Seleucia_ad_Belum

Seleucia ad Belum

Seleucia ad Belum

Ancient Greek and Roman city on the Orontes River

Seleucia (Greek: Σελεύκεια, Seleukeia), distinguished as Seleucia-near-Belus[1] (Greek: Σελεύκεια πρὸς Βήλῳ, Seleúkeia pròs Bḗlōi,[2] or πρὸς τῷ Βήλῳ, pròs tôi Bḗlōi;[1] Latin: Seleucia ad Belum[3] or juxta Belum[4]) and later known as Seleucobelus (Σελευκόβηλος, Seleukóbēlos)[1] or Seleucopolis,[5] was an ancient Greek and Roman city on the Orontes River. Its location remains uncertain.

Name

The name of the settlement honored Seleucus I Nicator,[6] one of the Diadochi successors to the empire of Alexander the Great, although it may have been a foundation by his son and successor Antiochus.[1] It was distinguished from other cities named Seleucia by reference to "Belus" or "the Belus", a toponym which was variously applied to Syria's Limestone Massif, which lies to the city's north,[7] and to various rivers in Syria.[1] In this case, it appears that the name Belus was a title of the Orontes.[7]

History

The city was a Hellenistic foundation of the Seleucid Empire.[6] It sat on the Orontes's[6] west bank near its headwaters, positioning it to function as a depot for overland trade in the area.[citation needed] During the heyday of the Seleucid Empire, it formed a suburb of the nearby and larger settlement Apamea[6] (originally Pella),[8] which Ptolemy placed ½° to its east.[2] The entire area held over half a million people.[citation needed]

After the 2nd century, it typically appeared under the name Seleucobelus.[1]

The precise location of the settlement remains uncertain,[6] with various scholars placing it near Al-Suqaylabiyah,[9] Jisr al-Shughur or Bara.[7][citation needed]

See also

References

Citations

  1. [1]
    Cohen (2006), p. 135.
  2. [2]
    Ptolemy, Geography, Bk. 5, Ch. 14, §12.
  3. [3]
    Pliny, Nat. Hist., Bk. 5, §82.
  4. [4]
    Bingham (1834), p. 306.
  5. [5]
    Hazlitt (1851), p. 313.
  6. [6]
    Smith & al. (1862), p. 796.
  7. [7]
    Cohen (2006), p. 136.
  8. [8]
    Cohen (2006), p. 97.
  9. [9]
    Dodgeon & al. (1991), p. 361.

Bibliography

  • Bingham, Joseph; et al. (1834), Origines Ecclesiasticae; or the Antiquities of the Christian Church, and Other Works, vol. II, London: William Straker.
  • Dodgeon, Michael H.; et al. (1991), The Roman Eastern Frontier and the Persian Wars (AD 226–363): A Documentary History, London: Routledge, ISBN 0-415-10317-7.
  • Cohen, Getzel M. (2006), Hellenistic Settlements in Syria, the Red Sea Basin, and North Africa, Hellenistic Culture and Society, Vol. 46, Los Angeles: University of California Press, ISBN 9780520931022
  • Hazlitt, William (1851), The Classical Gazetteer: A Dictionary of Ancient Geography, Sacred and Profane, London: Whittaker & Co..
  • Smith, William; et al. (1862), "Seleucia §3", A New Classical Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography, Mythology, and Geography, Partially Based upon the Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, New York: Harper & Bros..
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