Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume I Part 1.djvu/407

BELSINUM. vol. i. p. 7, Snppl. vo). i. p. 14 ; Sestini, p. 33 ; l*xkhel, vol. i. p. 16; Ukert, yoI. ii. pt 1, pp. 295, 343.) [P. S.] BELSI'NXJM, a place marked in the Antonine Itin. between Climbenis (Auckland LugdunamCon- venaram (St, Bertrand de Commn^es). Belsinnm is probably the Besino of the Table. D'AnviUe snp- poaes that the site maybe Bemei ; others take it to be Masseure: bnt neither distances nor names seem to enable na to fix the site with certainty. [G. L.] BELSI'NUM (BdXtriwr, Ptol. ii. 6. § 5B% a city of the Celtiberians, in Hispania Tarraconensis, after- wards called ViTarium. Its site is marked at Ftre^ near Segarbe in VaUncicL, by Roman ruins and in- scriptions. (Laborde, ItitudeVEtpoffne^ vol. ii. p. 346, 3ni ed.) [P. S.] BELU'NUM or BELLUNUM {B^Xourov), a con- siderable town in the interior of Venetia, still called BeUuno. It was situated in the upper valley of the PUvis (jPitave), about 20 miles N£. of Feltria, and almost on the borders of Rhaetia. It was probably in ancient as well as modem times the capital of the surrounding district. (Plin. iii. 19. s. 23; PtoLiii. I. § 30; P. Diac vi. 26 ; Orell. Itucr. 69.) [E.H.B.] BELUS (BijAc^s), called also Pagida by Pliny (v. 19), a small river of Palestine, described by Pliny as taking its rise from a lake named Cendeviaj at the roots of Mount Carmel, which aftsr running five mDes enters the sea near Ptolemais (zxzvi. 26) two stadia from the city, according to Josephus. (B. J. ii. 2. § 9.) It is diiefly celebrated among the an- cients for its vitreous suid, and the accidental dis- covery of the manufacture of glass is ascribed by Pliny to the banks of this river, which he describe as a sluggish stream, of unwholesome water, but consecmted by religious ceremonies. (Comp. Tac. ffisL V. 7.) It is now called Nakr Na^m&n; but the lake Cendevia has disappeared. It is an inge- nious conjecture of Reland that its ancient appel- lation may be ^e origin of the Greek name for glass, i9^}n,0ThaK6i. (Bo/oert. p. 290.) [G.W.] BEMBINA. [Nebciia.] BENA'GUS LAGUS (B^yeuror Kiftvn, Strab.: Boinueof, Ptol.), a lake in Gisalpine Gaul, at the ibot of the Alps, formed by the river Minciusy now called the Logo di Garda. (Plin. iii. 19. s. 23 ; , Virg. Aen. x. 205. It is the largest of all the «/7. lakes in Italy, gr&ly exceeding Irath the Lacus /V' Larius and Verbanus in breadUi and superficial extent, though inferior to them in length. Strabo, on the authority of Polybius, states its length at 500 stadia, and its breadth at 130 (iv. p. 209): but the former distance is greatly exaggerated, its iBal length being less than 30 G. miles, or 300 stadia: its greatest breadth is nearly 10 G. mUes. The northern half of it, which is pent in between lofty and very predpitous mountains, is however comparatively narrow: it is only the southern portion which expands to the considerable breadth above stated. The course of the lake is nearly straight from NNE. to SSW., so that the north winds from the high Alps sweep down it with unbroken force, and the storms on its surfiu^ exceed in violence those on any other of the Italian lakes. Hence Viigil justly speaks (^ it as rising into waves, and roaring like the sea. {Fluctibui et Jremitu aasur- ffen* Benace marrno, Virg. G. ii. 1 60 ; Serv. ad /oe.) The shore at its southern extremity is comparatively low, bdng bounded only by gently sloping hills, from which pn^ects a narrow tongue of land, form- ing the beantiful peninsula of Sibmio, which divides BENEHABNUM. 389 this part of the lake into two nearly equal portions. The river Mincins issues from its SK. extremity, where stood the town of Akdeuca, on the site of the modem fortoess of Petchierti, Most ancient writers speak of the Mincins as having its source in the lake Benacus (Serv. ad Aen, ^. 205 ; Vib. Seq. pp. 6, 14; Isidor. Or^. xiii. 19), but Plhiy tells us that it flowed throuffh the lake without allowing their waters to mix, in the same manner as the Addua did through the Larian Lake, and the Rhone through the Lacus Lemannus. (ii. 103. s. 106.) It is evident, therefore, that he must have considered the river which enters the lake at its northern ex- ti-emity, and is now called the Sarca^ as being the same with the Mincins, which would certainly be correct in a geographical point of view, though not in accordance with either ancient or modem usage. According to the same author vast quantities of eels were taken at a certain season of tlie year where the Mincius issued from the lake. (Plin. ix. 22. s. 38.) Several inscriptions liave been found, in which the name of the Benacenbes occurs, whence it has been supposed that there was a town of the name of Benacus. But it is more probable that this name designates the population oif the banks of the lake in general, who wouU naturally combine for various purposes, sudi as the erection of honoraxy statues and inscriptions. The greater part of these have been found at a place cailed ToaoolanOy on the W. bank of the lake, about 5 miles N. of Saloj the ancient name of which is supposed to have been Tuaculanum. (See however Orelli, 2183.) It appears to have had a temple or sanctuary, which was a place of common resort from all parts of the lake. The name of Benacus occurs in an inscription found at S. Vigilio on the opposite shore, as that of the tutel^ deity of the lake, the " Pater Benacus ^ of VirgiL (Rossi, Memorie di Brescia, pp. 200, 201 ; Glnver. Ital. p. 107.) The modem town of Gardoj from whence the lake derives its present appellation, appears firom inscriptions diseovered there to have been inhabited in Rfonan times, but its ancient name is unknown. [E. H. B.] BENAMERIUM (BifwafiafHi/x), a village of Pa- lestine to the north of Zerah (g. r.) mentioned only by Eusebius and St. Jerome. {OnomoML e. v, Nc- lenpifjL, lege Ktfuplfi.) [G. W.] BENAVENTA. [Isaiwavatia.] BENE (B^yri: Eth, Brivtuos), a town of Crate, in the neighbourhood of Gortyn, to which it was subject, only known as the birthpUce of the poet Rhianus. (Steph. B. a, v. Biivri; Suid. «. 9. *Fuuf6sJ) BENEHARNUM, a place first mentioned m the Antonine Itin. It is placed 19 Gallic leagues, or 28^ M. P., from Aquae Tarbellicae {Box), on the road to Tauiouse. But the road was circuitous, for it passed through Aquae Con>'enamm; and between Benehamum and Aquae Convenaram the Itin. places Oppidum Novum (Aaye on the Gave), 27 M. P. tnm Benehamimi. Another road from Caesar Au- gusta (^Saragossa) to Benehamum, passes through Aspa Luca (Pont VEtquiC) and Iluro (^Oltron^ on the Gave d^Oltron. Iluro is 18 M. P. from Bene- hamum. If then we join Citron and Naye by a straight line, we have the i^pective distances 18 and 27 M. P. from Oliron and Naye to Benehamum, aa the other sides of the triangle. Walckenaer, on the authority of these two routes and personal observa- tion, plaices Benehamum at Vieilk Tow to the £. of Matiac; Reichard, at Navarreint; and D'AnviUe places it near Orthez* Walckenaer's site is at CaS" CO 3