. Anonymus’ work is 800 years old. Helynévtörténeti Tanulmányok (8.) 2012: 61–79.). A paper published in “Magyar Nyelv” in 2010 called attention to Icelandic sagas written after 1220 which refer to Pontus Euxinus as Svartahaf (Black Sea) (Csákváry–Veszprémy 2010: 339–343.). The paper states, based on these data, that “there is no need to suppose deterioration of the text for palaeographic reasons in Anonymus’ work” (340.). In the present paper, the author emphasizes that the conclusion made by Csákváry–Veszprémy is based on a serious conceptual error. The author assumes errors in the copying process not simply because the name-form ‘Black Sea’ has not been confirmed by other documents from Anonymus’ era (only surfacing in much later times), but because, in both cases, a series of infallible logical conclusions have lead him to this determination. The Byzantine-Venetian peace treaty drafted in the year 1265 would be the only document from the 13th century including the Greek name “Μαύρη θάλασσα” and its Latin translation. However, the author concluded that some letters most likely were different in the original draft from the text known today and the original did not refer to the “Black Sea”. The author attributes the earliest occurrences of “Mare nigrum” in Latin texts to “Mirabilia descripti”, written by the Dominican monk Jordanus Catalana de Severac circa 1330; there is also a report by a Franciscan missionary monk named Pascal written on August 10, 1338. The earliest occurrence in Arabic is attributed to Abu-l-Fida's geographical work from 1321.

Actions (login required)

Edit Item