TRIPOLI 



5882 



TRIUMPH 



saffron, barley, grapes, dates, figs, olives, lemons 

 and almonds are grown, and the raising of 

 sheep is of considerable importance. In gen- 

 eral, the country is not well developed. Sponge 

 fishing has been carried on since 1885, and there 



CHARACTERISTIC SCENE IN TRIPOLI 

 A date palm, orchard. 



is some exploitation of the salt and sulphur 

 deposits along the coast. Inland communica- 

 tion is chiefly by means of caravan routes, and 

 these routes are often the scenes of bandit 

 raids. Railroad building, however, has been 

 started. Ostrich feathers, carried by caravans 

 from Central Africa to the city of Tripoli, are 

 exported in large numbers to London and Paris 

 when there is a demand for them. Other ex- 

 ports, brought from interior Africa, include 

 gold, ivory and rubber. 



Tripoli in ancient times was a part of the 

 territory of the Carthaginians, from whom it 

 was wrested by the Romans. After passing in 

 turn to the Vandals, Greeks and Arabs, it be- 

 came in the sixteenth century a dependency of 

 the Turkish Empire. For a century previous 

 to 1835 the sultan's authority was only nominal, 

 but in that year the ruling bey was deposed and 

 a new Turkish governor was appointed. The 

 state then became a Turkish vilayet. Early in 

 the same century the navy of the young Ameri- 

 can nation successfully defended the rights of 

 merchant vessels in the Mediterranean Sea and 

 forced the Tripolitans to cease their acts of 

 piracy. Tripoli was taken from Turkey in 1911 

 as the result of a brief war between that nation 

 and Italy (see ITALY, subtitle History}. 



Tripoli, the principal city and seaport, occu- 

 pies a promontory on the Mediterranean. 

 From the sea the city presents an interesting 

 picture, with its surrounding walls, minarets, 

 mosques and ancient ruins, but a closer view 

 shows the narrow streets and 'low, mean houses 

 of the typical Oriental town. It is the terminus 

 of three caravan routes and carries on the 



manufacture of rugs, scarfs and Tfcather. The 

 Jews are the most active tradesmen. Its chief 

 points of interest are the imposing castle of the 

 beys and the ruins of a triumphal arch erected 

 to Marcus Aurelius. J.S.G. 



Consult Todd's Tripoli, the Mysterious; Lap- 

 worth and Zimmerman's Tripoli and Young 

 Italy. 



Related Subjects. In connection with this 

 description of Tripoli the reader may consult 

 the following articles in these volumes : 

 Barbary States Italy, subtitle History 



Berbers Turkey, subtitle History 



TRIPOLI, a mineral resembling clay or chalk, 

 composed chiefly of minute shells containing 

 silica, which are so hard that they will scratch 

 glass. Thick deposits of tripoli are sometimes 

 found under peat beds. When ground to a fine 

 powder tripoli is used for polishing glass, metals 

 and marbles. It takes its name from the fact 

 that it was originally brought from Tripoli in 

 Africa. It is found in the eastern part of the 

 United States, in France, Italy, Germany and 

 Nova Scotia. 



TRIREME, tri'reem, a word derived from 

 the Latin ires, meaning three, and remits, mean- 

 ing oar, refers to an ancient war vessel, invented 

 by the Corinthians, having three sets of oars 

 arranged one above another. The trireme was 

 steered by paddles at the stern, and was pro- 

 vided with sails to use when not in battle. The 

 vessel was of light draught and could easily be 

 hauled on shore, and it was quickly and skil- 

 fully maneuvered in battle. At Salamis, the 

 great naval battle between the Persians and 

 Greeks in 480 B. c., the Grecian fleet numbered 

 380 ships, most of which were triremes. See 

 full-page illustration, under WARSHIP. 



TRIUMPH, tri'umf, a word of uncertain 

 origin, but probably derived from the Greek 

 thriambos, the name given to a procession in 

 honor of the god Bacchus. In ancient Rome a 

 triumph was the highest honor that could be 

 bestowed on a general on his return from a suc- 

 cessful campaign. The victor entered the city 

 of Rome in a triumphal car drawn by four 

 horses. He was crowned with laurel and bore a 

 scepter in his left hand, a laurel wreath in his 

 right. The Senate, on foot, headed the proces- 

 sion, with the magistrates, followed by a large 

 body of trumpeters. A train of carriages laden 

 with spoils of war came next. Oxen to be sac- 

 rificed and the priests of the sacrifice walked in 

 front of distinguished captives and inferior 

 prisoners, the latter in chains. The victor, hero 

 of the day, was accompanied by his children 

 and friends, the rear of the procession being 



