BENEHARNUM
BENEHARNUM a place first mentioned in the Antonine Itin.
It is placed 19 Gallic leagues, or 28 1/2 M. P., from Aquae Tarbellicae (
Dax), on the road to
Toulouse. But the road was circuitous, for it passed through Aquae Convenarum; and between Beneharnum and Aquae Convenarum the Itin. places Oppidum Novum (
Naye on the
Gave), 27 M. P. from Beneharnum. Another road from Caesar Augusta (
Saragossa) to Beneharnum, passes through Aspa Luca (
Pont l'Esquit) and Iluro (
Oléron), on the
Gave d'Oléron. Iluro is 18 M. P. from Beneharnum. If then we join
Oléron and
Naye by a straight line, we have the respective distances 18 and 27 M. P. from
Oléron and
Naye to Beneharnum, as the other sides of the triangle. Walekenaer, on the. authority of these two routes and personal observation, places Beneharnum at
Vieille Tour to the E. of
Maslac; Reichard, at
Navarreins; and D'Anville places it near
Orthez. Walckenaer's site is at
Castelnon, [p. 1.390]between
Maslac and
Lagor, in the department of
Basses Pyrénées. Beneharnum was undoubtedly the origin of the name of
Bélarn, one of the old divisions of France. Beneharnum, under the name of Benarnum, existed in the sixth century of our aera, and had a bishop.
There are no ancient remains which can be identified as the site of Beneharnum. (D'Anville,
Notice, &c.; Walckenaer,
Géog. vol. ii. p. 401, &c.)
[
G.L]
