THORNHILL. 



THRACE. 



the irah of Thorner. it situated on (light eminence rising out of 

 the midst of the fen., in 58' 37' V. Ut, 0* 6' W. long., distant 35 

 ,^1^ N.N.W. from Cambridge, and 82 mile* N. by W. from London. 

 The ppaeJeHnsi of tb parish in ISM wu 2174. A monastery is mid 

 to halve been founded here bj Saxulph, first abbot of Medeehamsted, 

 or rMerbonmrii: and here, in the year 870, were a prior and several 

 aackoriUe. In 972 thU establishment, which had been destroyed by 

 tfe, Deaes, was refounded by Ethelwold, bishop of Winchester, for 

 licttae monks. The abbot was mitred. The nave of the con- 

 mi church, rebuilt in 1085 and 1125, now serves as the parish 



The west end presents a very mixed style, the lower part 



*>-g Norman, the upper part of perpendicular character. There are 

 National and Infant schools, a subscription library, a Sunday library, 

 Fairs, held on July 1st and September 22nd, 



i frequented for the sale of horses and cattle. 

 THUKNHILU [YoBUBlBl.] 



THORNLIEBANK. 



THORSTUN. [YORESHI**.] 



THORPE. [NORFOLK.] 



THORPE-LK-SOKEX. [Ess**,] 



THUUAR& [SEVRO, DBOX.] 



THOUROUT. [KLAXDUU, WEST.] 



THUYDON. [Essex.] 



THRACE was in earlier times the name of the country bounded 

 N. by the Danube, a by the Propontia and the -ffigean Sen, E. by the 

 Black Sea, and W. by the river Strymon and the chain of mountains 

 which form the continuation of Mount Rhodope. This country ia 

 divided into two parts by Mount Htemus (now the Balkan), which runs 

 from west to east, separating the plain of the Lower Danube from the 

 rivers which flow into the .Egean Sea. Two extensive ranges branch 

 off from the southern side of Mount Htemus : one at about a hundred 

 mils* from tlio Euxine, which runs in a south-eastern direction to- 

 wards Constantinople ; the other, which is far larger, branches oil' near 

 the sources of the Hebrus, and likewise runs to the south-east. The 

 Utter bore the name of Rhodope, and is now called the Despoto 

 Mountains. Between these two ranges there are many plains, which 

 are drained by the Hebrus (the Maritza), the principal river of Thrace, 

 and its tributaries. [BALKAN MOUNTAINS; MARITZA.] 



In ancient times there was a great quantity of corn and wine 

 grown in the valley of the Hebrus. In the ' Iliad' the ships of the 

 ^MPn are described as bringing wine every day to Agamemnon 

 from Thrace (ix. 72) ; and the Maronean wiue, which retained its 

 reputation in the time of Pliny (' Hist. Nat.,' xiv. 6), ia spoken of in 

 the 'Odyssey' (ix. 197). In the mountainous parts of the country 

 there were also mines of precious metals. (Justin, viii. 3.) 



The Tbraciaus were divided into many separate and independent 

 tribes; but the name of Tbracians seems to have been applied to 

 them collectively ia very early times. Oceanus, it was said, had four 

 daughters, Asia, Libya, Europa, and Thrace, from whom the four parts 

 of the world were named. Josephus and many Biblical scholars 

 suppose that the name Thrace is derived from Tiras, the son of 

 Jap bet. 



The Thracian nation, according to Herodotus (v. 3), was, next to 

 the Indians, the most numerous of all, and if united under one head 

 would have been invincible. The Thracians, says Herodotus (v. 6), 

 ell their children to be carried out of the country as slaves ; they 

 do not guard their young women, hut permit them to have inter- 

 course with whatever men they please; they purchase tlieir wives 

 with great sums ; they puncture or tattoo their bodies, which they 

 regard as a sign of noble birth ; agriculture they despise, and con- 

 sider it most honourable to live by war and robbery. Deep drinking 

 prevailed among them extensively, and the quarrels over their cups 

 became almost proverbial. In earlier times however there must have 

 been a greater degree of civilisation among some of their tribes at 

 least, than prevailed at a later period. The earliest Greek poets, 

 Orpheus, Linus, Musams, and others, are all represented as coming 

 from Thrace ; and Eumolpus too, who founded, according to tradition, 

 the EUusinian mysteries at Attica, is also said to have been a Thracian. 

 At an early period likewise the Thracians spread extensively over 

 southern Oreeoe. 



The- first historical event respecting them is their conquest by 



evabaiun, the general of Darius, who conquered all the separate 

 the exception of the Satno, who were the only Thracian 

 people that had retained their independence down to the time of 

 ndotaa. (Herod., T. 2; vii. 111.) After the failure of the expe- 

 XtrM "> U" Thracians recovered their independence ; and in 

 w of the Peloponuesian war we 6nd a powerful native empire 

 in Thrace, which was under the dominion of Sitaloes, who is called 

 by Thocydldes (ii. 29) king of the Thracians. The empire was 

 founded by the father of SiUlces, Teres, the king of the Odryste, one 

 Ue most powerful of the Thracian tribes. The power of the 



Uryiian empire however did not last long. In little more than 

 twenty yean , from the death of SiUlces it had lost its former great- 

 ness ; and when Xenophon crossed over into Thrace, B.O. 400, he found 

 Medorus, the reigning king of the Odrysians, unable to command the 

 " " Ubje1 - < Con 'I re ' Anab.' vii. 2 .. 82 



." "T/ Ubje ^ 1 - < Con 'I re ' Anab.,' vii. 2, .. 82, 

 liP, the father of Alexander, reduced the whole of Southern 

 Thrace at least, tod compelled it to pay tribute. (Diodonw, xvi. 71 ) 



On the death of Philip there was a general movement among the 

 Thracians to throw off the Macedonian supremacy, at the head of 

 which the Triballi placed themselves. But Alexander crossing tho 

 Hicmus, defeated tho Trib.illi, advanced as far as the Danube, which 

 be crossed, and offered up a sacrifice on its right bank. (Arrian, 

 Anab.,' 1, 2, 8; Strabo, vii. 301.) On the death of Alexander, 

 Thrace fell to the share of Lysimachus, who erected it into au 

 independent monarchy; but it subsequently came under tho domi- 

 nion of the Macedonian kings. On the conclusion of tho war with 

 Perseus however, Cotyg, a native Thracian princn, wa? allowed to 

 continue in possession of his kingdom, notwithstanding the assistance 

 he had rendered to Perseus. (Livy, xlv. 42.) 



Thrace was not reduced to the form of a Roman province till a 

 late period. The part north of the II. emu* was conquered by the 

 Romans in the reign of Augustus, and was afterwards erected into a 

 separate province under the name of Mccsia. The name of Thrace 

 was then confined to the country south of the Hiunius, and between 

 the Euxine, the Propoutis, and the yEgean Sea. Its boundary on tho 

 west differed at various times: in the time of Ptolemy t'iii. 11) it 

 seems to hare been the Nestus ; but the Strymon was anciently the 

 boundary between Macedonia and Thrace. 



Amphipolu, founded by the Athenians on the left bank of the 

 Strymon, was one of the most important towns in Thrace. JAMI'UI- 

 POLIS.] The next town of importance east of Amphipolis was Pkttipfi, 

 which was founded by Philip of Macedonia : it was previously called 

 Crenides, but was then only a small place inhabited by the Thasiaus, 

 who settled there for tho purpose of working the gold and silver 

 mines in its neighbourhood. West of 1'hilippi the country was au 

 extensive plaiu stretching towards Auiphipolis, which has become 

 memorable on account of the battle fought there by Antony and 

 Octavius against Brutus and Cassius. Under the Romans Philippi 

 became a colony, and was the chief city iu that part of the country, 

 when it was visited by St. Paul. 



West of the Nestus the first town of importance on the coast is 

 Abdero. [AfiDERA.] Next comes Dieam or Dicseopolis, which was a 

 Qreek city on the shores of the Lake Bistouis (Herod., vii. 109); and 

 then Maroneia and Ismarus, which were both in the country of tho 

 Cicones, where Ulysses lauded and was defeated by the inhabitants, 

 after he had taken their city. (' Odys.,' xi. 39, &c.) The Marouean 

 wine has been already mentioned, and the city was in consequence 

 sacred to Dionysius, as may be seen from its coins. Its ruins are still 

 named Maroni. Ismarus is not mentioned by later writers as a city, 

 but only as a mountain celebrated for its wine. Following the coast 

 we next come to Strynie, a colony of the Thasians ; then to Mesembria, 

 built by the Samothracians (Herod., vii. 108) ; and next to Doriscus, 

 situated in a large plain, in which Xerxes numbered his army. Cru-oin^ 

 the Hebrus we come to ^Euos, which is mentioned under this name 

 by Homer, as the place from which Pirous came to the Trojan war. 

 (' IL,' iv. 520.) It was a place of considerable importance in latT 

 times, and under the Romans was a free town. (Pliny, ' Nat. Hist.,' 

 iv. 18.) It is still called Enus. 



After passing round the head of the Gulf of Melas, now the Gulf of 

 Saros, we come to the Thracian Chersonese, now Gallipoli, which was 

 very early colonised by Greek settlers, and though but of small extent 

 is of considerable importance in aucient history. On the isthmus wai 

 Li/iimachitt, which was founded by Lysimachus, who made it his 

 capital. It was on the western side of the isthmus, not far from the 

 ancient Cardia, the inhabitants of which he removed to his new city. 

 (Diodorus, xx. 29; Pausan., i. 9, s. 10.) South of Lystmachia were 

 Agora, Ide, Paeon, and Alopeconnesus, the last of which only was of 

 any importance. It was an yEolian colony, and was one of the chief 

 towns of the Chersonese iu the time of Demosthenes. On the eastern 

 side of the Chersonese, upon the Hellespont, the most southerly town 

 was Cynossetna, near which the Lacedaemonian fleet was defeated by 

 the Athenians, in B.C. 411. Above Cynossema was Madytus, and north 

 of Madytus was SESTOS. North of Sestos was the small river of 

 jSyotpotamoi, with apparently a town of the same name at its mouth, 

 near which the Athenian fleet was totally defeated by Lysander, 

 in B.C. 405. Above ..Kgnspotamoi were Callipolis, now Gallipoli, 

 which has given its name to the peninsula, and J'actya, opposite 

 Lysimachia. 



On the Propontis the chief seaport was ferinlhut, afterwards calli-d 

 Heraclea, and sometimes also Heraclea Perinthus. On the Bosporus 

 the ancient Greek city of Byzantium was situated, which occupied part 

 of the site of the modern Constantinople. [BYZANTIUM.] 



On the European coast of the Kuxiue the chief towns were Saliny- 

 desaus, Apollonia, and Mesembria. 



In the interior of the country the towns most worthy of mention 

 are Trajanopolis, on the Egnatian road to tho west of the Hebrus ; 

 Plotinopolis, BO called iu honour of Plotina, the wife of Trajan, to the 

 north of Trajanopolis; Hadrianopolis, on the Hebrus, originally called 

 Orestias, and now ADRIANOPLE ; and, lastly, Philippopolis, also on the 

 Hebrus. 



The Via Egnatia [MACBDONIA] entered Thrace at Amphipolis, and 

 passed by the towns of 1'hilippi, Neapolis, Abdera, Maximianopulis, 

 Trajanopolis, Cypsela, Apri, Heraclea, till it reached Byzantium. 



Xenophon ('Anab.,' vi. 4), speaks of Thrace in Asia, which he 

 describes as extending from the junction of the Bosporus and tho 



