Table of Noteworthy Cities (Ptolemy)
The Table of Noteworthy Cities is a list of cities compiled by Ptolemy shortly after creating the Geography. Whilst the term "πόλεων ἐπισήμων/póleon episémon" was in use before his time, Ptolemy is thought to have popularised the term. Roberts suggests that it formed an aid to the Handy Tables.
Text
Originally, the text of the Kanon was thought, for example by Vogul Fischer, to derive from Book 8 of the Geography, however it is now demonstrated to be part of an independent textual tradition. The first critical edition and translation into a modern language appeared in 2006 by Koch, Mittenhuber and Stückelberger.Several medieval recensions of the text survive with the earliest being the early 3rd century P. Ryl. Gr. 3 522 in the Rylands Library of Manchester University; the next 4 oldest manuscripts date to the 9th century:
| Siglum | Library | Shelfmark | Folios | Date | Notes | Source |
| L | Leiden | BPG 78 | 66r-74v | partially c.813-20 AD | ||
| V | Vatican | gr. 1291 | 17v–21v | c.820 AD | Ogival majuscule hand. | |
| M | Marcian | gr. 331 | 1r/v | 9th cent. | ||
| f | Laurentian | Plutei 28.26 | 51r–54v | end of 9th cent. |
Rylands Papyrus 522
The Rylands Papyrus 522 is the earliest surviving fragment of the Kanon, that from tables 2 to 6, dating from the early to mid 3rd century AD, less than a generation after Ptolemy himself. It meaures 11.3cm by 11.7cm and was acquired in by Rylands Library in 1917 and was authored, it is thought, in Fayum. According to Defaux, who produced the critical edition and translation in 2020, the following cities are mentioned in the fragment:Comparison of Codicies to Papyrus
Approximately 27 toponyms survive intact on the papyrus which can be compared with the 8th century codicies to study the transmission of the text. Of the three manuscripts V, L & f : V is the most innovative, only 8 toponyms are copied directly with the rest of the document populated with different places.- 3 toponyms only appear in the papyus and do not appear in any codicies. L agrees with the papyrus exactly on 11 occasions, and agrees closely on 2 occasionsf agrees with the papyrus exactly on 12 occasions and closely on 4 occasions.M agrees with the papyrus exactly on 12 occasions and closely on 6 occasions
| Papyrus | V | L | f | M |
| παννονιας της κατω | παννονιας της κατω | παννονιας τς κατω | παννονιας της κατω | |
| σεβιτιον | σερβιτιον | σερβιτιον | σερβιτιον | |
| μουπσεια | μουρσαλλα | μουρσα | ? | |
| σιρμιον | σιρμιον | σιρμιοη | σιρβιον | |
| ιλλυριδος | ϊλλυριδοσχωρ | Ιλλυριδ λιβρνι Δαλμα | ιλλυριδος | |
| ιαδερ | ϊαδερ | ιάδερα | ιαδιρα | |
| σαλωναι | σαλωναυσιαρωναμ ? | σαλῶμαι | σαλωναι | |
| συρδων | σιδρὼν | σιδρωνα | ||
| ναρωνα | ναρωνα | ναρξὼν ? ? | ναρωνα | |
| σαρδωνα νησος | σκαρδωνησιανης | σαρδώνα νῆσος | ||
| επιδαυρος | ||||
| ϊταλιας | ϊαται | ιταλιας | ιταλιας | |
| νικοτεραι αρικια | νικειαπασσαλιωτ | νικαια | νικαια | |
| πεισιαι | ||||
| πτετεστος | ||||
| ταρακειναι | ταρραικειναι | ταρρακειναι | ταρρακιναι | ταρακιναι |
| νεαπολις | νεαπολις | νεαπολις | νεαπολις | νεαπολίς |
| ρηγιον ϊουλιον | ρηγιονϊουλιον | ρηγειονϊουλειον | ῤήγι ιούλιον | ρηγιον ϊουλιον |
| ταρρας | ταρας | ταρρας | τάρας | ταρας |
| βρεντεσιον | βρεντεσιον | βρεντεσιον | βρεντήσιον | βρεντεσιν |
| αγκων | ακων | αλκων | ἀγκωη | αγκων |
| ραουεννα | ραβεννα | ραβεννα | ρὰούεννα | ραουεννα |
| ακουλεια | ακυληια | ακυληϊα | ακουληία | ακουλια |
| πραινεστος | ||||
| πεισαι | ||||
| ρωμη | ρωμη | ρωμη | ρὤμη | ρωμη |
| μενουεντος | βενεβενδτορν | βενεβενδὸς | ουενεβενδοσ | |
| καπυη | ||||
| π?ενιτος | πρενεστος | |||
| πιοσα | πεσια | |||
| καπυη | καπυη | καπυη | ||
| Corsica|κυρνου | κουρνουαλερια | κύρνου νήσον | κυρνου νησου | |