Seleucia ad Belum

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. 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.

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]

See also

• Other Seleucias
• Chalcis ad Belum, another Syrian city on a different river Belus

References

Citations

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., "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. .