The ''Chronicon Altinate'', ''Altino Chronicle'' or ''Origo civitatum Italie seu Venetiarum'' is one of the oldest sources for the

history of Venice The Republic of Venice (; ) was a sovereign state and maritime republic in Northeast Italy, which existed for a millennium between the 8th century and 1797. It was based in the lagoon communities of the historically prosperous city of Venice, a ...

. The oldest known manuscripts date to the 13th century, though its components are older. It has considerable overlap with the '' Chronicon Gradense'', which may be one of its sources. It is sometimes called the ''Chronicon Venetum'', but that title is also used for the ''

Chronicon Venetum et Gradense The ''Chronicon Venetum et Gradense'', formerly known as the ''Chronicon Sagornini'', is a Venetian chronicle compiled by John the Deacon in ca. 1008. It is the oldest chronicle of the Republic of Venice. John was the chaplain and perhaps a rel ...

'' of John the Deacon (''ca.'' 1008). It is not a true

chronicle A chronicle (, from Greek ''chroniká'', from , ''chrónos'' – "time") is a historical account of events arranged in chronological order, as in a timeline. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and local events ...

, but rather a compilation of documents and legends about the emergence of Venice and the origin of the Venetians. There are also lists of bishops, popes, doges and emperors, as well as church registers and chronicle entries. The most important manuscripts are in the Vatican, Venice and

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

, but their relationships, and those of other manuscripts, is unclear. Compared to the earlier ''Chronicon Venetum et Gradense'', it is "a more richly articulated and satisfyingly detailed account of a primitive foundation of the city", taking its origins back to

Orpheus In Greek mythology, Orpheus (; , classical pronunciation: ) was a Thracians, Thracian bard, legendary musician and prophet. He was also a renowned Ancient Greek poetry, poet and, according to legend, travelled with Jason and the Argonauts in se ...

and

Troy Troy (/; ; ) or Ilion (; ) was an ancient city located in present-day Hisarlik, Turkey. It is best known as the setting for the Greek mythology, Greek myth of the Trojan War. The archaeological site is open to the public as a tourist destina ...

, and replacing the story of an attack by the

Lombards The Lombards () or Longobards () were a Germanic peoples, Germanic people who conquered most of the Italian Peninsula between 568 and 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''History of the Lombards'' (written betwee ...

with an earlier attack by

Attila the Hun Attila ( or ; ), frequently called Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns from 434 until his death in early 453. He was also the leader of an empire consisting of Huns, Ostrogoths, Alans, and Gepids, among others, in Central and East ...

, portraying the Venetians as Christians fleeing pagans. These legends are with no foundation in any ancient texts, and function as a way of constructing a "spurious antiquity" as a foundation of "civic dignity". It continues by recounting the story of the citizens of

Altinum Altinum (in Altino, a ''frazione'' of Quarto d'Altino) was an ancient town of the Adriatic Veneti, Veneti 15 km southeast of modern Treviso, close to the mainland shore of the Lagoon of Venice. It was also close to the mouths of the rivers D ...

(modern

Quarto d'Altino Quarto d'Altino is a town in the Metropolitan City of Venice, Veneto, Italy. The name "Quarto D'Altino" is composed by the prefix "Quarto" because the town was a quarter of a mile from the Roman city Altinum Altinum (in Altino, a ''frazione'' o ...

) taking refuge in

Torcello Torcello (; ) is a sparsely populated island at the northern end of the Venetian Lagoon, in north-eastern Italy. It was first settled in 452 AD and has been referred to as the parent island from which Venice was populated. It was a town with ...

, to which they transferred their church with the relics of Saint Heliodorus, their founding bishop.Thomas F. Madden, ''Venice: A New History'', 2012,
p. 29
/ref>

Notes

Chronicles about the Republic of Venice Chronicles in Latin {{manuscript-stub