SKDUNIA. Bedriacnm, but on the rood from tbence to Cremona, and considerably nearer to the lattn citj : the as- Bailing anny hayini;, in both instances, advanced from Bedriacunu (Tac. Higt. ii. 33, S9— 44, 49, ni. 15, 20—25, 27 ? Pint. Otko, 8, 11—13 ; Jo- beph. B. J. iv. 9. § 9 ; Suet. Otk, 9 ; Entrop. vii. 17; Vict. EpU. 7; Jnv. iL 106, and Schol. oc^ foe.) The podtioQ of Bediiacum has been the subject (k mnch controversy. From Ihe detailed narrative of Tanattts we learn that it was on the high road from Yettma to €remona; while the Tabula places Be- loriaco (evidently a mere cormption of Bebriaco) on the rood from Cremona to Mantna, at the distance of 22 M. P. from the former city. This distance coinddoB exactly with a point on the modem road from CrNnooa to Mantna, about 2 miles E. of & Lorenzo Gttamone^ the same distance KW. of BoesolOf and close to the village of CalvaUmef £>am whence a perfectly direct line of road (now aban- doned, but probably that of the Roman rood) leads by Goito to Verona. If this position be correct Bedriacum was situated just at the point of sepa- ration of the two roads frtim Cremona, one of which appears from Tacitus {HiiL iii. 21) to have been called the Via Postumia. Cluverius pUiced Be- driacum at CofMMlo, a small town on the Oglio (Ollius) a few miles NW. of the place just suggested: Mannert fixes it at & Lorenzo Gvaetone : D'Anville at Cwidakf about 8 miles S. c£ Bozzoh; but this is probably too near the Padus. The precise position must depend upon the coune of the Boman road, which has not been correctly traced. We learn fitxm Tadttts tbat^ like the modem high roads through this ikit and low country, it was carried along an elevated causeway, or ngger; both sides bang oc- cupied with low flmd marshy meadows, intersected with ditches, or entangled with vines trained across frtNU tree to tree. (Cluver. JiaiL pp. 259—262 ; Mannert, JtaKen, Tol. L p. 153 ; D'Anville, Geo^. ^sN;.p.4d.) [E.H.B.] BEOU'NIA, BEDUNENSES. [Astures.] BEER (Bqpd), mentioned only once in Scripture (Judges, ix. 21). It is placed by Eusebius and St Jerome in the great plain, ten miles north of Eleuthe- ropolis {BeUJ«brm)j and a deserted viUage named et- J^rehf situated near the site of Beth-Shemesh, serves to eoDfiran their notice. It is sometimes supposed to be identical with tiie following, though they are distinguished by the above-cited authors. [Q.W.] BEEBOTH (Bvip^Uf)y the plural form of Beer, signifies WeOt. It b placed by Eusebius at the distance of seven miles from Jerusalem, on the road to Nieopolis, or Emmaus (now 'Amudty, But St. Jerome^s version of the Onomasticon places it on the road to Neapolis (^NabUut) at the same distance from Jerusalem. This would correspond very nearly with the site of the modem village of el-Bireh, which is about three hours, i. e. eight or nine miles, Horth of Jerusalem, on the high road to Nabluz,
- Many large stcmes, and various snbstroctions
testify to the antiquity of the site** (Robmson, Bib. Rez. voL iL pL 130), and there are remains of two large reservoirs, formerly fed by a cofaous fountain, to which the city probably owed its name. It was coe of the four cities of the Gibeonites, and fell to the lot of the tribe of Benjamin. (Jciik, ix. 17, xviii. 25; Beland, Pidaeat. pp 484, 618.) [G.W.] BEERSHEBA (BiffwatfcO, ** The WeU of the Oath;** so named from an incident in the life of Abraham (Cren. xxi. 25, &c), and afterwards the «ate of a dty, sitoated in that part of Judah, which BELEMINA. 385 was assigned to the tribe of Simeon. (Joth. xr. 28, xix. 2.) It is proverbial as tiie sonthemmost ex- tremity of the Land of Israel, and was in the time of Eusebius a very extensive village twenty miles south of Hebron. It was then occupied by a Roman garrison. Its name is still preserved, and the site is marked by two fine andent wells, and extensive ruins. (Reland, $, v. ; Robinson, Bib, Ret. vol. ii. pp. 301 — 303.) It is 12 hours, or more than SO Roman miles, S. W. by W. of Hebron. [G. W.] BEGORRI'TIS LAGUS, mentioned only by Liyy (xliL 53), was situated in Eordaea in Macedonia, and pobably derived its name from a town B^orra. Leake supposes Begorra to have been situated at Kali&rit and the Begorritis Lacns to be the small lake of KitrinL (L^e, Northern Greece^ vol. iii. pp. 289, 316.) BELBINA (B^Atfira: Eik. Btxewtrns, Her.; more correctly BcA^tnfnjr, Steph. B. : St. George)^ a small island, very lofty and difScult of access, situated at the mtranc^ of the Saronic gulf, about 10 miles from the promontoiy of Sunium. Although nearer Attica than the Peloponnesus, it was reckoned to belong to the latter. Hence, it was doubtless inhabited by Dorians, and was probably a colony from Bdemina (also written Belmina and Belbina), a town on the confines of Laoonia and Arcadia. [Belemima.} Themistocles quotes the name of this island as one of the most insignificant spots in Hdlas. (Herod, viii. 125.) The island was inhabited in antiquity. On all the slopes of the hills there are traces of the andent terraces; and on one of the summits are rwiains of the andent town. But nei- ther inscriptions nor coins have yet been found on the island. (Scylax, p. 20 ; Strab. viii. p. 375, ix. p. 398; Ste|Ji. B. *, v.; Plin. iv. 12. s. 19 ; Ross, Beiten au/ den Griech, Inseluj voL ii. p. 172.) BELEA, a place which is mentioned in the An- tonine Itin., between Genabum, Orleans, and Brivo- durum (^Briarey, Its site is unknown. [6. L.] BELEMrNA, BELMI'NA, or BELBI'NA (B€- Ktfdya, BdXfiwa, BcA^tVa: £tk. BcAtfty^f, Steph. B.), a town in the NW.frontierof Laconia,theterritory of which was called Belminatis. (Bf A/uvortf, Polyb. ii. 54; Strab. viii. p. 343.) It was originally an Arcadian town, but was conquered by the Lacedae- monians at ail early period, and annexed to their territory; although Pausanias does not believe this statement. (Pans. viii. 35. § 4.) After the battle of Leuctra Belbina was restored to Arcadia; most of its inhabitants were removed to the newly founded dty of Megalopolis; and the place continued to be a dependency of the latter dty. (Pans. viiL 27. § 4; Plut. Cleom. 4; Polyb. ii. 54.) In the wars of the Achaean league, the Belminatis was a constant source of contention between the Spartans and Achaeans. Under Machanidas or Nabis, the tyrants of Sparta, the Belminatis was again annexed to Laconia; but upon the subjugation of Sparta by Philopoemen in B.a 188, the Belminatis was onc9 more annexed to the territory of Megalopolis. (Liv. xxxviiL 34.) The Befaninatis is a mountunoua district, in which the Eurotas takes its rise from many springs. (Strab. I c; Pans. iii. 21. § 3.) The mountains c£ Belemina, now called Tzimbartif rise to the height of 4108 feet Belemina is said by Pausanias (/. c.) to have been 100 stadia from Pellana, and is placed by Leake on the summit of Mount Khelmdej upon wMch there are Hdlenlc re- mains. (Leake, Morea, vol. iii. p. 20; PeU^pon" netiaca, pp. 203, 234,.237| 366.) O c
