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0071 Notes on Marco Polo : vol.1
Notes on Marco Polo : vol.1 / Page 71 (Color Image)

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doi: 10.20676/00000246
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38. AVA   55

in, 212) and GOLUBOVICH (Bibl. bio-bibi. iv, 272). The word travelled as far as the Tagal language of the Philippines (cf. triaca in BLUMENTRITT, Vocabulaire, 80).

  1. ASYA MEDIA

aise la grant FA' asia R

asya media Z
maior asia L

media R

This occurs in Z, and seems to represent some such form as «Asie mediane » or « Aise mediane» which is not in any of the French texts. RAMUSIO had it too in his original, but has taken « media » to be Media, the country of the Medes, and has inserted « Asia » a few words later; there is no good reason why Polo should bring in here the ancient Medes. Hethum uses archaistically «Medie» as a designation of Kurdistan (Hist. des Crois., Arm., II, 127), and it is also in a list of ancient names that we find « Media » in Jourdain Cathala (ed. CORDIER, 122). But since « Asya Media » was in Z and in the mss. used by RAMUSIO, I think the name ought to have been included in B', I. A similar confusion was current in the Middle Ages for the « Empire of Cayatai », which was called « Imporium Medium », but which was often altered to « Imperium Medie » or « Imperium Medorum » (cf. Y', iii, 85; Mo, 197; HALLBERG, 344-346; GOLUBOVICH, Bibl. bio-bibi., II, 573; Wy, 503; in Y' and HALLBERG, « Combaleh » or « Côbalek » on the map of Andrea Bianco are perhaps not simply alterations of « Armalek » as YULE, who is followed by HALLBERG, 18, maintains, but alterations of a legend analogous to that of the Catalan Map which makes the sovereign of the Empire of « Medeia » [for « de Medio »] called « Chabech », that is to say Käbäk (-:- 1327), reign at « Emalech » [ = Almaliq].

L and FA' seem to confirm that there was an epithet, not another word representing a name, after « Asya ». « Aise » in FA" is the form used by Hethum (Hist. des Crois., Arm., II, 125, 215-216). Moreover, Hethum distinguishes « Aise la Profunde », which is Central Asia and

the Far East, from « Aise la Majour », roughly speaking the territory of the Mongol ilkhans. This « Aise la Majour » is evidently the same as « Asia maior » of L, « Aise la grant » of FA'. But it must also be the « Asya Media » of Z. In other words, there were three « Asia »'s if we include Asia Minor, which was the same as ours.

  1. AVA

aua F, FA, FB, Z, L deuine V

dyaua LT jaua (?) TA'

zaua TA3

On Ava, 591 Avah, of Savah. There have the Ava which was the

cf. Y, I, 81; it must be the « Ove » of STIELER's Handatlas, south-east been two places if not three of that name, but the one here meant is

head-city of a group of 40 villages in the district of Savah; unfortunately

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