THAMES, RIVER. 



THEBE? 



622 



almost throughout its lower course skirted with narrow marsh-lauds- 

 The width of the river at Woolwich, at high water, is 490 yards; at 

 Gravesend Pier, 26 miles below London Bridge, it ia 800 yards ; at 

 Coal-house Point, three miles below Gravesend, it is 1290 yards ; it 

 then gradually increases to the width of about 6 miles at the Nore, 

 and to 18 miles at the point where we have fixed the mouth. 



It is a common opinion that this river in the upper part of its 

 course is properly called Isis, and that it is only below the junction ol 

 the Thatne that it is called Thames, which name is said to be formed 

 by combining the two names Thame and Isis. But this is a, mistake : 

 the name Isis never occurs in ancient records. 



THAMES, River. [CANADA.] 



T H A X A A X - A H I VE. [MADAGASCAR.] 



THAXET, ISLE OF, or liingslow hundred, a hundred formiug the 

 north-east corner of the county of Kent, which has bien constituted 

 a Poor-Law Union. The Isle of Thanet ia noticed in the article 

 KENT. The Isle of Thanet Poor-Law Union contains 11 parishes and 

 township*, with an area of 29,733 acres, and a population in Isil 

 of 31,798. 



THA'PSACUS, or THA'PSACUM, was a very ancient, populous, 

 and commercial town in Syria, on the right bank of the Euphrates, 

 about 21 miles W. from the junction of the river Cbaboraa with the 

 K H ph rates. Thapsacus, the T/npluac/t of the Bible, the Tuphta of the 

 Vulgate, and the Tltujtta of Josephus (' Antiq.,' ix. 11), was the most 

 eastern town of the kingdom of Solomon after David had conquered 

 the country as far as tile Euphrates. At an equal distance from Tyre 

 by land and from Babylon by water, Thapsacus became an emporium, 

 where the Oerrhaei kept store* of the commodities and spices of 

 Arabia, which they carried there on barks, and which were afterwards 

 transported by land to Syria and Phoenicia. (Strabo, zvl p. 766, C'as.) 

 Its military position was also of great importance. At the time of 

 the expedition of the younger Cyrus (B.C. 401), there was a ford at 

 Thapsacus, but no bridge : subsequently there was a bridge. This 

 town was the most southern passage by which an army could pene- 

 trate, either from Mesopotamia into Syria and Cilicia, or from these 

 countries into Mesopotamia and Persia, without being obliged to 

 traverse the deserU of Arabia. The younger Cyrus crosvel the 

 Euphrates at Thapsacus (Xenophon, ' Cyropaod.,' i. 4); Darius also 

 erased the river at Tbapsacus when he was advancing against 

 Alexander in Cilicia; and Alexander, when he was pursuing Darius 

 into Assyria. (Arrian, 2, 13 ; 8, 7.) In the age of Strabo the bridge 

 at Thapsaens existed no longer. (Strabo, p. 747, Cas.) Eratosthenes 

 chose Thapsacus u the centre of bis geographical measurements in 

 Asia Minor and the adjacent countries. (Strabo, il p. 77-91, Cas.) 

 The aite of Thapsacus U now marked by the island and Arab village 

 of lit ir, in tlie Euphrates. 



TH ASUS, an island belonging to Turkey, situated off the coast of 

 Thrace, at a abort distance from the mouth of the river Ncstus or 

 Karasou, and a little to the south-east of the Qulf of Kavallo. 

 Volgaro, which U nearly in the centre of the island, u in 41 45' 

 N. lat, 24" 40' E. long. 



r'ive generation* before the time of the Grecian Hercules, Thasos 

 was peopled by Phoenician*, who came from Tjrre in quest of Europa, 

 1' ! Iry Thasoa, son of Agunor, from whom the island is said to have 

 taken iU uouie. (Herod., ii. 44 ; Pausan., v. 25.) It was afterwards 

 colonised by settlers from Paros, among whom was Arebilochus the 

 poet, aliout &c. 708. Tbasos was enriched in very early times by the 

 possession of gold-mines in the island, and at Soapte Ilyle, on the 

 opposite coast of Thrace. According to Herodotu*, who visited them, 

 the most considerable were those which had been worked by the 

 ;ians on the north-east side of the island, the excavations fur 

 which wire very evident 



The Thaaians, who were very rich, were besieged by Histucus of 

 Miletus about B.C. 402, for a short time. In consequence of this 

 attack, they built ships of war and strengthened their fortifications. 

 They were reduced by Mardonius, and compelled by Darius (B.C. 461) 

 to throw down their walls and surrender their ships of war. (Hero- 

 dotus, vi. 4tf.) On the expedition of Xerxes into Greece, the honour 

 of receiving his army in their continental territory was imposed upon 

 them, and on this eut rtaiumeut they expended 400 talents of silver. 

 (Herod., vii. 118.) After the Persian war they became subject to 

 Athens, from which they revolted H.C. 465. (Thucyd, i. 100.) Cimon, 

 after defeating them at sea, took Thasos after a three years' siege, 

 !. The Tbatians were compelled to destroy their fortifications, 

 ; render their ships, to pay a large sum of money at the tima and 

 tribute for the future, and to give up their mines and settlements on 

 the continent. 



i )n the ascendaney of the party of Piiander at Athens, at the dose 

 of the Pelopounesian war, Diotrephes was sent by him to Thasos, 

 and established an oligarchy there. Thi* injudicious policy furnished 

 an immediate opportunity of revolting from Athens. The island, 

 reduced by famine and civil war, was finally restored to the Athenians 

 by Thrasybulus, B.c. 407. Subsequently the Thaiiaus appear to have 

 repined some of their continental possessions, and in B.C. 559 they 

 fortified Crenide*, probably as a frontier poet for their Thracian 

 territory : this was seized by Philip, son of Amyutas, king of Macedon, 

 who placed a number of Macedonian settlers in it, and gave it the 

 name of Philippi. Under his management its gold-mines were made 



much more productive than before. When attacked by Philip V. 

 king of Macedon, they submitted to him, with the stipulation that 

 they should retain their own laws, and be exempt from garrison, 

 tribute, or other burdens, B.C. 202. (Polyb., xv. 21.) They were 

 shortly afterwards released from his rule by the Romans, ac. 197. 

 Under the emperors Thasos is styled Libera, or a free state. 



The coins of Thasos are very numerous. The most ancient generally 

 represent a satyr carrying oif a nymph ; on some are two fish. To 

 these succeed massive coins in a good but rather heavy style, with a 

 head of Bacchus on the obverse, and Hercules kneeling, shooting an 

 arrow, on the reverse. The Thasians originally worshipped the Tyriau 

 Hercules, and afterwards the Grecian Hercules. The broad tetradrachms 

 of the Macedonian period had the head of the young Bacchus, and 

 Hercules on the reverse. These coins are abundant, and many of them 

 with letters and type ill executed, are found in Transylvania. 



Coin of Thasos. 

 Actual sin. Silver. Weight, m^ grains. 



The ancient town of Thasos is situated on the north coast of the 

 island, and occupies three eminences. On the site are remains of the 

 Greek walls, mingled with towers built by the Venetians during their 

 occupation of the island after the taking of Constantinople by the 

 Latins. Near it is a large statue of Pan in a niche in the rock, and 

 upwards of fifty sarcophagi of white marble. 



Thasos is nearly circular in shape, and has an area of about 85 

 square mile*. It i* longest from north to south. In the northern and 

 highest part of the island three peaks extend in a north-west and 

 south-east direction. The inhabitants, who are all Greeks, live iu nine 

 villages Volgaro, Cassawith, Sotiro, Kaikarahi, Moriesa, Kastro, 

 Potauiia, Lillian or Pauagia, and Theolog, the largest situated nearly 

 in the centre of the island. The chief produce of this fertile island 

 is oil, maize, fruit, honey, and timber; the last grows iu great abun- 

 dance, and forms the chief article of export : the plane-trees iu parti- 

 cular are of great sice. In ancient times this island was celebrated for 

 its wine, but little wine is now made here, aud some is imported from 

 Tenedos : the principal food of the inhabitants is maize. Large herds 

 of cattle and flocks of sheep are kept in the island ; asses and mules are 

 more used than horses on account of the steepness of the road*. The 

 inhabitants are hospitable, industrious, aud simple in their manners. 



THATCHAM. [BIRKSUIUK.] 



THAXTKD, Essex, a market-town iu the parish of Thaxted, is 

 situated on the left bank of the river Chrlmer, in 61 57' X. lat, 20' 

 E. long., distant 1 U miles N.N.W. fromChelmsford. aud 41 miles N.N.K. 

 from London. The population of the parish of Thaxted in 1 85 1 was 

 2556. The living is a vicarage iu the archdeaconry of Essex and dioceso 

 of Itoobester. Thaxted ia a very ancient place; it was incorporated 

 by charter of Philip and Mary, but the corporation became extinct iu 

 the time of James II. The chief ornament of the town is the church ; 

 it is mostly iu tho perpendicular style, aud consists of a nave and 

 chancel with sidu aisles, transept, au I au cinUaUU-J tower and hand- 

 some spire at the west end. There are meeting-houses for Quakers, 

 Independents, and Baptists; a Free Grammar school; National and 

 British schools ; almshouses; and some minor charities. Rope making, 

 brewing, and malting are carried on. A small market ia held on 

 Thursday. There are two fairs in the year. 



Til EBAII), or THEBA1S, signifies the territory or district belonging 

 to Thebes, aud is consequently applied to the whole territory subject 

 to the city of Thebes in Boaotia. [Tauuta IN BCF.OTIA ] In a similar, 

 though a much wider sense, the name wai given to the whole of Upper 

 fc&ypti tUB modern Said, of which Thobes was the principal city. 

 This territory extended from Herrnopolis Magua southward as far as 

 the first cataracts of the Nile, or to Philtc ; or, according to others, as 

 far as Hiera Sicamina. This great province was, according to Strabo 

 (xvii., p. 787), originally divided into ten nomes (vopoi); but Pliny 

 (' Hist. Nat.,' v. 9) enumerates eleven, and others mention fourteen 

 Lycopolites, Hypseliotis, Aphroaitopolites, 'Unites, Diospolites, Teuty- 

 rites, Pnaturitea, Hermonthites, Apollinopolites, Autojopoliten, Pano- 

 polites, Coptites, Ombites, aud Dodecaschounus. Respecting the 

 nature of these nomes and the physical features of the Thebaid, see 

 EOTIT. 



THKBE3. Towns and cities of this name occur in several parts of 

 the ancient world, but the two which are most renowned in history 

 e the Egyptian nud the Boeotian Thebes. 



Tho Kyyiitian Thibet, in the Bible called No, or No Amman, was 

 situated in the central part of Upper K -ypt, on both banks of the 

 Nil-. The city extended on each *ido from the river to the foot of 

 the hills which inclos'i the valley of th'j Nile. This gigantic city, 

 whose ruins still excite astonishment, was boiieved to be tho most 

 ancient town of Egypt, and the ri^iu:il metropolis of Egypt Its 

 original circumference is stated to have been 140 stadia, Its most 



