A pentapolis (from Greek πεντα- penta-, 'five' and πόλις polis, 'city') is a geographic and/or institutional grouping of five cities. Cities in the ancient world probably formed such groups for political, commercial and military reasons, as happened later with the Cinque Ports in England.

The Pentapolis on the Adriatic was part of the Exarchate of Ravenna, an administrative unit of the Byzantine Empire.
Red: The Pentapolis. Orange: Other cities of the Exarchate.

Significant historical cases

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Pentapoleis of the modern world

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Italy

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India

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United States

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Algeria

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  • There are five qsur "walled villages" (ksour) located on rocky outcrops along the Oued Mzab collectively known as the Pentapolis, founded between 1012 and 1350.[5] They are: Ghardaïa (Tagherdayt), the principal settlement today; Beni Isguen (At Isjen); Melika (At Mlishet); Bounoura (At Bunur); and El Atteuf (Tajnint), the oldest of the five settlements.[6] Adding the more recent settlements of Bérianne and El Guerrara, the Mzab Heptapolis is completed.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^   Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Pentapolis". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  2. ^ "Pentapolis", Claremont Coptic Encyclopedia
  3. ^ Hallenbeck, Jan T. (1982). "Pavia and Rome: The Lombard Monarchy and the Papacy in the Eighth Century". Transactions of the American Philosophical Society. 72 (4). Philadelphia: 1–186. doi:10.2307/1006429. JSTOR 1006429.
  4. ^ Barron, James. "IF YOU'RE THINKING OF LIVING IN: FIVE TOWNS", The New York Times, July 10, 1983. Accessed May 20, 2008. "The basic five are Lawrence, Cedarhurst, Woodmere, Hewlett and Inwood. But the area also includes some unincorporated communities and two tiny villages, Hewlett Bay Park and Woodsburgh, that are not added to the final total."
  5. ^ "M'Zab Valley". WHC. UNESCO. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  6. ^ Urwin, Simon (16 April 2021). "The fortified cities on the fringes of the Sahara". BBC Travel. Retrieved 2 July 2021.

References

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  • Westermann Großer Atlas zur Weltgeschichte ('Great Atlas of World History', in German)