Crociatonum (, Ptol. ii. 8) or Cronciaconnum, is a location on the
Tabula Peutingeriana
' (Latin for "The Peutinger Map"), also referred to as Peutinger's Tabula or Peutinger Table, is an illustrated ' (ancient Roman road map) showing the layout of the '' cursus publicus'', the road network of the Roman Empire.
The map is a 13th-ce ...
in the present-day
Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
region of France.
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of import ...
makes it a port of the
Unelli
The Venellī or Unellī (Gaulish: *''Uenellī/Wenellī'') were a Gallic tribe dwelling on the Cotentin peninsula, in the northwest of modern Normandy, during the Iron Age and the Roman period.
In 57 BC, they capitulated to Caesar's legate Publiu ...
or Veneli, a Gallic nation who occupied part of
Armorica
Armorica or Aremorica ( Gaulish: ; br, Arvorig, ) is the name given in ancient times to the part of Gaul between the Seine and the Loire that includes the Brittany Peninsula, extending inland to an indeterminate point and down the Atlantic Co ...
. The Table contains a route from Alauna to Caesarodunum (modern
Tours
Tours ( , ) is one of the largest cities in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the prefecture of the department of Indre-et-Loire. The commune of Tours had 136,463 inhabitants as of 2018 while the population of the whole metr ...
), in which the next station to Alauna is Cronciaconnum, distant 10½ Roman miles (milia passuum, or M. P. ("1,000 paces")) from Alauna. Its position, therefore, depends on that of Alauna. Crociatonum lies between Alauna and Augustodorus (modern Bayeux), from which it is 31½ M. P. distant.
D'Anville
Jean-Baptiste Bourguignon d'Anville (; born in Paris 11 July 169728 January 1782) was a French geographer and cartographer who greatly improved the standards of map-making. D'Anville became cartographer to the king, who purchased his cartographic ...
, who places Alauna at the
Moutiers d'Alonne Moutiers and Les Moutiers may refer to the following places in France :
* Moutiers, Eure-et-Loir, in the Eure-et-Loir department
*Moutiers, Ille-et-Vilaine, in the Ille-et-Vilaine department
* Moutiers, Meurthe-et-Moselle, in the Meurthe-et-Moselle ...
, fixes Crociatonum at
Valognes
Valognes () is a commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France.
Geography
Valognes is situated in the Cotentin Peninsula, southeast of Cherbourg. Valognes station has rail connections to Caen, Paris and Cherbourg.
Histo ...
, in the department of
Manche
Manche (, ) is a coastal French département in Normandy, on the English Channel, which is known as ''La Manche'', literally "the sleeve", in French. It had a population of 495,045 in 2019.Walckenaer places it at the village of Turqueville, west of Audouville-la-Hubert, at the entrance of the Bay of Isigny. There may have been both a town and a port of the same name. Some geographers, including the editors of the
Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World
The ''Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World'' is a large-format English language atlas of ancient Europe, Asia, and North Africa, edited by Richard J. A. Talbert. The time period depicted is roughly from archaic Greek civilization (pre- ...
would fix Crociatonum at
Carentan
Carentan () is a small rural town near the north-eastern base of the French Cotentin Peninsula in Normandy in north-western France, with a population of about 6,000. It is a former commune in the Manche department. On 1 January 2016, it was me ...
, west of
Isigny-sur-Mer
Isigny-sur-Mer (, literally ''Isigny on Sea'') is a commune in the Calvados department and Normandy region of north-western France.
It is part of the communauté de communes Isigny-Omaha Intercom, the 59 communes of which have a combined popu ...
.
Crociatonum appears to be a composite of Crocq (spur of land) i (of) aton (place name) um (town).
Coutances
Coutances () is a commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France.
History
Capital of the Unelli, a Gaulish tribe, the town was given the name of ''Constantia'' in 298 during the reign of Roman emperor Constantius Chlorus. ...
is usually given as the town of the Unelli, it is also the correct distance ratio's from Moutiers d'Alonne and Bayeux. To The west of Coutances, north of the Sienne estuary is a spur of land (Crocq) ending at Pointe Agon, it would appear that Crociatonum (Crociagonum) ought to be the port on the Sienne estuary serving Coutances.