Group 14: Greater Manchester

This group takes us back to where Group 12b left off, and lists a series of forts around Manchester. Nauione is attested epigraphically at Brough-on-Noe (RIB 2243), where the river-name is Celtic in origin (Ekwall 1928, 304; Richmond & Crawford 1949, 42); *Aquis Arnemetiae must be the spa at Buxton (Richmond & Crawford 1949, 23), so *Ardotalia is probably the fort at Melandra Castle, Glossop (Richmond & Crawford 1949, 34). Mamucio is the precursor of Manchester and also occurs in the Antonine Itinerary (Itinera II and X).

The next name is a puzzle; the manuscripts show Alunna/Alicuna, which Rivet and Smith (1979, 246) emend *Alauna, although admitting the possibility that it is identical with the Ολικανα of Ptolemy (Geography II.3,10), which has been adopted here. The form *Alicona (meaning something like ‘rocky hill’) postulated by Sir Ifor Williams (in Richmond & Crawford 1949, 22) explains both forms adequately; the identification of Ολικανα with Elslack, proposed by Rivet and Smith (1979, 431), seems likely enough. Finally, Camuloduno is probably the fort at Slack, missing from the Antonine Itinerary Iter II as a result of confusion with Camboduno, Leeds (Rivet & Smith 1979, 158).