Braslæ, a town of Laconia. Pausanias, bk. 3, ch. 24.
Brasĭdas, a famous general of Lacedæmon, son of Tellus, who, after many great victories over Athens and other Grecian states, died of a wound at Amphipolis, which Cleon the Athenian had besieged, B.C. 422. A superb monument was raised to his memory. Pausanias, bk. 3, ch. 24.—Thucydides, bks. 4 & 5.—Diodorus, bk. 3.——A man of Cos. Theocritus, Idylls, poem 7.
Brasidēia, festivals at Lacedæmon, in honour of Brasidas. None but freemen born Spartans were permitted to enter the lists, and such as were absent were fined.
Brasĭlas, a man of Cos. Theocritus, poem 7.
Braure, a woman who assisted in the murder of Pittacus king of the Edoni. Thucydides, bk. 4, ch. 107.
Brauron, a town of Attica, where Diana had a temple. The goddess had three festivals called Brauronia, celebrated once every fifth year by 10 men, who were called ἱεροποιοι. They sacrificed a goat to the goddess, and it was usual to sing one of the books of Homer’s Iliad. The most remarkable that attended were young virgins in yellow gowns, consecrated to Diana. They were about 10 years of age, and not under five, and therefore their consecration was called δεκατευειν, from δεκα, decem; and sometimes ἀρκτευειν, as the virgins themselves bore the name of ἀρκτοι, bears, from this circumstance. There was a bear in one of the villages of Attica so tame, that he ate with the inhabitants, and played harmlessly with them. This familiarity lasted long, till a young virgin treated the animal too roughly, and was killed by it. The virgin’s brother killed the bear, and the country was soon after visited by a pestilence. The oracle was consulted, and the plague removed by consecrating virgins to the service of Diana. This was so faithfully observed, that no woman in Athens was ever married before a previous consecration to the goddess. The statue of Diana of Tauris, which had been brought into Greece by Iphigenia, was preserved in the town of Brauron. Xerxes carried it away when he invaded Greece. Pausanias, bk. 8, ch. 46.—Strabo, bk. 9.
Brenni and Breuni, a people of Noricum. Horace, bk. 4, ode 14.
Brennus, a general of the Galli Senones, who invaded Italy, defeated the Romans at the river Allia, and entered their city without opposition. The Romans fled into the capitol, and left the whole city in the possession of the enemies. The Gauls climbed the Tarpeian rock in the night, and the capitol would have been taken had not the Romans been awakened by the noise of geese which were before the doors, and immediately repelled the enemy. Camillus, who was in banishment, marched to the relief of his country, and so totally defeated the Gauls, that not one remained to carry the news of their destruction. Livy, bk. 5, ch. 36, &c.—Plutarch, Camillus.——Another Gaul, who made an irruption into Greece with 150,000 men and 15,000 horse, and endeavoured to plunder the temple of Apollo at Delphi. He was destroyed, with all his troops, by the god, or more properly, he killed himself in a fit of intoxication, B.C. 278, after being defeated by the Delphians. Pausanias, bk. 10, chs. 22 & 23.—Justin, bk. 24, ch. 6, &c.
Brenthe, a ruined city of Arcadia. Pausanias, bk. 8, ch. 28.
Brescia, a city of Italy, which had gods peculiar to itself.