EPEIACUM in Britain, mentioned by Ptolemy as one of the cities of the Brigantes— Binovium(Bin -chester), Caturhactonium ( CatterickBridge), Calatum, Isurium ( Aldborough), Rhigodunum Olicana( Ilkly), and Eboracum ( York) being the others, arranged as above, and apparently in their order from north to south. In the Monumenta BritannicaEpeiacum is identified with Hexham;by Maclauchlin ( Survey of Watling Street), with Lanchester. Each of these views is objectionable. Hexhamlies (see AXELLODUNUM) too far north to belong to the Brigantes, whilst Longovicumis a better equivalent to Lan-chester. Indeed so few have denied that this latter form represents the modern Lanchester, that Epeiacumand Longovicumhave been considered simply as synonymes for the same place—one in Ptolemy, the other in the Notitia. Objecting to this, laying considerable stress on the name, and raising exceptions to the identification of Vindomora with Ebchester, the present writer believes that, name for name, as well as place for place, Ep-eiacum == Eb-chester. Furthermore—as Eb-chester stands on an eminence, the cummay represent the British cwm == hill. Eb-chester stands on the Watling Street.
[R.G.L]