pentapolis
/pɛnˈtapəlɪs/noun
A league or group of five cities or towns; (frequently with capital initial) any of several historical groups or federations of five cities, often including the regions and provinces around them.
- Applied specifically to (a) the five Biblical ‘cities of the plain’ (Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Zoar: see Genesis 14:8); (b) the ancient Philistine confederacy of Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gaza, Gath, and Ekron; (c) the five ancient Greek (later Roman) cities of central Cyrenaica (Cyrene, Apollonia, Ptolemais, Taucheira, and Berenice); (d) the military province controlled by the Byzantine Exarchate of Ravenna (580–754), comprising two groups of five towns each (Rimini, Pesaro, Fano, Senigallia, and Ancona in the north-east, and Urbino, Fossombrone, Iesi, Cagli, and Gubbio in the south-west)..
Origin
Old English; earliest use found in Old English Martyrology. From post-classical Latin pentapolis a league or group of five cities or towns (Vulgate, Wisdom 10:6) from ancient Greek πεντάπολις from πεντα- + πόλις.