Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume II.djvu/1302

 1278 VEREASUECA. OvepKeWoi, Strab. v. p. 218 ; Bsp«-eAAai, riut. il/ar. 25: Vercelli), the chief city of the Libici, in Gallia Cisalpina. It lay on the W. bank of the Ses- sites {Sesia); but perhaps the ancient town should be sought at Borffo Vercelli, about 2 miles from the modern city. In the time of Strabo it was an im- fortified villa£;e (I. c), but subsequently became a strong and not unimportant Roman municipiuni. (Tac. IJist. i. 70 ; cf. Be clar. Orator. 8 ; also Orell. Inscr. 3044, 3945.) Here the highroad from Ticinum to Augusta Praetoria was crossed by a road running westwards from Jlediolanum. (7f«M. Ant. pp. 282, 344, 347, 350.) At the beginning of the 5th century it was rapidly falling to decay. (Hieron. Epist. 17.) There were some gold mines at a place called Ictimuli, or Vicus Ictimulorum, in the district of Vercellae (Strab. /. c. ; Plin. sxxiii. 4. s. 21), which must have been of considerable im- portance, as the last cited authoiity mentions a law forbidding that more than 5000 men should be em- ployed in them. The true position of these mines has, however, been the subject of some dispute. The question is fully discussed by Durandi in his treatise DelV antica Condizione del Vercellese. Tlie city was distinguished for its worship of Apollo, whence it is called Apoilineae Vercellae by Martial (x. 12. 1); and there was in its vicinity a grove, and per- haps a temple sacred to that deity (Stat. Stle. i. 4. 59), which is probably to be sought at a small place called PoUone, at the foot of tlie Alps. (Cf. Cic. Fam. xi. 19; Plin. iii. 17. s. 21; Bellini, Antichiia di Vercelli.) [T. H. D.] VEREASUECA, a harbour belonging to the town of Argenomescum, in the territory of the Cantabri, in Hispania Tarraconensis. (Plin. iv. 20. s. 34.) Probably Puerto de S. Martin. (Cf. Florez, Esj^. Sagr. xxiv. p. 44.) [T. H. D.] VERELA. [Varia.] VERETUM (Ot-epTjToV, Strab., Ptol. : Eth. Vere- tinus: Sfa Maria di Vereto), a town of Calabria, in the district or territory of the Sallentines, and within a few miles of the lapygian promontory. Strabo tells us that it was formerly called Baris, and describes it as if it were a seaport town; but both Pliny and Ptolemy rank it among the inland towns of the Sallentines; and there seems no doubt that its site is marked by the old church of Sta Maria di Vereto, the name of which is found on old maps, between the villages of Salve and Roggiano, about 6 miles from the Capo di Leuca, and 10 from Ugento, the correct distance given in the Tabula from IJxentum to Veretnm. (Strab. vi. p. 281; Plin. iii. 11. s. 16; Ptol. iii. 1. § 76; Tab. Pent.; Galateo, de Sit. lapyg. p. 99; Holsten. ad Cluver. p. 283; Romanelli, vol. ii. p. 35.) The " ager V^e- retinus " is mentioned also in the Liber Coloniarum (p. 262) among the " civitates Calabriae," and doubt- less comprised the whole district as far as the lapygian promontory. [E. H. B.] VERGAE. [BuuTTii.] VEKGELLUS, a rivulet or torrent, which crossed the field of battle of Cannae. It is not indeed men- tioned by either Livy or Polybius in their circum- stanti.al accounts of the battle, but it is noticed by both Florus and Valerius Maximus in connection with a story that seems to have been current among the Romans, that its course was choked up by the dead bodies of the slain, to such an extent that the Car- thaginian troops crossed over them as a bridge. (Flor. ii. 6. § 18; Val. Max. ix. 2, Ext. § 2.) The same incident is alluded to by other writers, but VERODUNENSES. without mentioning the name of the stream. (Sil. Ital. viii. 668; Lucian, PHal. Mort. 12. § 2.) The stream meant is probably a rivulet which falls into the Aufidus on its right bank between Cannae and Canusium, and is wholly dry in sum- mer. [E. H. B.] VERGENTUM, a place in Hispania Baetica, with the surname of Julii Genius. (Plin. iii. 1. s. 3.) Now Gehes or Gines. [T. H. D.] VERGI'LIA {OvepyiKia, Ptol. ii. 6. § 61 : Eth. Vergilienses, Plin. iii. 3. s. 4), a town of the Baste- tani, in Hispania Tarraconensis. It has been iden- tified by some writers with Murcia. (l)'Anville, Geogr. Anc. i. p. 31 ; Mentelle, Esp. Anc. p. 186.) [T. H. D.] VERGIUM, a fortress in Hispania Tarraconensis (Liv. xxxiv. 21). Reichard, but perhaps without adequate grounds, identifies it with the present Berga. [T. H. D.] VERGOANUM. [Lerina.] VERGUNNI, the name of an Alpine people men- tioned in the Tmphy of the Alps (Plin. iii. 20). They are supposed to be represented by the name Vergons or Vergon, between Senes [Sanitiuji] and Glandives, and about half-way between these two places. [G. L.] VERISA (Bv';f»i(ra), a town in the interior of Pontus, on the road from Sebastopolis to Sebastia. {It. Ant. pp. 205, 214 ; Basil. Magn. Epist. nit.) Its site is yet uncertain, some identifying it with Cora, others with Baidus. [L. S.] VERLU'CIO, a place in Britannia Romana, on the road from Isca Silurum to Calleva {Itin. Ant. p. 486), and apparently in the territory of the Dobuni. It has been variously identified with the village of Leckham on the Avon, with Westhury. Spy Park, and Whethani. [T. H. D.] VEl.'NEA, a fort in Rhaetia, on a steep height above the banks of the river Atliesis. not far from Tridentum, where its site is still marked by the Dos di Trent. (Cassiod. Vur. iii. 48; Paul. Diac. iii. 31, where it is called P'erruge ; Pallhausen, Beschreib. der Pom. Ileerstrasse von Verona nach Augsburg, p. 28.) [L. S.] VERNODUBRUM, a river of Gallia Narbonen- sis mentioned by Pliny (iii. 4) after the Tecum, which is the Ticliis [Ticms] of Mela. Pliny does not mention the Telisor Tetis(J'e/), and it has been conjectured that he gives the name of Vernodu- brum to the Telis. But there is a river Gly or Agly, north of the Tet and not far from it, which flows into the Mediterranean past Pivcsaltes, and a branch of the Gly is still named Verdoiible or Verdoubre, which is certainly the Vernodubrum. (D'Anville, Notice, 4c.) [G. L.] VERNOSOL, in Aquitania, is placed in the An- tonine Itin. on a road from Beneharnum [Benehar- num] to Tolosa {Toulouse). This circuitous road ran through Lugdunum Convenarum and Calagorris. Vernosol is between Calagorris {Cazeres) and Tou- lotise. Vernosol is Veriiose. [G. L.] VERODUNENSES. This name does not occur in any document earlier than the Notitia of the Gallic Provinces, which was probably drawn up at the commencement of the fifth century of our era. Civitas Verodunensium in the Notitia is the capital of a people, and is named last in the first of the two Belgicae. The name Virodunum occurs in the Antonine Itin. and so the name is written on some medals. It is placed on a route from Durocortorum {Reims) to Divodurum {Melz). In the middle age