Mediterranean and Black Sea Place Names -- Discussion

Tools for finding the names of towns, bays, points, islands, lighthouses and other landmarks

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Matteo
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Mediterranean and Black Sea Place Names -- Discussion

Post by Matteo »

In general, if you are looking for place names or for maps and other useful references, you should go to Mediterranean and Black Sea Place Names -- Reference.

You can use this topic to search for information that has not yet been added to the Reference topic.

You can also use this topic to ask for help with reading a Mediterranean and Black Sea place name or locating the place.
Give us a link to the log page(s) where it is mentioned and tell us approximately where it occurs on the page(s).

Note: Place names include lighthouses.



If you have information about a place name or find a useful reference, please help everyone by contributing it to this topic.

When contributing place names, try to provide as many of the following as possible:
  • Country
  • Name in log
  • Latitude and Longitude (preferably in decimal format with a minimum of one decimal place - two decimal places is the preferred format)
  • Current name (if different)
  • Link to more information
  • Also, in case of problems, a link to the log page(s) where it is mentioned would be helpful
Don't worry if you can't supply all the information. Your link to the page will enable others to search for the missing information.
(You can save us even more work by using the template provided, but that is strictly optional.)

Any kind of geographical information in this topic is always welcome. A Google Map covering a specific ship or area is a good example of a much appreciated contribution. We will collect them in the corresponding Reference topic.
studentforever
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Re: Mediterranean and Black Sea Place Names -- Discussion

Post by studentforever »

I'm not sure how you will add info in this article to the reference pages but if anyone else's ship is cruising round the Med in the 19th century there afe some interesting snippets of info about the coast round Spezia in Italy.

https://www.chantrou.net/post/d-26-il-l ... -varignano
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Randi
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Re: Mediterranean and Black Sea Place Names -- Discussion

Post by Randi »

Interesting, and timely, article.
studentforever
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Re: Mediterranean and Black Sea Place Names -- Discussion

Post by studentforever »

Came across a reference to Monte Cristo in Jamestown's log. A little delving produced the info that there is a small island off the coast of Italy

https://www.geonames.org/3172959/isola- ... risto.html
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Matteo
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Re: Mediterranean and Black Sea Place Names -- Discussion

Post by Matteo »

Hi there!

Thanks, will add immediately Montecristo (and Monte Cristo variant) to the reference thread!

I know it well... it's in the Tuscan Archipelago, not so far from my home (it's also where the Count of Montecristo in Dumas novel comes from). Nowadays is a natural reserve and access is limited to a daily guided tour under proper authorization. Had always wanted to visit it, but there's a maximum yearly number of visitors, and places are booked for years.

Also the Spezia article seem interesting... we have some nice maps but only 1911 onward, maybe i could add the article to the reference in the resources section.
studentforever
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Re: Mediterranean and Black Sea Place Names -- Discussion

Post by studentforever »

Another strange Sicilian reference from Jamestown. She's got herself involved in the siege of Palermo in 1849 and there were a couple of references to approximations of Zafferani. They refer to:

Zafferani is indexed as Capo Zafferano on the north coast of Sicily. It lies at Lat 38.11, Long 13.53. There is a lighthouse on the headland.
https://mapcarta.com/30316790

Carrying on with the log, on 22nd May, the Neapolitans have occupied Palermo and Jamestown is leaving. She takes a compass bearing on Graham's Rock. This seems to refer to Graham's Island, a transient volcanic island which has now submerged to about 8m below the sea.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graham_Is ... anean_Sea)
http://oldweather.s3.amazonaws.com/ow3/ ... _151_1.jpg
studentforever
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Re: Mediterranean and Black Sea Place Names -- Discussion

Post by studentforever »

On 26 May Jamestown makes reference to the islet of Pianosa which is in the Tuscan Archipelago. It is mentioned twice, the first time written as Peanosa.

https://www.geonames.org/3170936/pianosa.html
http://oldweather.s3.amazonaws.com/ow3/ ... _153_1.jpg
studentforever
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Re: Mediterranean and Black Sea Place Names -- Discussion

Post by studentforever »

Jamestown has now arrived in Spezia and taken anchor bearings.
One is the Fort St Maria or Forte Santa Maria. This is on the Punta Santa Maria on the end of the Bay at Lat 44.07, Long 9.85
https://www.geonames.org/3167572/punta-santa-maria.html
https://www.tracesofwar.com/sights/5150 ... -Maria.htm
studentforever
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Re: Mediterranean and Black Sea Place Names -- Discussion

Post by studentforever »

Jamestown is now in Leghorn Roads (Livorno) and is back to taking local bearings. Mazocca Tower seems to correspond to Torre del Marzocco, a 15th century 'sighting tower'. It lies at Lat 43.57 Long 10.3
https://www.geonames.org/3173815/torre- ... zocco.html
https://translate.google.com/translate? ... ch&pto=aue
https://catalog.archives.gov/OpaAPI/med ... 67_163.jpg
studentforever
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Re: Mediterranean and Black Sea Place Names -- Discussion

Post by studentforever »

Jamestown is still in the Med but heading East. 5 April 1849 she is going round the Peloponese and takes bearings on a number of islands.
http://oldweather.s3.amazonaws.com/ow3/ ... _189_0.jpg
From meridian to 4pm she cites Ceregatto and Cereigo.

The Morea is a name sometimes used to denote the central peninsula of the Peloponnese in Greece. The most southern point is Akra Tainaron at Lat 36.39, Long 22.48
Cereigo is mentioned in vol 1 of the Colonial Journal as a member of the ‘Republic of the Seven Islands’ which existed under various names from 14th century to the Treaty of Paris. It seems to be an alternate name for Kythera or Cythera which lies at Lat 36.24, Long 22.99

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_the_Morea
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Gek ... go&f=false
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ionian_Islands

However other sources use Corigo and Corigetto and based on an 1845 Artizan Journal it looks as if they may well refer to Kythera and Antikythera
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=azp ... 22&f=false
studentforever
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Re: Mediterranean and Black Sea Place Names -- Discussion

Post by studentforever »

Black Cape is now indexed as Kara Burun in Turkey at Lat 38.66, Long 26.36

https://mapcarta.com/12966066
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Matteo
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Re: Mediterranean and Black Sea Place Names -- Discussion

Post by Matteo »

Regarding Cerigo and Cerigotto (the guesses were indeed correct) you cand find useful this 1905 map:
https://collections.lib.uwm.edu/digital ... /id/15016/

Also both are on this large 1899 map comprising the whole Eagean sea (i've found it priceless for locating so many places here): https://collections.lib.uwm.edu/digital ... /id/15016/

I'm not sure about Morea... it normally indicates the whole Peloponneso, but i cant spot it on the log...
studentforever
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Re: Mediterranean and Black Sea Place Names -- Discussion

Post by studentforever »

I have a reference, to a Mount Ida which has been identified in a Wikipedia article as the highest mountain in Crete. It is untraceable by that name in Geo place names. There, its primary reference is 'Oros Idi' but a comparison of the two sources confirms their identities.
https://www.geonames.org/261823/oros-idi.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Ida_(Crete)

Incidentally searching for places in Crete in Geo names can be confusing as the local government designation 'Crete' covers a number of islands!
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Randi
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Re: Mediterranean and Black Sea Place Names -- Discussion

Post by Randi »

The list of alternate names for Óros Ídi has Ida but not Mount Ida.
A search for just Ida did find the mountain.
studentforever
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Re: Mediterranean and Black Sea Place Names -- Discussion

Post by studentforever »

Crete has lots of confusing place names, a lot have venetian influence including pronounciation of the greek letter chi. It's a fricative in mainland greek but a soft 'ch' sound on Crete. I spent ages trying to pronounce greek words beginning with 'chi' correctly before my first Cretan holiday only to be gently corrected by a local but at least the practice improved my pronounciation when I went back to the mainland for my annual stint on an EU course (delivered in English) and tried out my pidgin Greek on the locals there. Oros is the Greek for Mountain so Mount Ida is a literal translation of the Greek name.
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Matteo
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Re: Mediterranean and Black Sea Place Names -- Discussion

Post by Matteo »

Thanks!
Added Mount Ida and Oros Idi to db will appear soon on reference threads (also added Mount Ida alias to geonames).
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