Junonia
| Author:Laxman Burdak, IFS (Retd.) |
Junonia was an Arabian Island mentioned by Pliny.[1]
Variants
Jat Gotras Namesake
Mention by Pliny
Pliny[2] mentions Fortunate Islands.... There are some authors who think that beyond these are the Fortunate Islands1, and some others; the number of which Sebosus gives, as well as the distances, informing us that Junonia2 is an island seven hundred and fifty miles distant from Gades. He states also that Pluvialia3 and Capraria4 are the same distance from Junonia, to the west; and that in Pluvialia the only fresh water to be obtained is rain water.
1 Or Islands of the Blessed—the modern Canaries.
2 Supposed to be the modern island of Fuerteventura.
3 Supposed to be that now called Ferro.
4 Probably the modern Gomera. In B. iv. c. 36, Pliny mentions them as six in number, there being actually seven.
Mention by Pliny
Pliny[3] mentions Fortunate Islands.... He (Juba) states also that a second island has the name of Junonia, but that it contains nothing beyond a small temple of stone: also that in its vicinity there is another, but smaller, island12 of the same name, and then another called Capraria, which is infested by multitudes of huge lizards.
12 Or the Lesser Junonia; supposed to be the same as the modern Lanzarote.
History
The names given by Romans to the individual islands of Canary Islands were Ninguaria or Nivaria (Tenerife), Canaria (Gran Canaria), Pluvialia or Invale (Lanzarote), Ombrion (La Palma), Planasia (Fuerteventura), Iunonia or Junonia (El Hierro) and Capraria (La Gomera).[4]