2. In his catalogue of the cities of the land of Moab, Jeremiah (xlviii, 24) mentions a Bozrah as in "the plain country" (ver. 21, "lib"1'a'n "jT"iN;), i. e. apparent- ly the high level downs on the east of the Dead Sea and of the lower Jordan, the Belka of the modern Arabs, where lay Heshbon, Nebo, Kirjathaim, Dib- lathaim, and the other towns named in this passage. Yet Bozrah lias been sought at Bostra, the Roman city in Bashan, full sixty miles from Heshbon (Porter's Damascus, ii, 1G3, etc.), since the name stands by it- -i If in this passage of Jeremiah, not being mentioned in any of the other lists of the cities of Moab, e.g. Num. xxxii; Josh, xiii ; Isa. xvi; Ezek. xxv; and the catalogue of Jeremiah is expressly said to include cities both "far and near" (xlviii, 21 1. See KERIOTH. eight also is due to the consideration of the im- probability that a town at a later date so important and in >u excellent a situation should lie entirely omit- ted from the Scripture. Still, in a country where the very kings were "sheep-masters" (2 Kings iii, 4), a name signifying a sheepfold may have been of com- iii"" occurrence. This Bozrah is also mentioned in tin' Talmud (see Schwarz, Palest, p. 223), and is ap- parently the Bosora (q. v.) of] Marc, v, 26-28 (comp. // Boooppa, Josephus, Ant. xii, 8, 3). Reland incor- rectly identifies it | Palasst. p. 655) with the Beeshterah of Josh. xxi. 27 (comp. .A.///-. Sac. Lit. Jan. 1852, p. 30 1 1. Sit Mishor.
The present i:>/smh is situated in an oasis of the Syro-Arabian desert, about tin miles south of Damas- cus, and 40 east of the Jordan, in the southern part of tb" II auran, of which it has formed the chief city since the days of Almlfeda. In the time of the Romans it
as an important place, and was called by them Bostra (Gr. ?) or to. Bu'crrpfl). Cicero mentions it as having an independent chieftain (ad Q. F. ii, 12). The city was beautified by Trajan, who made it the capital of the Roman province of Arabia, as is commemorated on its coins of a local era thence arising, and dating from A.D. 102 (Chron. Pasch. p. 253, ed. Paris; p. 472, cd. Bonn ; Eckhel, Doctr. Num. iii, 500). Under Alex- ander Severus it was made a "colony" (Damascius, ap. Phot. Cod. p. 272). The Emperor Philip, who was a native of this city, conferred upon it the title of "me- tropolis," it being at that time a large, populous, and well-fortified city (Amm. Marc, xiv, 8). It lay 24 Roman miles north-east of Adraa (Edrei), and four days' journey south of Damascus (Eusebius, Onomast. s. v. ; Hierocl. Notit.). Ptolemy (v, 17, 7 ; viii, 20, 21) mentions it among the cities of Arabia Petroea, with the surname of Legio (AtyiW), in allusion to the " Le- gio III Cyrenalca," whose head-quarters were fixed here by Trajan ; it is also one of that geographer's points of astronomical observation. Ecclesiastically, it was a place of considerable importance, being the seat first of a bishopric and afterward of au archbish- opric, ruling over twenty dioceses (Ada Concil. Xic. Ephes., Chaleedon, etc.), and forming apparently the cen- tre of Nestorian influence (Assemani's Biblioth. Orient. Ill, ii, 595, 730). See Bostra. The site still contains extensive vestiges of its ancient importance, consisting of temples, theatres, and palaces, which have been de- scribed by Burckhardt (Syria, p. 326 sq.). It lies in the open plain, being the last inhabited place in the south-east extremity of the Hauran, and is now, in- cluding its ruins, the largest town in that district. It is of an oval shape, its greatest length being from east to west ; its circumference is three quarters of an hour. Many parts of its ancient wall, especially on the west side, still remain, showing that it was constructed with stones of a moderate size strongly cemented together. The principal buildings in Bozrah were on the east side, and in a direction from thence toward the middle of the town. The south and south-east quarters are covered with rains of private dwellings, the walls of many of which are still standing, but most of the roofs have fallen in. On the west side are numerous springs of fresh water. The castle of Bozrah is a most im- portant post to protect the harvests of the Hauran against the hungry Bedouins, but it is much neglect- ed by the pashas of Damascus. Of the vineyards for which Bozrah was celebrated, not a vestige remains. There is scarcely a tree in the neighborhood of the town ; and the twelve or fifteen families who now in- habit it cultivate nothing but wheat, barley,' horse- beans, and a little dhoura. See Hauran,
Bracelet (Sept. ^XiflW), a name, in strict pro- priety, as applicable to circlets worn on the upper part of the arm as to those w^orn on the wrist; but it \r, practically so exclusively used to denote the ornament of the wrist, that it seems proper to distinguish 1 y armlet (q. v.) the similar ornament which is worn on the upper arm. See also Anklet. There is also this difference between them, that in the East bracelets are generally worn by women, and armlets only by men. The armlet, however, is in use among men only as one of the insignia of sovereign power. The term "arm- let" should also perhaps be regarded as properly des- ignating such as consist of a complete circle, while "bracelet" more appropriately refers to those with an opening or clasp to admit of passing more readily over the hand ; but as the other distinction is neglected in the Auth. Vers, (as in common use), so this does not appear to be observed in. the ornaments of this descrip- tion delineated on the ancient monuments, where wc find both kinds used almost indifferently both for the wrist and upper part of the arm.