Bellus

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== Belado ==
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[[Category:Roman religion]]
 
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Belus or Belos (Βῆλος) in classical Greek or classical Latin texts (and later material based on them) in a Babylonian context refers to the Babylonian god Bel Marduk. Though often identified with Greek Zeus and Roman [[Jupiter]] as Zeus Belos or Jupiter Belus, in other cases Belus is euhemerized as an ancient king who founded Babylon and built the ziggurat. He is recognized and worshipped as the God of war.
 
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Eusebius of Caesarea (Praeparatio Evangelica 9.18) cites Artabanus as stating in his Jewish History that Artabanus found in anonymous works that giants who had been dwelling in Babylonia were destroyed by the gods for impiety, but one of them named Belus escaped and settled in Babylon and lived in the tower which he built and named the Tower of Belus. A little later Eusebius (9.41) cites Abydenus' Concerning the Assyrians for the information that the site of Babylon:
== From www.celtnet.org.uk ==
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... was originally water, and called a sea. But Belus put an end to this, and assigned a district to each, and surrounded Babylon with a wall; and at the appointed time he disappeared.
 
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This seems to be a rationalized version of Marduk's defeat of Tiamet in the Enuma Elish followed here by Belus becoming a god. A little earlier in the same section, in a supposed prophecy by King Nebuchadnezzar, King Nebuchadnezzar claims to be descended from Belus.
A Gaulish God: He of Death
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Diodorus Siculus (6.1.10) cites Euhemerus as relating that Zeus (a euhemerized Zeus) went to Babylon and was entertained by Belus. Diodorus also relates (17.112.3) how the Chaldean of Babylon requested [[Alexander the Great]] to restore the "Tomb of Belus" which had been demolished by the Persians. Strabo (16.1.5) likewise refers to the ziggurat as the "Tomb of Belus" which had been demolished by Xerxes.
This Gauish god is known from several inscriptions found in the Provence region of France. In each inscription he is equated with Roman Mars, and this, with the interpretation of his name's meaning indicates that he was a martial deity, a 'bringer of death'.
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See Belus (Egyptian) for statements that Belus in reference to the Babylonian Zeus Belus actually refers to the Belus of Greek mythology, son of Poseidon by Libya.
 
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It is likely the Babylonian Belus was not clearly distinguished from vague, ancient Assyrian figures named Belus though some chronographers make the distinction.
 
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Synonyms:  
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Gaul: Death
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Belado is known from several inscriptions, all originating in Gaul. The first of these (CIL XII 0503) was discovered at Aix-en-Provence, Boches-du-Rhône, France which reads: Marti Beladoni T(itus) Fl(avius) Iustus ex iussu (To Mars Belado, Titus Flavius Iustus [proffers this] in fulfilment of a demand). The next two inscriptions (AE 1904, 142 and AE 1904, 143) both derive from Limans, Alpes de Haute-Provence, France. The first of these (AE 1904, 142) reads: [Marti] Bela[doni] v(otum) s(olvit) [l(ibens) m(erito)] T(itus) Vent[idius?] Cila I[ (To Mars Belado, Titus Ventidius Cila I[ willingly and deservedly [offers this] in fulfilment of a vow). The next inscription, (AE 1904, 143) reads: [Marti] Bela[doni] Con[nius] Urs[us] v(otum) s(olvit) [l(ibens) m(erito)] (To Mars Belado, Connius the Bear willingly and deservedly [offers this] in fulfilment of a vow).
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The final inscription (AE 1991, 1197) derives from Plaisians, Drôme, France and reads: Marti Beladoni Patern(us) Quintuli v(otum) [s(olvit)] l(ibens) m(erito) (To Mars Belado, Paternus Quintulius willingly and deservedly [offers this] in fulfilment of a vow). In each case the name Belado associated with the Roman warrior deity Mars by Interpretato Romano which strongly indicates that Belado was considered a warrior-type deity.
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This association of Belado with Mars also has a bearing upon the interpretation of the deity's name. If the name is Celtic then it can only be derived from the reconstructed proto-Celtic element: *belatu- (death). Though this would be expected to give us the name Belato. However, the name also has echoes of the Latin Bellus (war/battle) but we'd then expect the form Belladus. What seems to have happened is that the Gaulish name of the deity has been given the -dus ending based on the influence of Latin bello. Thus Beladus can be interpreted as 'He of Death'.
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Latest revision as of 10:13, 27 January 2013

Belus or Belos (Βῆλος) in classical Greek or classical Latin texts (and later material based on them) in a Babylonian context refers to the Babylonian god Bel Marduk. Though often identified with Greek Zeus and Roman Jupiter as Zeus Belos or Jupiter Belus, in other cases Belus is euhemerized as an ancient king who founded Babylon and built the ziggurat. He is recognized and worshipped as the God of war. Eusebius of Caesarea (Praeparatio Evangelica 9.18) cites Artabanus as stating in his Jewish History that Artabanus found in anonymous works that giants who had been dwelling in Babylonia were destroyed by the gods for impiety, but one of them named Belus escaped and settled in Babylon and lived in the tower which he built and named the Tower of Belus. A little later Eusebius (9.41) cites Abydenus' Concerning the Assyrians for the information that the site of Babylon: ... was originally water, and called a sea. But Belus put an end to this, and assigned a district to each, and surrounded Babylon with a wall; and at the appointed time he disappeared. This seems to be a rationalized version of Marduk's defeat of Tiamet in the Enuma Elish followed here by Belus becoming a god. A little earlier in the same section, in a supposed prophecy by King Nebuchadnezzar, King Nebuchadnezzar claims to be descended from Belus. Diodorus Siculus (6.1.10) cites Euhemerus as relating that Zeus (a euhemerized Zeus) went to Babylon and was entertained by Belus. Diodorus also relates (17.112.3) how the Chaldean of Babylon requested Alexander the Great to restore the "Tomb of Belus" which had been demolished by the Persians. Strabo (16.1.5) likewise refers to the ziggurat as the "Tomb of Belus" which had been demolished by Xerxes. See Belus (Egyptian) for statements that Belus in reference to the Babylonian Zeus Belus actually refers to the Belus of Greek mythology, son of Poseidon by Libya. It is likely the Babylonian Belus was not clearly distinguished from vague, ancient Assyrian figures named Belus though some chronographers make the distinction.

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