The Roman Map of Britain Annis? Arnus?
Armis (R&C 42) next
Armis presents difficulties both in assignment and certainty of form, as -rmi- is essentially a series of five minim strokes, easily misread.
It may be on a road radiating from the previous
entry Venta Belgarum (R&C
41).
These roads are:
Margary 42b south toward Bitterne Clausentum,
Margary 45a west
toward Old Sarum, recorded in AI as Sorbiodunum,
Margary 42a northeast toward Silchester Calleva,
Margary 420 southeast
toward Wickham *Maiona,
and an expected road eastward toward Neatham that remains
uncharted.
Neatham (SU7441) on the River Wey
Alternatively, Armis is connected by road
to the next entry Ardaoneon (R&C
43).
Alfoldean (TQ1133)
on the River Arun, formerly Tarrant
Hassocks (TQ2915)
on Albourne?
Anstiebury (TQ1544)
could suit our needs. The name Anstie and its variants are commonly recorded as Anesti(ge)
OE ānstīge 'narrow or lonely track', or 'track linking other routes'.
While a somewhat common name, this is on a Roman road next the significant
place-name Coldharbour, with finds of a Roman building and Romano-British
pottery. *Annis- + Br.*tego 'house'?
Alfodean
TQ 1133 on the River Arun,
precedes Ardaoneon (R&C 43) Hardham on a path down Stane Street to
Chichester. The River Arun was recorded as Trisantonis in Ptolemy's Geography,
with later records substantiating the connection. But rivers can be known by
different names; the lower course having one name, the upper course another. For
example, the Somerset Earn is know as the Isle in its upper reaches, both
undoubted British names. See also ERN pp xxxix-xl.
Were *Arnus,
root Arno- 'run, go', to be the name of the upper course; and Trisanto
'one who goes across, a trespasser'* that of the lower, there need not be any
conflict. The lower reach, being prone to high tides and flooding would carry
the name Trisanto. The upper reach is perhaps as simple as Mills' Earn
'flowing one', though Ekwall cites many possibilities. Arundel may be Arno-dale,
rather than Dr. Bradley's longstanding 'horehound dale'.
The density of names already matched to the significant sites in
this region is rather high. Unmatched are Neatham and the much later Portchester.
*Ekwall ERN p.418