Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1917-01-22


by the National Geographic society
en- the island of Thasos, which lies
across the Bay of Kavala, distance
of 13 miles, from the important to-
bacco port Of Kavala, against which
the Bulgarians made their first strong
counter-attack in the Saloniki war
sphere after the allies had begun their
northwestward drive at the Serbo-
Greek frontier town of Dorian.
"At its nearest point to the mainland
the northern cape of the island 3f
Thasos is only four miles south Of
the Thracian coast, while its south
ern shore is 80 miles northeast of Mt.
Athos, famous for its monastic COM
munities.
Although these intrepid mariners
and searchers for mineral wealth. the
Phoenicians, had been attracted to
Thasos at an even earlier date by the
gold deposits of it's well-wooded noun
tains, the first important colony on
the island was established more than
$500 years ago by band of emigrants
from the island of Paros. These pio-
reers were led by the father of the
famous Greek lyric poet Archilocus,
inventor of the raging iambics,' which
made poetic satire possible Archilo-
Gus figured conspicuously though igno-
miniously in the early history of Tha-
SOS. He had followed his father to the
island not only because Of his abject
poverty, but because of a notorious
episode at Paros. Lycambes, sub
stantial Parian citizen, having with
drawn his consent to the marriage Of
his daughter, Neobule, to the poet, the
latter composed some merciless
verses about both the father and the
child, in which he accused his former
fance of shocking immoralities. Una
BILE to endure such charges. Lycambes
and his daughter hanged themselves,
while Archilocus took sail for Thasos,
where he took up arms against the
Thracians, who were making war on
the struggling colonists In his first
important battle, the poet threw away
his shield and fed ingloriously. Nor
did he have the decency to be morti
fed at his cowardice, but on the con-
trary wrote some verses, expressing
qualification at having sought safety
in flight. AS for his shield, another,
another could be easily procured, he
fippantly remarked. Yet, this was the
poet who in his day was accorded al
place of honor equal to that of Homer,
and his songs were sung by the vic
tors of the Olympic games.
Wealth Excited Cupidity of NeighbOrs.
For several hundred years the
Thracians were immensely prosperous
for they controlled the gold mines both
of the island and of the neighboring
coast of Thrace Their waltz soon
excited the envy of neighboring colon
les, and when the Ionians lost their
city of Miletus in 494 B. c.. they tried
to find a foothold on Thasos, but the
attack was successfully repulsed. To
guard against similar attempts at con-
fiscation of territory, the Thasians be-
gan to erect walls around their chief
town and to build a strong navy
These activities, however excited the
anger of Darius who appropriated the
navy and commanded that the wall be
torn down.
After the rout of Xerxes' vast army
by the Athenians and their allies, Tina
SOS joined the Delian Confederacy, but
was soon in trouble when the Athen-
ians, after the siege of two years cap
tured the capital of the island, the
walls again being destroyed and the
navy confscated.
I'm the succeeding centuries the is
land was at various times under the
jurisdiction of Sparta, Athens and
Macedonia. The Romans, after the
battle of Cynoscephalae, where the
Izz.a-- .--n-ro5 a., .,narfnritv 0vor tho