PAUTA´LIA
PAUTA´LIA (
Παυταλία al. Πανταλία,
Ptol. 3.11.12; Peut. Tab.), a town in the district of Dentheletica. Its position in the Table accords with that of the modern
Djustendíl or
Ghiustendíl; and the situation of this town at the sources of the Strymon agrees remarkably with the figure of a river-god, accompanied by the “legend”
Στρύμων, on some of the autonomous coins of Pautalia, as well as with the letters
ΕΝ. ΠΑΙΩ., which, on other coins, show that the Pautalistae considered themselves to be Paeonians, like the other inhabitants of the banks of that river. On another coin of Pautalia, the productions of its territory are alluded to, namely, gold, silver, wine, and corn (Eckhel, vol. ii. p. 38), which accords with
Ghiustendíl. In the reign of Hadrian, the people both of Pautalia and Serdica added Ulpia to the name of their town, probably in consequence of some benefit received from that emperor.
This title, in the case of Pautalia, would seem at first sight to warrant the supposition that it was the same place as Ulpiana, which, according to Procopius (
de Aed. 4.1), was rebuilt by Justinian, with the name of Justiniana Secunda; and the modern name lends an appearance of confirmation to this hypothesis by its resemblance to Justiniana.
But the fact that Procopius and Hierocles notice Ulpiana and Pautalia as distinct places, is an insurmountable objection to this hypothesis [ULPIANA.] Stephanus of Byzantium has a district called PAETALIA (
Παιταλία), which he assigns to Thrace, probably a false reading. (Leake,
Northern Greece, vol. iii. p. 425.)
[
E.B.J]
