Enciclopedia Cattolica Vol. II, 1949 History & biography Historical treatises

Bessi

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Also known as: Bessians

BESSI. - A population of Thracian stock living in the time of Strabo on the plain between the mountain groups of the Haemus (Balkans) and the Rhodope (Eastern Rumelia). Already mentioned by Herodotus, they had hostile contacts with the kings of Macedonia and later with Rome.

Completely subdued in the time of Augustus and annexed to the province of Thrace, they retained warlike habits, and willingly served in the imperial army. Besides a "cohors II Flavia Bessorum", we find frequent mentions of soldiers of the "auxilia" and of sailors of the fleets of Ravenna and Misenum of Bessi origin. Their conversion to Christianity seems to have begun with the preaching of the bishop of Remesiana, Nicetas, in the 4th century (cf. Paulinus of Nola, Carmen, XVII, 205; St. Jerome, Epist., 60, 4).

Roberto Paribeni

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By Roberto Paribeni

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Translated from the Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. II (1949), coll. 1499–1500.

More by Roberto Paribeni: Barbarians · Dacia · Diocletian (Imp. Caesar M. Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus Augustus), Roman Emperor · Edict · Edict of Milan

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Chicago

Paribeni, Roberto. “Bessi.” In Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. II, coll. 1499–1500. Città del Vaticano: Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1949. https://azioneromana.com/article/bessi.

MLA

Paribeni, Roberto. “Bessi.” Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. II, Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1949, coll. 1499–1500. Azione Romana, https://azioneromana.com/article/bessi.

BibTeX

@incollection{ec2_bessi,
  author    = {Paribeni, Roberto},
  title     = {Bessi},
  booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica},
  volume    = {II},
  pages     = {1499--1500},
  note      = {Cited by column},
  publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico},
  address   = {Città del Vaticano},
  year      = {1949},
  url       = {https://azioneromana.com/article/bessi}
}

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