SAPONIS, quelque part en G. Bretagne

Bonjour,

Je place ici cet article, relatif à un lieu non identifié de G. Bretagne.

Voici ce qu'écrivent Rivet & Smith :
(on pourra retrouver ce texte, avec accentuations et italiques, à la page :
http://marikavel.org/leiux/lieux-s.htm

* Saponis : lieu non identifié de Grande Bretagne; étymologie difficile.. 
Rivet & Smith, p. 452 : 
SOURCE : Ravenna, 109-13 : SAPONIS
DERIVATION. Ravenna's form might be a genitive, i.e. (insula) Saponis, or it might be a garbled version of *Sapo Ins. (for insula), since other garbled renderings of insula appear in this section of the Cosmography. The latter explanation is the more likely, since an island name based on late Latin sapo-saponis (third declension) 'soap' is hardly possible, while one based on a late Latin *sapus 'fir, pine' would be acceptable. Holder II, 1362 identified a word *sapo-s 'fir', and if this existed in British, *Sapo (with Latin insula) would have meant 'fir-tree (island) '. Williams notes Middle Breton sap, etc., as a surviving derivative. The same word taken into Latin left Romance descendants, Old French sap, Provençal sap-s, while *sap-pinus > French sapin. Some western Scottish islands do seem to have Latin names (see ANAS), but if the map-source used by the Cosmographer for North Britain was ultimately of first-century date, even with Severan revisions, this seems too early for a Latin *sapus and the name should more readily be regarded as Celtic. There is no semantic problem, since trees are often used in toponymy; but it is unwise to found precise arguments on a form recorded by Ravenna alone, whose entries — especially for North Britain — are so often corrupt.IDENTIFICATION. Unknown, but apparently an island off Britain.

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Ile 'savonneuse' ?

Ile aux pins, ou aux sapins ?

Problème : époque d'introduction des pins, ou sapins, en G.B.

Je pense qu'il faudrait retrouver le texte de l'anonyme de Ravenne, de façon à savoir dans quel contexte il a placé ce nom.

Si c'est au sud de la GB, on pourrait évoquer quelque chose de gras.

Si c'est au nord de la G.B, et pourquoi pas au niveau des îles externes à l'Ecosse, on pourrait évoquer les mers gelées des abords de l'arc polaire, voir le 'poumon marin' cité par Pythéas le Massaliote.

Wait and sea !

JCE