Barăthrum, a deep and obscure gulf at Athens, where criminals were thrown.——The word is applied to the infernal regions by Valerius Flaccus, bk. 2, lis. 86 & 192.
Barbări, a name originally applied to those who spoke inelegantly, or with harshness and difficulty. The Greeks and Romans generally called all nations, except their own, by the despicable name of Barbarians.
Barbăria, a river of Macedonia. Livy, bk. 44, ch. 31.——A name given to Phrygia and Troy. Horace, bk. 1, ltr. 2, li. 7.
Barbătus, the surname of a Roman family. Suetonius, Claudius, ch. 21.
Barbosthĕnes, a mountain of Peloponnesus, 10 miles from Sparta. Livy, bk. 35, ch. 27.
Barbythăce, a city of Persia. Pliny, bk. 6, ch. 27.
Barca, a friend of Cato the elder. Plutarch, Cato the Younger.
Barcæi, or Barcitæ, a warlike nation of Africa, near the city of Carthage. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 4, li. 43.
Barce, the nurse of Sichæus. Virgil, Æneid, bk. 4, li. 632.——A large country of Africa.——Also a city about nine miles from the sea, founded by the brothers of Arcesilaus king of Cyrene, 515 years before the christian era. Strabo says, that in his age it was called Ptolemais; but this arises because most of the inhabitants retired to Ptolemais, which was on the sea coast, to enrich themselves by commerce. Strabo, bk. 17.—Ptolemy, bk. 4, ch. 4.——A small village of Bactriana, where the people who had been taken prisoners by Darius in Africa, were confined. Herodotus, bk. 4, ch. 204.——A city of Media. Justin, bk. 1, ch. 7.
Barcha, the surname of a noble family at Carthage, from which Annibal and Hamilcar were descended. By means of their bribes and influence, they excited a great faction, which is celebrated in the annals of Carthage by the name of the Barchinian faction, and at last raised themselves to power, and to the independent disposal of all the offices of trust or emolument in the state. Livy, bk. 21, chs. 2 & 9.