LAO 
Called after his confort Laodice. It was long *n inconfi- 
derab'le place ; blit increafed toward the age of Auguftus 
Crefar, after having- fuffered in a (lege from Mithridates. 
The fertility of the foil, and the good fortune of forne of 
its citizens, raifed it to greatnefs. Hiero, who adorned it 
with many offerings, left the people his heir to more than 
2000 talents. After that benefactor followed Zeno the 
rhetorician ; and his fon Polemo, as renowned a fophift as 
ever lived. This perfon flouriffied at Smyrna ; but was 
buried here by the Syrian gate, near which were the fe- 
pulchres or coffins of his anceilors. Laodicsea, though 
inland, grew more potent than the cities on the coalt, and 
became one of the largeft towns in Phrygia. It was often 
damaged by earthquakes, and reftored by its own opu¬ 
lence or by the munificence of the Roman emperors. 
Thefe refources failed ; and the city, it is probable, be¬ 
came early a fcene of ruin. About the year 1097 it was 
poffeffed by the Turks, and fubmitted to Ducas general 
of the emperor Alexis. In mo the Turks lacked fome 
of the cities of Phrygia by the Mceander, but were de¬ 
feated by the emperor John Comnenus, who took Laodi- 
cea, and built anew or repaired the walls. About 1161 
it was again unfortified. Many of the inhabitants were 
then killed with their biffiop, or carried with their cattle 
into captivity by the Turks. In 1190 the German empe¬ 
ror, Frederic Barbarofia, going by Laodicea, with his 
army, toward Syria, on a croifade, was received fo kindly, 
that he prayed on his knees for the profperity of the peo¬ 
ple. About 1196 this region with Caria was dreadfully 
ravaged by the Turks. The fultan, on the invafion of 
the Tartars in 1255, gave Laodicea to the Romans; but 
they were unable to defend it, and it foon returned to the 
Turks. It is now called Ladikieh, but is ruined and de- 
1 ‘erted. Several remains of its ancient grandeur are, how¬ 
ever, ftill to be feen ; particularly the ruins of two thea¬ 
tres and an amphitheatre. The memory of this place is 
confecrated in Scripture, being one of the feven churches 
to which St. John in the Apocalypfe addreffes himfelf, 
commended by St. Paul. 
LAODICE'A on the SEA, according to Strabo, was 
a town of Seleucis in Syria, extremely well built, with 
a commodious harbour. The country about it yielded 
great quantities of wine. The city took its name from 
Laodice , mother of Seleucus the founder of it. Now La- 
Takea, which fee. 
LAODICE'AN, adj. [from Laodicea .] Belonging to 
Laodicea. 
LAODICE'AN,yi [from the adj.] A native of Lao¬ 
dicea. 
LAODTCE'NE, a province of Syria, which receives its 
name from Laodicea, its capital. 
LAOD'OCHUS, a man’s name. The fon of Antenor. 
LAOG'ORAS, a king of the Dryopes, who accuftomed 
his fubjects to become robbers. He plundered the tem¬ 
ple of Apollo at Delphos, and was killed by Hercules. 
Apollodorus. 
LAOM'EDON, a king of Troy, whofe hi (lory is in¬ 
volved in fables. He was fon of Ilus king of Troy; and 
married Strymo, called by fome Placia, or Leucippe, by 
■whom he had Podarces, afterwards known by the name of 
Priam, and Hefione. He built the walls of Troy; and 
was affifted by Apollo and Neptune, whom Jupiter had 
banifhed from heaven, and condemned to be fubfervient 
to the will of Laomedon for one year. When the walls 
were finifhed, Laomedon refufed to reward the labours of 
the gods; and foon after his territories were laid wafte by 
tbe Tea, or Neptune, and his fubjefls were vifited by a pef- 
tilence fent by Apollo. Sacrifices were offered to the of¬ 
fended divinities; but the calamities of the Trojans in¬ 
creafed, and nothing could appeafe the gods, according 
to the words of the oracle, but annually to expofe to a 
fea-monfter a Trojan virgin. Whenever the monfier ap¬ 
peared, the marriageable maidens were affembled, and the 
lot decided which of them was doomed to death for the 
good of her country. When this calamity had continued 
VOL. XII. No. 824. 
LAO *225 
for five or fix years, the lot fell upon Hefione, Laome- 
don’s daughter. The king was unwilling to part with 
his daughter, whom he loved with uncommon tet\dernefs; 
but his refufal would irritate more ftrongly the wrath of 
the gods. In the midft of his fear and hefitation, Her¬ 
cules came and offered to deliver the Trojans from this 
public calamity, if Laomedon would promife to reward 
him with a number of fine horfes. The king confented ; 
but, when the monfter was deltroyed, he refufed to fulfil 
his engagements, and Hercules was obliged to befiege 
Troy,'and take it by force of arms. Laomedon was put 
to death after a reign of twenty-nine years; his daughter 
Hefione was given in marriage to Telamon, one of the 
conqueror’s attendants; and Podarces was ranfomed by 
the Trojans, and placed upon his father’s throne. Homer, 
11 . xxi. According to Hyginus, the wrath of Neptune 
and Apollo was kindled againft Laomedon, hecaufe Ive.re¬ 
fufed to offer on their altars as a facrifice all the firfl bom 
of his cattle, according to a vow he had made. Hygin. 89, 
LA'ON, a city of France, and capital of the depart¬ 
ment of the Aifne; before the revolution, the capital of 
a final 1 country called Laonnois, and the fee of a biffiop, 
who was a duke, and the fecond peer of France. It con¬ 
tains about 8000 inhabitants: 5! polls north-weft ofRheims, 
and i6f north of Paris. Lat. 49. 34. N. Ion. 3. 42. E. 
LA'OS, in ancient geography, a town of Italy, in Lu- 
cania, weft of Brutium, and near it. It was fituated on 
a fmall gulf, diftant 400 ftadia from the town of Hyoie. 
It was founded by a colony of Sybarites. 
LA'OS, or La'o, a country of Alia, bounded on the 
north by the Chinefe province of Yun-nan, on the eaft 
by Ton-quin, on the fouth by Cambodia, and on the weft: 
by Siam and Ava. It is furrounded on all Tides by moun¬ 
tains, covered with forefts. The country feems to be ge¬ 
nerally flat, and to have fcarcely any hills or mountains, 
but thofe which encompafs it on all fldes, and ferve as 
barriers againft the potent kingdoms with which it is en- 
clofed. From thefe mountains defcend infinite rivulets, 
into the Mecon, that croftes the whole region from north 
to fouth. Some writers make a diftinction between the 
fouthern part, which they call Lan-jan , or Lan-jang, or 
Lan-tchan ; and the northern, which they call Laos, or Laho\ 
but more commonly the name of Lan-jan (which fee) is 
confined to the chief town of the whole county. 
The climate is fomewhat more temperate than that of 
Ton-quin, and more healthful. The foil is generally very- 
good, and a number of canals, cut from the Mecon, ferves 
both to water the lands on each fide, and carry off the 
great rains which fall atftated times. The principal drugs 
found in this kingdom are benjamin and lac. Honey, wax, 
and cotton, are abundant. Here are alfo mines of iron, 
lead, tin, gold, and filver; and the rivers fupply the freffi- 
water mya, which yields pearls. The religion and man¬ 
ners of the people refemble thofe of Siam; but in perfo- 
nal appearance they are like the fouthern Chinefe. Du- 
lialde has given fome account of this country, the capi¬ 
tal of which is denominated Mohang-Lang by the Chinefe. 
Laos, in his time, was tributary to Ava; but its chief 
trade was with the Chinefe. The articles exported are tiri 
and fulphur, (perhaps cinnabar or realgar,) cotton, tea, 
and fapan or Brafil wood. The chief river is denomi¬ 
nated Meinam-Kong, which pafles through Cambodia; 
and its different branches bear different appellations. 
This grand ftream, in Mr. Dalrymple’s map of Exterior 
India, is called the Kion-Long, or May-kaung. Mr. Ar- 
rowlinith derives it from the Tibetian Alps, where it is 
called the Satchou, and by D’Anville the Lantfan-kiang. 
Of this country, Turpin (cited by Pinkerton) has 
given the mod recent account. The name Laos, he fays, 
denotes one thoufand elephants, with which animals the 
country abounds. The climate is fo temperate, and the 
air fo pure, that men are faid to retain their health and 
vigour, in fome inftances, to the age of one hundred years. 
Tiie flat part of the country refembles Siam, but the foil 
on the eaft bank of the river is more fertile than that on 
3 M the 
