Pujades 14

Pujades Chronicle of Catalonia 1609

### Chapter 14

*Referring to how Brigus was King of Spain, and the foundings of Segorba, Jativa, Alicante, Lercahosa, Lerida, Urgel, Lardecans and Ausona; and treating also on the coming of Auso.*

1. With the death of Jubala, Brigus succeeded in the dominion of Spain, according to Master Pedro Medina, Annius, Berosus, Casaneo and Lucio Marinéo. And as Florian, Garibay and Viladamor write, Brigus was the son of Jubala. Canon Tarafa and Medina say that he was the son of Mela or Mesa, the son of Arameus, the son of Shem, the son of Noah; and so it is read in Berosus in the genealogy of Shem, followed by Juan Pineda in the Ecclesiastical Monarchy: but they do not say how the succession came to him, he being from the lineage of Shem, and there being so many men from Japheth, from whom the preceding lords of Spain were descended, as we have seen so far.

[Swinton and Stevens also say Brigus is son of Idubeda; Anderson and Aventinus claim he was son of Mesa, son of Aram, son of Shem.

Mesa or Mesh, son of Aram, has long been confused with Meshech, son of Japheth in most accounts. Apparently one of these settled in Moesia, and another in Moscovia, and usually historians of antiquity got these reversed, having Meshech son of Japheth in Moscovia and Mesa son of Aram in Moesia. However the truth of this matter can be seen in the surviving annal that the Massagetae (the later Moscovia) were founded as a federation of Mesa and Gether, who were both sons of Aram. It is rather the Japhethite Meshech who settled Moesia and was father of Brigus, who thus began a Meshechite (Japhetite) dynasty in Iberia, not a Semitic one. Brigus was also said to be a governor of Moesia for Emperor Tuyscon. The Bryges, later Phrygians, were named for Brigus and some of them had seized Bithynia according to Aventinus' *German Chronicle*, as early as 2214 BC, under Emperor Mannus. His successor, Emperor Ingevon, made Brigus governor of the lands between the Upper Danube and Alps, where Brigus built Artzburg, now Weltenburg monastery in Kelheim, as well as Brigantia, now Bregenz on Lake Constance. As Aventinus tells us, in 2154 BC, when king Jubalda of Iberia died without heir, Ingevon again reassigned Brigus by sending him as the next ruler of Spain, as Brigus had married Jubalda's daughter; however the Spanish historians seem not to be aware of this information.]

2. This King Brigus, Shem's great-grandson and Noah's third grandson, began to reign in the year 2057 of the Creation of the world, according to Pineda; and according to Beuter in the year 399 after the Flood, which according to Florian, Compte and Garibay, came to be the year 259 after the population of Spain, and 1905 before the glorious Birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. It is true that Annius says that it was the year 400 after the Flood, and 267 for the population of Spain, and 1917 BC. Juan Sedeño says it ran 410 years after the Flood, and 1906 BC.

[From the first settlement of Tubalia in 2412 BC to the reign of Brigus in 2154 BC, means about 258 years after the settlement; and 601 years after the flood, and 1909 years after Adam.]

3. This King, as he was very courageous, of great heart, and ambitious of immortal fame, was inclined to found many towns, according to the same authors, adding that he gave them his name, and that the men who populated them were also named Briges or Brigantes; and the Celtabriga land.

4. From this term -briga, Garibay takes the opportunity to notice the use and custom that various nations have used in taking dictions to compose the names of their settlements. And so he says that from then on many Spaniards used this term -briga, as in the towns of Segobriga, Legobriga, and many others that he refers to. The Germans take -burch, and that is why they end the names of their towns in this diction, such as Asburch, Friburch, and others. The French end and terminate in -dunum, like Lugdunum, Neodunum, Cesarodunum. The English in -lant, like Eugranelant, Pilapelant. Italians use the term -ensia, like Florensia, Vicensia and others. The Greeks use the term polis, and put an end to it, like Galeópolis, Amphialópolis, Constantinopolis. The Cantabrians say that they even use the term -briga, and that Ira Briga means a big and strong city or town. Ira a minor town, like a village. And Garibay notes there that in the Tarragona province, mainly the Catalans, use ending the names of the towns in -ona, such as Tarragona, Barcelona, ​​Gerona, Vich de Ausona, and we can say he is right if we add Solsona, Cardona, Badalona, ​​Vilarodona, Mediona and others. And he also says that this diction or ending -ona is Cantabrian, and means good or well. But since it is uncertain when these terminations were taken, it is enough to have pointed it out now here in passing. And let us return to deal with King Brigus and his settlements.

[Pujades and Garibay surely display their ignorance of actual English place names here, otherwise I know of no explanation for this intelligence.]

5. Among other towns that this King founded in Catalonia were the following: Lercahosa on the banks of the Ebro, that later became the head of the Ilercahones towns, which were the towns from Idubeda to Millas, up to the Ebro river. And Beuter says this town of Lercahosa was the city that today is called Tortosa; and now this may or may not be, I refer to what I shall say below, when I shall speak of the terms of the Ilercahones, and of the foundation of Old Carthage. The same is written of Ilerda city, now called Lérida, saying it was founded by this King Brigus, and that it was the head of the Ilergetes peoples, who are those in our time called Urgellesos, including the city of Urgel itself, as we will see below. I also think it was his foundation of Ilerdacana, today called Llardecans, because that is how one is persuaded by the agreement it has with Lercahosa and Ilerda. It is true that Beuter writes that the Suardones, peoples of Narbonne Gaul, came to Spain, and founded the town of Ilerdacana, and the city of Urgél, which is mentioned by Pliny and Lorenzo Valla, despite the fact that our Catalan writers want it that Urgél is the foundation of Hercules, as we will see in its place. And so I do not dare adhere to the opinion of Beuter regarding this, and less regarding that of Lercahosa, because the authority of Mela that he alleges I have not been able to find; nor in all the place where he writes a whole chapter of Narbonne Gaul, did I find mention of such peoples, or race of people, named Suardones. It could be Sardanos, as I will tell below; but with all this, its name does not have any resemblance to Ilerdacana, Lercahones, or Ilerda, and thus one was persuaded to believe everything had been at one time, and among the same people.

[Stevens mentions Flaviobriga (Castro Urdiales), Segobriga (Saelices), and Juliobriga (Retortio) among towns built by Brigus, and Anderson mentions Nemetobriga (A Pobra de Treves) and Mitobriga. Many other places once ending in -briga or similar can be mentioned in Portugal and western Spain.]

6. Not satisfied with the foundations of the towns that King Brigus had made on the mainland, he sent several of his people by sea, some of whom populated the island of Ireland in the North Ocean Sea, neighboring England. Others came to Italy, and in Tuscany they populated Brigas, which is called Bracciano, and in the Alps Berobriga. Others went to Asia Minor, and founded many towns named Brigios, and changing the B into Ph or F, they named Phrigios or Phrygios, according to what Tarafa, Florian, Medina, Annius, Sedeño and Pineda write, especially my opinion was taken from Pliny: who writes that the Phrygians passed to Asia from Spain, from whom later came the great city of Troy so celebrated by the world. Because of these Phrygians, some time later some came to Spain, and since they had knowledge of them in it, this digression was appropriate.

[Ireland was already controlled by the people of Partholon by this time, so this is dubious. Brigus had already been governor in the Alps before ruling Spain, and the Bryges who later became Phrygians had originated in Moesia or Illyria and certainly not Spain, although Anderson repeats this erroneous claim.

More likely is Aventinus' account that early in the reign of Brigus, the coasts of Iberia were raided by the fleets of Myrina the Palatuan (Libyan Amazon) who had recently returned from ravaging across the Atlantic. In the course of Brigus' reign her forces would go on to overrun Syria and Asia Minor and invade the Balkans before being stopped on the Sava by another Moesian, Mopsus, in 2119 BC. This, and the fact that Moesia had fallen to the tyrant Lycurgus of Thrace in 2146 BC, would have complicated any intercourse between Brigus and his eastern kin for much of this time.]

7. The aforementioned authors say this name or word Brigus, means as much as Warden of the castle, and particularly Tarafa, Julian del Castillo, Lucio Marineo, and Fr Juan Pineda, write of him that he was the first in Spain who began to use weapons or insignia on their shields or pavises, bearing a castle as arms; and that for this reason, and for having founded the city of Burgos, head of the kingdom of Castile, the city and kingdom have a castle as their coat of arms and insignia. And this, although they do not say it, they took from Annius de Viterbo on Berosus; but Florian, Medina, and Pineda reprimand him, taking him as a mockery, and give as the principle of the arms of Castile the time of King Alfonso the ninth, who won the battle of Las Navas de Tolosa, and that is how Beuter understands it too, and it is the most certain: and it is not out of purpose, before it satisfies for when we will deal with the insignia of the Counts of Barcelona.

[Stevens says Brigus is Armenian for 'Alcaide or Governor'. He says his arms were 'Gules a Castle Or' (a yellow castle on a red field) but adds that others claim Tubal had previously had arms of a ship following the evening star.]

8. This King Brigo having governed his kingdoms by doing everything that we leave written, ended his days in the 52nd year of his reign, according to Annius, Goes, Tarafa, Garcia, Florian and Beuter, although Garibay gives him only a 51 year reign, and all agree that Spain was very heartbroken by his death. Once this King's life is over, it is not possible, nor is it reasonable, to ignore what Tarafa notes, that he came to Spain accompanied by his uncle Auso, son of Arameus; and that Auso founded Ausona in Catalonia, which today is called Vich de Ausona or Osona: and although some thought that this settlement was already founded in the time of Hercules, I will say elsewhere the error that is very possible was suffered in that, then it won't be very off-target. But it is enough for now to have warned; and leaving it in this way, I will go on to discuss the life of Tago.

[Swinton and Stevens give Brigus 52 years from 1907-1855 BC, and Anderson 51 years from 1911-1860 BC. However Beawes only says he ruled 32 years. *Defloratio* gives his accession year as Arius 20 (out of 30), or 2154 BC, but only says his successor Taga ruled from an unspecified year in the era of Baleus Xerxes. Brigus thus lasted the 40 year duration of the intervening king of "Babylon", Aralius, and therefore ruled in Iberia at least 50 years. Assuming 51 or 52 years is correct, his reign thus ended in about 2102 BC. Aralius, the Amraphel of Genesis and the historical Lugal-Anne-Mundu, seems in fact to have ruled 46 years until he was defeated by Abraham in the Vale of Siddim in 2099 BC, but *Defloratio* in truncating Aralius to 40 years seems to have transferred notice of Taga to the era of Baleus Xerxes (Lugal-Zaggesi).

*Defloratio* is also clear that in the 18th year of Aralius (2126 BC), Auson was received with his fleet by king Aurunus of Rasenna (Italy), and were granted land in the "heel" of Italy. These Ausones were the people of Uz, son of Aram, who had formerly settled at Damascus, Syria, but were forced to flee by the depredations of Myrina and her Amazon army at that time. Other than here and Tarafa, there seems to be no mention that any of these Ausones settled in Catalonia.]

### Chapter 15

*Treating on king Tagus, who succeeded Brigus*.

1. King Brigus was succeeded by King Tagus; and although Annius in one place names him Targus, in another place he names the same Tagus, as Casaneo, Lucio Marinéo, and others whom in this chapter we will refer to, name him. Also this King was called Togorma or Orma, as it is read in Berosus, Tarafa and Medina; and the cause or motive for naming him like that will be seen soon. Juan Sedeño also makes mention of this king Tagus, without saying whose son he was; as did those already mentioned, who said he was the son of Gomer, the first-born of Japheth. Pedro Antonio Beuter and Garibay say that he was Brigus' son. However, the former, and with them Berosus, Florian and Viladamor, agree that Tagus was African, and that in Africa he had founded a city that he gave the name of Togorma; and that from there, accompanied by many people, he came to Spain. And Florian says he settled in the lands of the kingdom of Murcia: and this same Beuter specifies when he says that he founded Cartageta, which is now called Cartagena, and Carteya, which today is Tarifa. It is true that in Cartagena the opinions are diverse, as in their places I will refer. They also say that outside of Spain he founded various settlements, sending his people to this end, as in Albania, Libya, Africa, Phoenícia and Syria, where today is Tyre; for whose changes that he made of towns and peoples, taking them out of some places to establish them in others, they gave him the name of Togorma, because Tog means to remove, and Orma settlers; and that is why the name of Togorma suited him, which meant the one who removes people from one part to another. They also say he gave the name to the river Tago that is so famous today, calling it Tajo. In everything I refer to the aforementioned authors.

[Swinton and Stevens have him as son of Brigus; Anderson as son of Gomer, adding that he "sent many Troops from Spain to seek new Habitations, whereof some of them past into Asia."

*Defloratio* attests he was called Tagus Orma, and the name of his realm Taga, but it hardly seems plausible that he was the same as Togarmah son of Gomer, who is more reliably placed by Armenian records as establishing a tribe in Armenia in the days of Nimrod, centuries earlier.

The claim that king Tagus sent colonies elsewhere is also dubious; an African origin for him cannot be ruled out, but neither can the possibility he was the son of Brigus and a continuation of the Meshechite dynasty.]

2. Francisco Compte says that the river Tach, which today is called Tech in Roussillon, and Ormaña, the town of Conflent, took their names from this king Tagus or Togorma.

3. The reign of Tagus began in the year 450 after the flood according to Beuter, and 310 of the population of Spain according to Florian, and 1854 before the Nativity of the Savior according to Florian and Garibay, although Tarafa and Medina say the year 1866 BC. Annius counts these years very differently, giving the first of the dominion of Tagus the year 552 of the flood, and 309 after the population of Spain, and 1865 BC, and this was followed by Damian Goes and Felipe Garcia. Regarding how many years he reigned, there are also a diversity of opinions: Annio, Beuter, Medina, Garibay, and Tarafa say he reigned 30 years: Florian and others say 33: and others 32 as it seems of our Antonio Viladamor, and it can be seen in the other authors already mentioned.

[Swinton and Stevens give him 30 years, 1855-1825 BC; Anderson also gives him 30, 1860-1830 BC. Beawes says he ruled 29 years. *Defloratio* does not specify his starting or ending year. I estimate his actual reign as ca. 2102-2073 BC.]

### Chapter 16

*Referring to how Betus succeeded, who gave name to Badalona and the river Besos.*

1. King Tagus was succeeded by Betus, of whom mention is made and Annius, Berosus, Lucio Marinéo, Juan Pineda, and others who will be alleged. Our Viladamor writes that, other than Baseo, no other historian has written that Betus was the son of Tagus; but I am persuaded that Viladamor in this denial speaks of the ancient writers, because the modern ones between Baseo and him, Beuter and Garibay wrote it a lot, when they said that Betus succeeded his father, Tagus. There is as much diversity about the year when he began his lordship, kingdom or government, as there is about the year when his father died. But leaving this, and also going through the incident that gave its name to the land that was called Betica, and today Andalusia, as can be read at length in Tarafa, Florian and Viladamor, it is said that he gathered many wise men, learned and literary, and founded General and Public Studies Academies, where Geometry, Music, and Moral Philosophy were taught, from which came those laws that governed very well for many years: from which it turns out that letters and sciences had principle in Spain earlier than in Greece, although the Greeks pretend to be the authors of them. And if what I have said above with the testimonies cited there is true, not only can Spain boast of that beginning from the time of Betus, but it is also from the time of Tubal. So we do not have to understand why the letters and sciences began at that time, but it is that they were perfected and taught in public schools.

[Stevens says his name is derived from Beth, which he claims means 'house' in Chaldean and 'deep' in Hebrew, although in fact it means 'house' in Hebrew.

Anderson adds that his surname was Turdetanus and that his realm was also known as Turdetania, and that he introduced some laws, policies and learning, giving his kingdom renown in Africa and Egypt. Swinton says he received this surname "on account of his introducing, as well as encouraging, learning".]

2. Viladamor says that neither of this Betus, nor of his three predecessors, is it read that they founded any settlement in Catalonia. But he really got deceived, from what he said in chapter fourteen. And also Juan Pineda, Canon Tarafa, and Francisco Compte write about this same King Betus, that he settled the great city of Betulonia in Catalonia, which is now the small town called Badalona, ​​near Besós and our city of Barcelona to the Levant: being able to prove by the etymology that it was Betus' settlement, because according to Annius, Lonia in the Aramaic language means city, and thus Betolonia or Betulonia, the first u moved to o, it will say city of Beto (Betus). In time this city became very famous, capital of peoples, feared and respected, and finally settled and honored by the Romans, as I will explain everything in their places. Today, due to the changes that took place in such a long time, it is reduced to a small town of houses divided and separated from each other, causing admiration to those who ignore the changes that have occurred, if you want to give them to understand the greatness that it had in those times, as will be evidenced in the discourse of this story.

3. The river also took its name from this king Betus, which by some of the aforementioned authors is named Betulon, and by others Betholon, which today is named Besós, near Badalona, ​​between it and Barcelona. Marinéo says of this river that it must be called Beson or Bethulon; and Master Pedro Juan Nuñez says that Bethulo should be written. This Besós river is ordinarily forded, because it does not carry much water in the winter and rainy weather when it comes out superbly, because of many streams and riverlets stopping in it, as I will soon explain, and for this reason it usually has many false sandy steps, where some passengers drown. There is no shortage of curious and old men who say that Besós did not take the name of Betus or be called Betholon, Bethulon, Beson, or Bethulo, but Bisocto, because it is formed from two times eight: that is, sixteen waters that are joining in it, and when they are together, it turns out that is named Besós, changing the word Bisocto somewhat. And it is true that until these waters reach Moncada they do not find such a name of Besós, but joined from there to the sea they are called Besós. It seemed to me to refer not only to what I have written, but also to what the common people say, so that the wise may choose, and those who are not, do not say that I left something behind.

4.This river has its name for either of these two occasions, we cannot fairly say where it was born, since its name is not found above Moncada: but many of the waters whereof it is composed come down from Gualba and Llinás, and the largest and most famous are those of the Congost, which going down from Centellas to la Garriga, Granollers, Palou and Monmaló, pass through the Matabous plain to Moncada, where the Sentmenat and Ripollet waters meet: from here they run between Santa Coloma de Gramanet and La Trinidad to the Mediterranean Sea, between Badalona and Barcelona.

[Stevens and Anderson say the Betis river, today the Guadalquivir in Andalusia, is named for Betus.]

5. King Betus (because we have just written what could be said about him) died without leaving a legitimate heir or successor, according to Beuter and Florian: and for this Garibay notes that here the first male line of Spain ends, passing to foreign nations and upstarts 370 years after Tubal populated it a little more or less; if it was not over in Brigus' time, who was an upstart. But it was at one time or another, it seems that even here things have passed with prosperity; different nations came, they inhabited, they populated, laws, letters, sciences and virtues were not lacking, and we do not know that there were notable hatreds, grudges, wars, tyrannies, usurpations, or ambitions of lordship and command, that everything was enough happiness and joy of the land. But from now on we will see how the calamities of this earth began, mixing miseries and glories. Anyway, Betus died like the others, having reigned 31 years according to the common account, although Garibay says that there were 32.

[Stevens, Anderson and Beawes all agree on 31 years for Betus, which Stevens places in 1825-1794 BC, and Anderson 1830-1799 BC. *Defloratio* does not fix the precise starting year of Betus' reign within the 38-year era of 'Armatritis', but has him ruling until Armatritis 32nd year, which would indicate he ruled a maximum of 32 years at any rate. However the era of Armatritis seems to have been expanded at some point from 28 historical years (for Sargon, Rimush and Manishtushu) into 38, meaning the annal of Betus' rule ending in Armatritis' 32nd year must be reassigned to the 22nd, ie 2047 BC. Therefore starting after Tagus in 2073 BC until 2047 BC, gives Betus about 26 years of reign before Gerion usurped the throne.

While Anderson states it was after Betus' death that Geryon invaded from Libya and conquered Turdetania, Beawes notes that Geryon "had come over from Africa a considerable Space of Time before, and taken possession of an Island called Eritrea, Ernea, or Junonia, seated on the western Coast of Portugal, and supposed to be sunk by an Earthquake in the Time of the Emperor Valens." Thus we may gather that Geryon's invasion must have begun early in Betus' reign with the seizure of this island Erethia, and that the hostilities and eventual conquest of Betus' realm must have been ongoing during his years, ending with Betus' final death and Geryon's usurpation of the throne as a tyrant at the same time.]

* Next Page: Chapter 17