Bocchoris (also known as Bocchorum, Bocchor and ) was an ancient city in northern

Majorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest of the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, seventh largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. The capital of the island, Palma, Majorca, Palma, i ...

(

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), dating back to pre-Roman times. It was one of the oldest settlements in Majorca and was once a foederatus (federated city to

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

), as recorded by

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Location

Bocchoris lay near the current town of Port de Pollença, on a hill to the right of the road from Port de Pollença to Pollença, around Boquer Valley. The city dates back to 1400 BC and many traces of it remain. A long stretch of the Roman town wall and the entrance gates are still visible in what is now flat farmland. The surrounding area has not been excavated.

Historiography

The , i.e., Bocchoris, is unique in the island of Majorca. Evidence that it once was a federated city is confirmed by juridic epigraphy, in the form of two different .

also listed Bocchoris among the federated cities, in his book , III, 77–78 in the 1st century BC:

The Baleares, so formidable in war with their slingers, have received from the Greeks the name of Gymnasiæ. The larger island is 100 miles in length, and 475 in circumference. It has the following towns; Palma and Pollentia, enjoying the rights of Roman citizens, Cinium and Tucis, with Latin rights; and Bocchorum was a federate town.

Near the ruins of Bocchoris, two bronze inscriptions were found, dating back to the years 10 BC and 6 AD. One inscription, found in the Bay of Pollença in 1951, and dating to 10 BC, mainly stated that Bocchoris' patron was Marcus Crassus,

Roman consul The consuls were the highest elected public officials of the Roman Republic ( to 27 BC). Romans considered the consulship the second-highest level of the ''cursus honorum''an ascending sequence of public offices to which politicians aspire ...

in 14 BC. The whole text in Latin, as written in the inscription, is as follows: The other ' was discovered much earlier, in 1765. According to this bronze inscription, dating to 6 AD, the Senate and the people of Bocchoris selected by mutual consent the

Roman Senator The Roman Senate () was the highest and Roman constitution, constituting assembly of ancient Rome and its aristocracy. With different powers throughout its existence it lasted from the first days of the Rome, city of Rome (traditionally founded ...

Marcus Atilius Vernus as their patron. In Latin, it says:

Etymology

Very little is known about the origin of the word ''Bocchoris'' and whether the name of the city was actually Bocchor, Bocchoris or Bocchorum. The name is still conserved in its Catalan variant, , which denominates the area around the current Boquer Valley in Port de Pollença. The poet Miquel Costa i Llobera mentioned in his epic poem ''La deixa del geni grec,'' based on the legend of Nuredduna, that the Egyptians founded ''Bocchoris'' millennia ago, with its name linked to

Bakenranef Bakenranef, known by the ancient Greeks as Bocchoris (Ancient Greek: , ; Latin: ) or Bochchoris (, ; Latin: ) was briefly a king of the 24th Dynasty of Egypt. Based at Sais in the western Delta, he ruled Lower Egypt from c. 725 to 720 BC. Thou ...

. This interpretation was conveyed to him by his friend, archaeologist Fidel Fita.{{cite book, title=Tradicions i fantasies, last1=Costa i Llobera, first1=Miquel, publisher=Editorial Moll. 1987, page=152

References

Indigenous ancient cities in Spain Former populated places in Spain Ruins in Spain History of Mallorca Archaeological sites in the Balearic Islands