T H R 



A peninfula to the S., between the Melanic Valf and the 

 Hellefpont, made part of the continent of Thrace, but it 

 afTumed the name of the Cherfoncl'us of Tliracc. 



The continent may be confidercd as divided into fix parts : 

 •vix.. I. The part bounded to the W. by the river Mclas, 

 which difchargcd itfi-lf into a gulf of the fame name. To 

 the S. it had the Cherfonefus and the Propontide, and to 

 the E. the Bofphorus of Thrace and the Euxine fca. The 

 chief towns of tliis part were, on the borders of the Pro- 

 pontide, Ganos, Bifanthe or Rccdedus, Perinthus called 

 alfo Heraclea, Selymbria, Byfantium ; and on the Euxine 

 fea, Dercon, Salmydeflus. 



2. The fecond part of Thrace extended from Melas to 

 the Hebrus. It had feveral towns on the banks of the 

 Hebrus, of which, the principal were Philipopolis and 

 Adrianopolis, c^ed alfo Oreftes, and Trajanopolis. The 

 Hebrus took, its nfe in mount Haemus, and difcharged itfelf 

 into the Melanic gulf, near the town of Enos. 



3. The third part lay between the Hebrus and the lake 

 Biftonia to the W., confiding, according to fome authors, of 

 two fubdiviiions, viz. from the Hebrus to LilTus, and from 

 Liflus to the lake Biftonis. On the lea-coaft was fituated 

 Maronea, and in the interior of the country Scaptahyla, 

 enriched by its mines. 



4. The fourth part was narrow, and lay between the lake 

 Bilionis and the Neftus to the W. The Nellus had its 

 fource to the N.W. of mount Rhodope, and near it were 

 the towns of Jampborinum and of Nicopolis ad Neftum. 



5. The fifth part was fituated N. of the Tasarus, a river 

 which had its fource in the mountains S. of Delnetum, and 

 not far from the Euxine fea, and which ran into the Hebrus 

 on the left fide of it. 



6. The fixth part lay N. of that part of the Hebrus 

 which ran from Beffa towards the S.E. to Oreftis. In this 

 part were the towns of Beroea and that of Cabyla, S. of the 

 Haemus. 



The, Cherfonefus of Thrace had for its boundaries to the 

 S.E. the Hellefpont and a fmall portion of the Propontide; 

 to the N. the continent of Thrace ; to the N.W. the Car- 

 diac or Melanic gulf; this is the peninfula of Romania ; and 

 a wall feparated it from the continent. 



Thofe who feek the origin of the Thracians in the 

 Old Teftament, trace them to Tiras, one of the firft de- 

 fcendants of Japhet. But whatever was the origin of thefe 

 ancient people, it is certain that they were warlike and fero- 

 cious, and lived very much like favages. They were divided 

 into different hordes, like the ancient Scythians or modern 

 Tartars. This country, on account of the coldnefs of its 

 climate, attributed to its mountains, was regarded by the 

 Greeks with a kmd of horror. 



Thrace, in the Notitia Imperii, is divided into fix pro- 

 vinces, viz. Europe, Rhodope, Thrace, Heminont, the 

 fecond Mcefia, and Scythia. According to the Notitia of 

 Hierocles, thefe fix provinces contain 53 cities, of which the 

 Thrace of Europe contained 14. 



Thrace was anciently governed by kings ; of thefe, the 

 firft who gave them laws for regulating and civilizing their 

 manners was Zamolxis, a difciple of Pythagoras. Our limits 

 will not allow us to trace its fubfequent hiftory, as far as it is 

 known. The whole, or various parts of this country were 

 pofiTeffed by Philip of Macedon, by the Athenians, by the 

 Lacedaemonians, and by Alexander, who made a conqueft of 

 the whole country, nor did they recover their liberty till 

 after his death. Lyfimachus, one of the fucceiTors of 

 Alexander, was vanquilhed by a defcendant of one of the 

 ancient fovereigns of Thrace. But the tranquillity of the 

 country was of (hort duration ; for a party of Gauls, 



T H K 



under Brennus, ravaged Greece, and took pon'eflioa of 

 Thrace. The Thracians afterwards exterminated the Gauls, 

 and reftored the race of their ancient kings. This prince' 

 whofc name was Seuthcs, and his dcfcendants, reigned 

 without interruption till the time of Vcfpafian, who re- 

 duced Thrace into a Roman province. It afterwards be- 

 came fubjea to the Turks, who now jjoilcfs it. See 

 Romania. 



THRACES, orTnUAClANS, in Aiitiqtiily, were an order 

 of gladiators, reputed to be the mofl. fierce and cruel of all. 

 They were fo called, either becaufe they were natives of 

 Thrace, or wore armour after the manner of that country. 

 The particular weapon they ufed was the fca, or faulchion, 

 and their defence confilled in ixparmn, or a httle round Ihield, 

 proper to their country. 



THRACIA Gemma, a done mentioned by Pliny, and 

 defcribed by him to be of three kinds : the one of a plain 

 green, but a confiderably deep and drong colour ; the other 

 of a paler green, without variegation ; and the third fpotted 

 with blood-coloured fpots. This is a Ihort defcription, but 

 the done feems to have been a jafper, of the nature of our 

 green Oriental jafper and heliotrope. 



THRACIUS Lapis, in the Natural Hiftory of the An- 

 dents, a done often mentioned, and firft called Bente lapis, 

 from the place wliere it was fird found, which was in the 

 neighbourhood of Bina, or Bena, a town in Thrace. It has 

 been by fome authors allowed a place in the catalogues of 

 the materia medica ; but it is impoffiblc for us to fay, with 

 any certainty, which, of feveral fubdances now known 

 (which all anfwer in fome degree to the accounts left us of 

 it) is the real body they meant by that name. 



It was an inflammable body, found in mines, and in the 

 beds of rivers ; and, in burning, afforded a very offenfive 

 fmell. 



Some of the late authors have fuppofed it was our com- 

 mon pit-coal the ancients exprefled by this name ; others, 

 that it was jet ; and others, the common cannel coal. Hill's 

 Theophradus, p. 34. 



THRANITjE, in the Roman Trireme-gaUies, or tliofe 

 which had three rows of rowers ; thofe of the upper row 

 were called by this name, the fecond the zygitx, and the 

 lowed tbalamitie. 



The zygitx, or middle row of men, in thefe veflels, took 

 up but very httle room, having a conveniency of moving 

 their hands and oars under the feats of thofe who fat next 

 before tjiem. See Enneris and Polycrota. 



THRAPSTON, in Geography, a fmall market-town in 

 the hundred of Navisford, and county of Northampton, 

 England ; is fituated on the fouthern banks of the river Nen, 

 2 2 miles N.E. by E. from the town of Northampton, and 75 

 miles N.N.W. from London. The town, in general, is well- 

 built ; and at the wed end is a handfonie done bridge croff- 

 ing the Nen. By this river a confiderable ti-ade is carried 

 on with Lynn, Northampton, and various other towns in its 

 courfe. The country round Thrapdon is open, and affolds 

 extenfive profpefts : from an eminence, half a mile to the 

 fouth-ead, may be feen at one view thirty-fix church towers 

 and fpires. An annual court-leet and court-baron is held 

 here ; at which are appointed the governing officers, a con- 

 dable, and a thirdborough ; and alfo bread-weighers, whofe 

 office is to fee that the bread, butter, and every other mar- 

 ketable commodity, is good and of jud weight. A well- 

 fupplied market is held on Thurfdays ; it is the larged mart 

 for hogs in the country : that branch alone returns every 

 market-day, on an average, about 500/. Here are alfo two 

 annual fairs, befides a large market, equal to cither of the 

 fairs, which is held yearly at Michaelmas. The population 



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