Did the Romans during the classical era have a word for a dry, hot, desert? There is desertum, but that is more "wilderness" than explicitly desert in the sense we might think of today. Another possibility is solitudo, as used in this quote , although that seems to have similar meaning like desertum and not specifically a hot desert. Post classical Latin has erema, but is there an equivalent in classical Latin?
Add a comment
|
1 Answer
In addition to desertum, solitudo and erema, Calonghi dictionary suggests two more choices.
The plural Deserta:
(Virgil, Pliny, Seneca).
Also, Vastitas, as alternative to deserta:
Both here refer to geographic areas (deserta Apuliae and vastitas Lybiae) that may likely have been "proper deserts" a couple of millenniums ago.
-
1Thanks @MattAllegro! Was erema used in classical times? I can see that the others were, but it wasn't clear to me with that one.– AdamApr 21, 2020 at 17:55
-
2@Adam I found no reference now but I will ask again. Open a follow-up question to attract attention on the erema matter Apr 21, 2020 at 21:28
-
1@Adam Ifound a reference of Justinian using the word erema. This is pretty much all I can say and I really suggest you to open a new thread about this...better than in comments :) Apr 22, 2020 at 15:40