Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume I Part 1.djvu/406

 388 ^ELGAE. Bat the Belgic area of Britain maj be carried for- ther eastwards bj considering the Attrebatii as a Belgic popalation; in which case Belgae is a generic term, and Attrebatii the specific name of one of the divisions it inclndes; and by admitting the evidence of Rictianl of Cirencester we maj go farther still. [BxBROGi.] To tliis line of criticism, however, it may be objected, that it is as little warranted by the text of Caesar as hj that of Ptolemy. The Belgae of Caesar require Kent and Suuextm their locality : those of Ptolemy, IFt to and SomerseL The reconciliation of these diflferent conditions has been attempted. An extension westward between the times of the two writers has given one hypothesis. Bnt this is beset with difficulties. To say nothing about the extent to which the time in question was the epoch of conqoests almost exclusively Roman, the reasons for believing the soorcet of Ptolemy to have been earlier than the time of Caesar are cogmt In the mind of the present writer, the fact that Ptolemy's anthoritios dealt with was the existence in Britain of localities belonging to populations called Belgae and Attrebatii ; a fiict known to Caesar also. Another fact known to Caesar was, the ex- iutence of Belgic immigrants along the shores of Kent and Sussex. Betwwa these there is as little necessary connection as there is between the settle- ments of the modem Germans in London, and the existence of German geographical names in -sted^ -^hvrstj &c., in Kent But there is an apparent one; and this either Caesar or his authorities assumed. Belgae and Attrebates he found in Kent, just as men from DelToea-horst may probably be found at present; and populations called Belgae and Attreliates he heard of in parts not very distant Just as men of Govld-hurst or Mid-hurst may be heard of now. He connected the two as nine ethnologists out of ten, with equally limited data, would have done, — ^logi- cally, but erroneously. The professed Keltic scholar may cany the criti- cism further, and probably explain the occurrence of the names in question — and others like them — ^npon the principle just suggested. He may sooceed in showing that the forms Belg- and Attrebat-, have a geographical or political signification. The first is one of importance. The same, or a similar, com- bination of sounds occurs in Blatum ^«Z$r-ium, a station north of the Solway ; in the Numenu A-huh-omm stationed at Anderida; and in the famous Fic-bolgs of Ireland. Two observations apply to these last. Like the Attacotti [Atta- ooTTi], they occur only in the fabulous portion of Irish history. Like the -Obei in such words as quod- libet, quibus-/t^, the Bolg is unflected, the jCr- only being declined — so that the forms are Fir-Bolg (Belffae)j Feroib-Bolg (Beigis). This is against the word being a true proper name. Lastly, it should be added, that, though the word Belgae in Britain is not generic, it is so in Gaul, where there is no such population as that of the Belgae^ except so fitr as it is Nervian, Attrebatian, Menapian, &c. That the Belgae of Britain were in the same eth- nological category with the Belgae of Gaol, no more follows from the identity of name, than it follows tliat Cambro-Briton and Italian belong to the same fiunily, because each is called Welsh, The truer evidence is of a more indirect nature, and lies in the fact of the Britannic Belgae being in the same category with the rest of the Britons, the rest of the Britons being as the Gauls, and the Gauls as the continental Belgae. That the first and last of "BELON. these three propositions has been doubted is well known; in dher words, it is well known that good writera have looked upon the Belgae as Germans. The GalUc Belgae, however, rather than the Bri- tannic, are the ti'ibes with whom this question rests. All that need be said here is, that of the three Belgic towns mentioned by Ptolemy (Ischalis, Aquae Sulis, and Venta), none is Germanic in name, whilst one a Latin, and the third eminently British, as may be seen by comparing the Venta Silurum and the Venta Icenorum wiUi the Venta Belgarom. [R. G. L.] BE'LGICA. [Galua.] BELGINUM. [GalliaJ BE'LGIUM. [Bkloak.] BELIAS. [Balissus.] . - BEXION. [4M«k.] - : » ' ' . c: ^ jid- - BELISAMA (Aestuarium), in Britain, mentioned by Ptolemy (ii. 3. § 2) as south of Morecambe (^Morecame Bag)^ and, conseqaently, most probably the mouth of the JUibble, though Horsley identifies it with that of the Merseg. [R. G. L.] BELLI (BcAAoQ, one of the smaller tribes of the Celtiberi, in Hispania Tarraoonensis, with the pow- erful Kity of Segeda (Sryi^), the revolt of which commenced the Celtiberian War. (Polyb. xxxv. 2; Appian. de Beb. Bisp, 44, 45.) [P. S.] BELLINTUM, a pkce in Gallia, marked in the Jerusalem Itin. between Avignon and Aries, The distance identifies it with Barbentanc, accord- ing to D'Anville, and with ZaueaCf according to othera. [G. L.] BELLOCASSES. [Vellogassbb.] BELLOTACI (BcAXoiUoi, Strabo, p. 195), a Belgic people, the first of the Belgae in numben and influence (£. Cr. il 4, 8 ; viL 59). It was reported to Caesar that they could muster 100,000 armed men. [Bkloab.] Their position was between the Somme (Samara) and the &me, S. of the Ambiani, E. of the Caleti, and W. of the Suessones. It is conjec- tured that the small tribe of the Sylvanectes, £. of the Oise, who are not mentioned in Caesar, were in his time included among the Bellovaci. The whole extent of the territory of the Bellovaci probably com- prdiended the dioceses of Beastvais aiod of Senlis, Ptolemy mentions Caesaromagns (^Beauvais) as the capital of the Bellovaci in his time. The only plaoe that Caesar mentions is Bratospantium. [BaATUs- PAjmuic.] [G. L.] BELON (BiKwy, Stiab. iiu p. 140, Steph. B.: Eth. B€KA¥ios, comp. «. v, B^Aos), or BAELON (Balw, PtoL ii. 4. § 5 ; Marc Herac. p. 40; Geogr. Rav. iii. 42 ; coins), a dty on the S. coast of Hispania Baetica, at the mouth of a river of the same name (probably the Barbate)^ which Marcian places between 150 and 200 stadia S.E. of the Prom. Junonis (C TrafaJIgar). The city was a considerable port, with establishments for salting fish; and it is 6 m. p. W. of Mellaria and 12 E. ^ Bbsipfo (/ten. AnL p. 407, where it has the sur- name Claudia), at the entrance of the Fretum Cia« ditanum {Straits of Gibraltar) from the Atlantio (Mela, ii. 6; Plin. iii. S. s. 1), directly opposite to Tingis, in Mauretania, and n-as the usud place of embarcation for persons crossing over to that city (Strab. /. c), the distance to which was reckoned SO Roman miles (Plin. v. 1), or 220 stadia (/<m. AfU, p. 495). Its ruins are still seen at the place called BdoniOf or Boloma^ 3 Spanish miles W. of Tarifa. There is a coin with the epigraph baijlo. (Philos. Trans, vol. xxx. p. 922; Florez, Med, ds Esp, vol. ii. p. 635, vd. iii. p. 152; Mionnet,