Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume II.djvu/1118

 1094 TAPSUS FLUVIUS. TAPSUS FLUVIUS. [TuArsLS.] TAPU'RA (Tdwovpa), a town of uncertain site in Armenia Minor, is mentioned only by Ptolemy (v. 7. § 3). [L. S.] TAPUREI (TaTTovpeoi, Ptol. vi. 14. §§ 12, 13), a tribe in Srytliia intra Imaum. [T. H. D.] TAPU'RI (Tdirovpot or Tdjrvpoi, Strab. xi. p. 520; Plin. vi. 16. s. 18), a tribe whose name and probable habitations appear, at different periods of hij^tory, to have been extended along a wide space of country from Armenia to the east- ern side of the Oxus. Strabo places them along- side the Caspian Gates and Ehagae, in Parthia, (xi. p. 514), or between the Derbices and Hyrcani (xi. p. 520), or in company with the Amardi and other people along the southern shores of the Cas- pian (si. p. 52,3); in which last view Curtius (vi. 4. § 24, viii. 1. § 13), Dionysius {de Situ Orbis, 733), sind Pliny (vi. 16. s. 18) may be considered to co- incide. Ptolemy in one place reckons them among the tribes of Media (vi. 2. § 6), and in another ascribes them to Margiana (vi. 10. § 2). Their name is written with some differences in different authors ; thus Tdirovpoi. and Tdirvpot occur in Strabo; Ta- puri in Pliny and Curtius; TaTvvppoi in Steph. B. There can be no doubt that the present district of Taberistdn derives its name from them. Aelian ( V. H. iii. 1 3) gives a peculiar description of the Tapuri who dwelt in Media. (Wilson, Ariana, p. 157.) [V.J TAPU'RI JIONTES, a chain of mountains, in Scythia, to the N. of the Jaxartes, apparently a portiiin of tlie Attai range, towards its western ex- tremity (Ptol vi. 14. § 7). It may, however, be doubted whether this view of Ptolemy is really correct. It would seem more likely that they are con- necteii with the Tapuri, a tribe who nearly adjoined the Hyrcani [TAPtrRl] ; and this a notice in Polybius woulii appear clearly to imply (v. 44). [V.] TARACHI (Tapaxo', Ptol. vii. 4. § 8), a tribe of Taprubane or Ceylon, who occupied the SE. corner of the island below the Malea mountains (^Adam's Peak). They appear to have had a port called 'Hiov Xifiriu, probably in the neighbourhood of the present Vintam. Near to them was a river called the Banice (Ptol. vii. 4. § 5). It is not unlikely that the river and the people had once the same name, which has since been modified by the change of the initial letters. [V.] TARANDRUS (Tdpav^pos : Eth. TapdvSpws), a place in Phrygia of unknown site, is mentioned only by .Stephanns Byz. ( s. «;.). [L. S.] TARANEI, a people in Arabia Deserta of un- known site. (Plin. vi. 28. s. 32.) TAKAS. [TARExruM.] TARASCON (TapaaKiiv: Tarascon), a town in the Provincia Narbonensis, on the east side of the Rhone, between Aries and Aviffiwn The railway from Avignon to Marseille passes through Tarascon, and there is a branch from Tarascon to Nimes. Ptolemy (in whose text the name is written Tapou- (TKdiv') enumerates Tarascon among the towns of the Salyes [Salyes]. Strabo (iv. p. 178) says that the road from Nemausus (Nimes) to Aquae Sestiae passes through Ugernum (^Beaiicaire') and Tarascon, and that the distance from Neinausus to Aquae Sextiae is 53 Ruman miles ; which, as D'Anville ob- serves, is not correct. In another passage (iv. p. 187) Strabo makes the distance from Nimes to the bank of the /?/io?je opposite to Tarascon about 100 stadia, which is exact enough. [Tarusconiknses.] [G. L.] TARENTUiAI. TARDA. [Tarriia.] TARBELLI" (TapgeAAoi, TdpgeAoi) are men- tioned by Caesar among the Aquitanian peoples (5. G. iii. 27). They lived on the shores of tiie Ocean, on the Gallic bay (Strab. iv. p. 1 90), of which they were masters. Gold was found abundantly in their country, and at little depth. Some pieces were a handful, and required little purification. The Tar- belli extended southwards to the Aturis (Aduiir) and the Pyrenees, as the pas.sages cited from Tibullus (i. 7, 9) and Lucan (^Phat-sal. i. 421) show, so far as they are evidence : — " Qui tenet et ripas Aturi, quo littore curvo Molliter admissum claudit Tarbellicus aequor." Ausonius (^Parent, iv. 11) gives the name " Tar- bellus " to the Ocean in the.se parts. Ptolemy (ii. 7. § 9) places the Tarbelli south of the Bituriges Vi- visci, and makes their limits extend to the Pyrenees. He names their city "TSara AvyovcrTa, or Aquae Tarbellic;ie. [Aquae Takhelijcae.] Pliny (iv. 19) gives to the TarbeUi the epithet of Quatuorsignani, a term which indicates the establisii- ment of some Roman soldiers in tliis country, as in the case of the Cocossates, whom Pliny names Sex- signani. [Cocossates.] The country of the Tar- belli contained hot and cold springs, which were near one another. [G. L.] TARBESSUS (TapSrifraSs), a town of Pisidia, mentioned only bv Strabo (xii. p. 570). [L. S.l TARENTI'NUS SINUS (o TapaurTuos kSAttos: Golfo di Taranto) was the name given in ancient as well as in modern times to the extensive gulf com- prised between the two great promontories or peiiin- sulas of Southern Italy. It was bounded by the lapygian promontory (^Capo della Leuca) on the N., and by the Lacinian promontory {Capo delle Co- lonne) on the S. ; and these natural limits being clearly marked, appear to have been generally re- cognised by ancient geographers. (Strab. vi. pp. 261, 262;" Mel. ii. 4. §8; Plin. iii. 11. s. 16; Ptol. iii. 1. § 12.) Strabo tells us it was 240 miles in extent, following the circuit of the shores, and 700 stadia (872 miles) across from headland to headland. Phny reckons it 250 miles in circuit, and 100 miles across the opening. The latter statem.ent consider- ably exceeds the truth, while Strabo's estimate is a very fair approximation. This extensive gulf de- rived its name from the celebrated city of Tarentum, situated at its N E. extremity, and which enjoyed the advantage of a good port, almost the only one throughout the whole extent of the gulf. (Strab. vi. p. 278.) But notwithstanding this disadvantage, its western shores were lined by a succession of Greek colonies, which rose into flourishing cities. Crotona, Sybaris, Metapontum, and, at a later period, Heraclea and Thurii, all adorned this line of coast ; the great fertility of the territory compensating for the want of natural harbours. On the northern or lapygian shore, on the contrary, the only city was Callipolis, which never rose above a subordinate con- dition. [E. H. B.] TARENTUM (Tapas, -avTos: Eth. Tapavrivos, Tarentinus : Taranto), one of the most powerful and celebrated cities of Southern Italy, situated on the N. shore of the extensive bay, which derived from it, both in ancient and modern times, the name of the gulf of Tarentum. (Tarentinus Sinus: o Tapavrivos koKtto^ : Golfo dl Taranto). It was included within the limits of the province of Calabria, as that term was used by the Romans ; but the Greeks