Belus was a legendary king of Tyre in Virgil's Aeneid and other Latin works.[1] He was said to have been the father of Dido of Carthage, Pygmalion of Tyre, and Anna.[2] The historical father of these figures was the king Mattan I, also known as MTN-BʿL (Matan-Baʿal, 'Gift of the Lord'), which classicist T. T. Duke suggests was made into the name Belus as a hypocorism.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ The typical Roman rendering of the Akkadian Bel and Northwest Semitic Baʿal (both meaning "Lord") as a theonym, personal name, or title.
  2. ^ Virgil. Aeneid Book 1, Line 729.
  3. ^ Duke, T. T. (1969). "Review: The World of the Phoenicians". The Classical Journal. The Classical Association of the Middle West and South. 65 (3): 135. ISSN 0009-8353. JSTOR 3296263. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
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