Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume II.djvu/1159

 TIIAPSA. Wady-el- Ghnwelr. (Knbinson, Bill. lies. vol. ii. p. lG8,"2iul I'll.) THAl'SA. [RusicADK.] Til A'l'SACUS (0ai|/aH:os), a town of considerable importance on the right bank of tlie Euphrates, in lat. 35° 15' N. It is mentioned very early in ancient history, and is almost certainly the same as the Tiplisali, of the Old Testament (1 Kings, iv. 24; in the LXX. written Odil/a), which is inentioned as the ca.stern boundary of the kingdom of Solomon. There is some difference among ancient writers as to the jirovince in which it should be included. Thus, riiny (v. 24. s. 21) and Stephanus B. (s. f.) place it ill Syria ; Ptolemy (v. 19. § 3) in Arabia Deserta. Tlie reason of this is, that it was a frontier town, and might therefore be claimed as belonging to one or more provinces. At Thapsacus was the most important passage of the Euphrates in the northern ])ortion of that river's course. As such, we read it was used by Cyrus the younger, whose army forded it, the water reaching up to their breasts, there being probably at that time no bridge. (Xen. y ah. i. 4. § 11.) Some years later Dareius crossed it to meet Alexander in Cilicia, and recros.sed it in haste after his defeat at Issus. (Arrian, ii. 13.) Alexander, pursuing Dareius, crossed the river also at the same spot, as the historian especially notices, on two bridges (probably of boats), which were joined together (iii. 7). Strabo, who ujakes frequent mention of Thapsacus, considers it, on the authority of Eratosthenes, as distant from Babylon about 4800 stadia, and from Commagene 2000 (ii. pp. 77, 78, SI, xvi. p. 746); and states that it was situated just at that spot where Jlesopotaniia is the widest (/. (•;.). There is no doubt that it derived its name from a Semitic verb, meaning to pass over (Winer, />'«'/;/. W'ijrterh. s. v.) : hence anollier pas.sage-place of the same name, which is mentioned in 2 Kings, XV. 16, but which is really in Palestine, has been often confounded with Tiphsah on the Euphrates. Pliny states that the name was changed by the JIacedonian Greeks to Amphipolis (v. 24. s. 21), and Stephanus calls the Amphipolis of Seleucus Tour- mcda. No trace of any of these names is novv found in the country (Hitter, x. p. 1114), nor any ruins that can certainly be identified with its site. It was, however, jirobably near the present JJeir. [V.] TH APSIS (0ai|/is, Diodor. xx. 23), a deep river ■if the Chersonesus Tauriea, on which lay a royal c.istle. Ukert (iii. 2. p. 193) identities it with the Stdfjir. But KiJhler seeks the castle on Mount Opiik, 45 wersts south of Kertsch. (^AJem. de I'Ac. ih' St. I'dc.r.^h. ix. p. 649, seq.) [T. Ii. D.] THAPSUS (0ai)/oy, Ptol. iv. 3. § 10), a maritime city of Byzaci'.im, in Africa Propria. It lay on a ■alt lake, which, according to Shaw {Trav. p. 99), ^lill exists, and on a point of land 80 stadia distant Irom the opposite island of Lopadu.ssa. Thapsus was strongly fortified and celebrated for Caesar's vic- tory over the Pompcians, li. c. 46. (Ilirt. B. Af. 28, seq.) Shaw (/. c.) identifies it with the present Jkmn.is, where its ruins are still visible. (Cf. Stralio, xvii, pp. 831, 834 ; Liv. xxxiii. 48 ; Plin. V. 4. s. ;i, &c.) [T. H. D.] THAPSUS, a river of Numidia, falling into the sea near the town of Kusicade, ])robablv the present Oueil Ri'.'ia.'^ (Vib. Seqnest.) [T. II. D.] THAPSUS [Syu.cus.e.] THAi;iLNA, a place on the groat line of road which led across the desert from the Euphrates to liatrae {Al-l/al/ir). It is marked on the Tabula TiiAso.s. ms Peutingeriana. It has been conjectured by Maimert (v. 2. p. 233) that the name is a mistake for Charrana, another form of Charrae; but this hypo- thesis seems hardly tenable. L'eichard believes it is represented by the present Arabun. [V.] THARKAS(0a/5^as, Ptol. : Pu. at Capo del Sei-o). a city of Sardinia, mentioned only by I'tolcmy (where the name is written in many MSS. and editions Tarrae or Tarras) and in the Itineraries, but which seems to have been one of the most considerable places in the i.sland. It ■was situated on the W. coast, on a projecting point of land at the N. ex- tremity of the Gulf of Oristano, where its ruins are still visible, though half buried in sand, and numerous minor antiquities have been discovered. From its position there cau be little doubt that it was a Phoenician or Carthaginian settlement; but continued to be a considerable town under the Ro- mans, and an inscription records the repair of the road from Tharraii to Cornus as late as the reign of the emperor Philip. (De la Marmora, Vnj/. eu Sardaigne, vol. ii. pp. 359, 477.) The Antonine Itinerary correctly places it 18 miles irom Cornus and 12 from OiUoca {0)'istano'). (llin. Ant. )). 84; Ptol. iii. 3. § 2.) [E. H. B.] THARSANDALA (@aptTdvSaa), a town in Thrace, between Byzantium and the wall of Anas- tasius, which was one of the numerous places forti- fied by Justinian. (Procop. de Atd. iv. 11. p. 305, Bonn.) According to Reichard, Ezatcdcza now oc- cupies its site. [J. 1!.] THASOS (OaTos, sometimes 0d(T(7os : F.lli. ©dffios: Thaso or Tasso'), an island in the N. of the Aegaean sea, off the coast of Thrace, and dis- tant only i^ miles from the jilain of the river Nestus or Kara-Su. It was distant half a day's sail from AmiihijMilis (Thuc. iv. 104), and 32 miles from Abdera. (Plin. iv. 12. s. 23.) It was also called Aeria or Aethra (Plin. I.e.; Stejih. 1!. .s. v.) and ChryL«, from its gold mines (Euslath. cid /Hongs. Per. 517), which were the chief source of the prosperity of the island. The earliest known inhabitants of Thasos were the Phoenicians, who were doubtless attracted to the island by its valu- able mines, but who are said to have come thither in search of Europa, five generations before the birth of the Grecian Hercules. They were led by Thasos, the son of Agenor, from whom the island derived its name. (Herod, ii. 44, vi. 47; Pans. v. 25. § 12; Scymn. 660; Conon, c. 37; Stejih. B. s. «.) Thasos was afterwards colonised in 01. 15 or 18 (B.C. 720 or 708) by settlers from Paros, led by Telesicles, the father of the ])oet Archilochiis. (Thuc. iv. 104; Strab. ix. p. 487; Clem. Alex. iitro7H. i. p. 144; Euscb. Prnep. Kr. vi. 7.) There also existed at that time in the island a Thracian tribe called Saiaiis, with whom the Parian settlers carried on war, but not always successfully ; and on one occasion Archilochiis was obliged to throw away his shield. rArchiloch. Frogm. 5, ed. Schneidewiii; Aristoph. yVf. 1298, with the Schol.) The Greek colony rapidly rose in power, and obtained valuable possessions on the adjoining mainland, which con- tained even richer mines than those in the island. Shortly before the Persian invasion, the clear sur- plus revenue of the Thasians was 200, and some- times even 300 talents yearly (46,(100/., 66,000/.), of which Scaptc Hylc jM-oduced 80 talents, and the mines in the island rather less. (Hii'oil. vi. 46.) Besides Scajite Hyle the Thasians also posse-sPil upon the mainland Galepsus and Op.syiiia(Thuc. iv.