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TRAPANI (anc. Drepanum)

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Originally appearing in Volume V27, Page 213 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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TRAPANI (anc. Drepanum) , a See also:city and episcopal see of See also:Sicily, See also:capital of the See also:province of the same name, situated on the See also:west See also:coast, 3 M. W. of the See also:Monte See also:San Giuliano, which rises above it, 121 M. W. by S. of See also:Palermo by See also:rail, and 47 M. See also:direct. Pop. (1906), See also:town 47,578, See also:commune 68,986. The See also:ancient Drepanum (3peravov, a sickle, from the shape of the See also:low See also:spit of See also:land on which it stands) seems originally to have been the See also:port of Eryx, and never to have been an See also:independent city. It is represented by See also:Virgil in the Aeneid as the See also:scene of the See also:death of See also:Anchises, but first appears in See also:history as an important Carthaginian See also:naval station in the First Punic See also:War (about 26o B.c.), See also:part of the inhabitants of Eryx being transferred thither. Near Drepanum the See also:Roman See also:fleet was defeated in 250 B.C., while the struggle to obtain See also:possession of it ended in the decisive Roman victory off the Aegates Islands in 241, which led to the conclusion of See also:peace (see PuMc See also:WARS). It continued to be an important See also:harbour, but never acquired municipal rights. Under the See also:Norman See also:kings, at the See also:time of the first crusade, it became a See also:place of importance; while it was a See also:residence of the Aragonese kings. In the 16th and 17th centuries it was strongly fortified.

In 1848 it was the first Sicilian city to rise against the Bourbons. No remains of the classical See also:

period exist except a portion of the See also:mole. There are some See also:fine See also:Gothic and See also:baroque palaces,and a few churches with interesting details. The See also:Oratorio S. Michele contains wooden See also:groups representing scenes from the See also:Passion, executed in the 17th See also:century and used for carrying in procession. On the tiled See also:pavement of Sta See also:Lucia is an interesting view of Trapani, showing the strong fortifications on the land See also:side, which have been demolished to permit of the See also:extension of the town in that direction. The Madonna dell' Annunziata, about 11 m. See also:east of the town, founded in 1332, iS now restored to its See also:original See also:style. The adjacent Cappella del Cristo Risorto contains a statue of the Virgin and See also:Child in See also:marble said to have been brought from See also:Cyprus, to which an immense number of valuable offerings have been made, among them two See also:bronze candelabra and a See also:model of the city in See also:silver; while the statue itself is hung with jewels, necklaces, cameos, rings, watches, &c. The See also:modern town is clean and well built, with a fine esplanade on the See also:south. It is a harbour of considerable importance. It was entered by 144 vessels, representing a See also:tonnage of 129,164 in 1906. The imports showed a value of £276,674, the most important items being See also:wheat, See also:coal and See also:timber; while the exports amounted to £143,347, the See also:chief items being See also:salt, See also:wine, salt See also:fish and See also:building-See also:stone.

There are also large salt-pans to the south of the city, extending along the coast as far as See also:

Marsala, which produce about 200,000 tons of salt annually, of which in 1906 121,192 tons were exported, chiefly to See also:Norway, See also:Sweden, See also:Canada and the See also:United States. The numerous windmills are used for grinding the salt. (T. As.) See also:TRAP-See also:BALL, or KNUR AND SPELL (M. Eng. knurre, See also:knot; See also:Dan. spil, spindle),-an old See also:English See also:game, which can be traced back to the beginning of the 14th century, and was commonly played in See also:northern See also:England as See also:late as 1825, but has since been practically confined to See also:children (See also:bat, trap and ball). It was played with a wooden trap, by means of which a ball (knur) of hard See also:wood about the See also:size of a See also:walnut was thrown into the See also:air, where it was struck by the player with the " trip-stick," a bat consisting of two parts: the stick, which was of ash or See also:lancewood and about 4 ft. See also:long, and the See also:pommel, a piece of very hard wood about 6 in. long, 4 in. wide and r in. thick. This was swung in both hands, although shorter bats for one See also:hand were sometimes used. Originally the ball was thrown into the air by striking a See also:lever upon which it rested in the trap; but in the later development of the game, usually called knur and spell, a spell or trap furnished with a See also:spring was used, thus ensuring regularity in the height to which the knur was tossed. The See also:object of the game was to strike the knur the greatest possible distance, either in one or a See also:series of strokes.

End of Article: TRAPANI (anc. Drepanum)

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