Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

MARSALA

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V17, Page 766 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
» Make a correction to this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

MARSALA , a seaport of See also:

Sicily, in the See also:province of See also:Trapani, 19 m. by See also:rail S. of Trapani. Pop. (1881), 19,732; (1901), 57,567. The See also:low See also:coast on which it is situated is the westernmost point of the See also:island. The See also:town is the seat of a See also:bishop, and the See also:cathedral contains 16 See also:grey See also:marble columns, which are said to have been intended for See also:Canterbury Cathedral in See also:England, the See also:vessel conveying them having been wrecked here. The town owes its importance mainly to the See also:trade in Marsala See also:wine. Marsala occupies the site of Lilybaeum, the See also:principal strong-hold of the Carthaginians in Sicily, founded by Himilco after the See also:abandonment of See also:Motya. Neither See also:Pyrrhus nor the See also:Romans were able to reduce it by See also:siege, but it was surrendered to the latter in 241 B.C. at the end of the First Punic See also:War. In the later See also:wars it was a starting point for the See also:Roman expeditions against See also:Carthage; ' Bulletin See also:Lowell Obsy., Monthly Notices, R.A.S. (1905), 66, p. 51. 2 St See also:Petersburg See also:Memoirs, See also:series viii., Phys.

See also:

Mars-classe, vol. viii. and under Roman See also:rule it enjoyed considerable prosperity (C.I.L. X. p. 742). It obtained municipal rights from See also:Augustus and became a See also:colony under See also:Pertinax or Septimus See also:Severus. The See also:Saracens gave it its See also:present name, Marsa See also:Ali, See also:port of Ali. The See also:harbour, which See also:lay on the See also:north-See also:east, was destroyed by See also:Charles V. to prevent its occupation by pirates. The See also:modern harbour lies to the See also:south-east. In ,86o See also:Garibaldi landed at Marsala with low men and began his See also:campaign in Sicily. Scanty remains of the See also:ancient Lilybaeum (fragments of the See also:city walls, of squared stones, and some See also:foundations of buildings between the walls and the See also:sea) are visible; and the so-called grotto and See also:spring of the Sibyl may be mentioned. To the east of the town is a See also:great See also:fosse which defended it on the See also:land See also:side, and beyond this again are quarries like those of See also:Syracuse on a small See also:scale. The modern town takes the shape of the Roman See also:camp within the earlier city, one of the See also:gates of which still existed in 1887.

The See also:

main See also:street (the Cassaro) perpetuates the name castrum.

End of Article: MARSALA

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.
Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
MARS, MLLE [ANNE FRANCOISE HYPPOLYTE BOUTET] (1779-... 		[next]
MARSDEN, WILLIAM (1754-1836)

Site © 2006 - Net Industries