Once known as Belus or Belos, the river is mentioned by
Isidore of Seville. According to the legend, this is where
glass-making was invented.
Tacitus also mentions glassmaking at the Belus.
Pliny the Elder (
Natural History, 5.19), using the name 'Pacida', mentions that the river flowed from Lake Cendevia (now below
Mount Carmel) for to the sea near "Ptolemais Ace" (
Acre, Israel), and that it was celebrated for its vitreous sands. The name is based on
Baal. ==See also==