Ichthyonymia Graeco-Latina. The Importance of the Modern Greek and Romance Lexical Data for Correct Identification of the Latin Fish-Names

Ichthyonymia Graeco-Latina. The Importance of the Modern Greek and Romance Lexical Data for Correct Identification of the Latin Fish-NamesIn his edition of Halieutica A. W. Mikołajczak leaves eight Latin names of the Mediterranean fishes, mentioned by Ovid, with no identification and explanation. The present author discusses them, taking into account the lexical data attested in the Modern Greek dialects, as well as the Italian ones. Four fish-names (cantharus, erythinus, iulis, smaris) may be securely identified on the basis of the modern (Greek and/or Romance) terminology for fishes of the Mediterranean Sea. No reflexes of four different fishes (cercyros, glaucus, lamiros, tragus) appear in the contemporary vocabulary of peoples of the Mediterranean area. This is why these Ovid’s fishes are hardly identifiable. M. Kokoszko’s book appears to be a valuable dictionary of the Greek fish-names, introducing an excellent presentation and convincing identification of most Mediterranean Sea fishes. His presentation agrees completely with the conclusions given in this paper