BEROEA
BEROEA
1.
（
Βέροια,
Βέρροια: Eth.
Βεροαῖος, Steph. B. sub voce Beroeus,
Liv. 23.39:
Verria), a city of Macedonia, in the N. part of the province (
Plin. Nat. 4.10), in the district called Emathia (
Ptol. 3.13.39), on a river which flows into the Haliacmon, and upon one of the lower ridges of Mount Bermius (
Strab. vii. p.330).
It was attacked, though unsuccessfully, by the Athenian forces under Callias, B.C. 432. (
Thuc. 1.61.)
The statement of Thucydides presents some geographical difficulties, as Beroea lies quite out of the way of the natural route from Pydna to Potidaea. Mr. Grote (
Hist. of Greece, vol. vi. p. 96) considers that another Beroea, situated somewhere between Gigonus and Therma, and out of the limits of that Macedonia which Perdiccas governed, may probably be the place indicated by Thucydides. Any remark from Mr. Grote deserves the highest consideration; but an objection presents itself against this view. His argument rests upon the hypothesis that there was another Beroea in Thrace or in Emathia, though we do not know its exact site.
There was a town called Beroea in Thrace, but we are enabled to fix its position with considerable certainty, as lying between Philippopolis and Nicopolis (see below), and no single authority is adduced to show that there was a second Beroea in Thrace between Gigonus and Therma.
Beroea surrendered to the Roman consul after the battle of Pydna (
Liv. 44.45), and was assigned, with its territory, to the third region of Macedonia (45.29). St. Paul and Silas withdrew to this city from Thessalonica; and the Jewish residents are described as more ingenuous and of a better disposition than those of the latter place, in that they diligently searched the Scriptures to ascertain the truth of the doctrines taught by the Apostle. (
Acts, 17.11.) Sopater, a native of this town, accompanied St. Paul to Asia. (
Acts, 20.4.) Lucian (
Asinus, 34) describes it as a large and populous town.
It was situated 30 M. P. from Pella (
Peut. Tab.), and 51 M. P from Thessalonica (
Itin. Anton.), and is mentioned as one of the cities of the
thema of Macedonia. (Constant.
de Them. 2.2.) For a rare coin of Beroea, belonging to the time of Alexander the Great, see Rasche, vol. i. p. 1492; Eckhel, vol. ii, p. 69.
Verria stands on the E. slope of the Olympene range of mountains, about 5 miles from the left bank of the
Vistrítza or
Injékara, just where that river, after having made its way to an immense rocky ravine through the range, enters the great maritime plain.
Verria contains about 2000 families, and, from its natural and other advantages, is described as one of the most agreeable towns in
Rumilí. The remains of the ancient city are very considerable. Leake (
Northern Greece, vol. iii. p. 291), from whom this account of
Verria is taken, notices the NW. angle of the wall, or perhaps of the acropolis; these walls are traceable from that point southward to two high towers towards the upper part of the modern town, which appears to have been repaired or rebuilt in Roman or Byzantine times. Only three inscriptions have been discovered. (Leake,
l.c.）
2.
（
Βερής, Steph. B. sub voce: Eth.
Βερήσιος), a town in Thrace, 87 M. P. from Adrianopolis (
Itin. Anton.; Hierocles), and situated somewhere between Philippopolis and Nicopolis. (
Amm. Marc. 27.4.12,
31.9.1; Jornand.
de Rebus Geticis, 100.18.)
In later times it was called Irenopolis, in honour of the empress Irene, who caused it to be repaired. (Theophan. p. 385; Zonar.
Ann. vol. ii. p. 115;
Hist. Misc. xxxiii. p. 166, ap. Muratori.) St. Martin, in his notes to Le Beau (
Bas Empire, vol. xii. p. 330), confounds this city with the Macedonian Beroea. Liberius was banished to this place from Rome, and spent two years in exile there.
H. E. 4.11.)
3.
（
Βέρροια,
Βέροια,
Βέροη,
Βεροεία: Eth.
Βερόυς, Steph. B. sub voce Berooensis,
Plin. Nat. 5.23;
Itin. Anton.; [p. 1.394]Hierocles:
Haleb, Aleppo), a town in Syria (
Strab. xvi. p.751), about midway between Antioch and Hierapolis. (Procop.
B. P. 2.7;
Ptol. 5.15.) Julian, after a laborious march of two days from Antioch, halted on the third at Beroea. (Julian,
Epist. xxvii.; Theodoret. 3.22; Milman's Gibbon, vol. iv. p. 144; Le Beau,
Bas Empire, vol. iii. p. 55.) Chosroes, in his inroad upon Syria, A.D. 540, demanded a tribute from Beroea, which he remitted afterwards, as the inhabitants were unable to pay it. (Procop.
B. P. 2.7; Milman's Gibbon, vol. vii. p. 315; Le Beau, vol. ix. p. 13.) A.D. 611 Chosroes II. occupied this city. (Gibbon, vol. viii. p. 225.)
It owed its Macedonian name of Beroea to Seleucus Nicator, and continued to be called so till the conquest by the Arabs under Abu Obeidah, A.D. 638, when it resumed its ancient name of Cbaleb or Chalybon. (Niceph.
H. E. 14.39 ; Schulten's
Index Geog. s. v.
Haleb; Winer,
Bibl. Real-Wort. Buch.) It afterwards became the capital of the Sultans of the race of Hamadan, but in the latter part of the tenth century was united to the Greek empire by the conquests of Zimisces, emperor of Constantinople.
The excavations a little way eastward of the town, are the only vestiges of ancient remains in the neighbourhood. They are very extensive, and consist of suites of large apartments, which are separated by portions of solid rock, with massive pilasters left at intervals to support the mass above. (Chesney,
Exped. Euphrat. vol. i. p. 435.) Its present population is somewhat more than 100,000 souls. For coins of Beroea, both autonomous and imperial, ranging from Trajan to Antoninus, see Rasche, vol. i. p. 1492; Eckhel, vol. iii. p. 359.
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| COIN OF BEROEA IN SYRIA. |
4.
（
Βερέα, 1
Mace. 9.4), a village in Judaea (Reland,
Palaest. p. 640), which, according to Winer (s. v.), must not be confounded with the Berea mentioned 2
Mace. 13.4. [
E.B.J]
