SABRATHA, an ancient city of Africa Proconsularis (Tripolis), founded in the 7th-6th century B.C. by Tyrian settlers as a factory on the shore of a flat and inhospitable coast, mod. Sabratha Vulpia, 48 m. W. of Tripoli by rail. Towards the end of the 2nd century A.D. its prosperity began to increase : Antoninus Pius built two temples; the tribunal before which Apuleius (q.v.) was tried met here, and under Commodus the Sabratenses had a statio (or office) at Ostia (q.v.). Towards the end of the 4th cen tury there occurred fiscal exactions, religious disputes and attempts at invasion by the tribes of the interior (the most destructive being that of the Austuriani in A.D. 363), after which, as inscrip tions show, the buildings of Sabratha, and notably the baths, were rebuilt. The Vandals themselves, who only occupied Tripolitania in A.D. 455, were defeated by a native rebellion, and after the destruction of their power by the Byzantines the very natives who had invited the aid of the latter rose against them also. Dur ing the years of peace following 548 new fortifications were made. Justinian's death, in 565, brought a renewal of the native risings. The Arabs took Tripoli in 643, and Sabratha was surprised in the night and sacked.
Excavations have revealed the east gate of the Roman walls, while Byzantine fortifications surround the western portion of the city, where are situated the forum, the curia or council hall, a temple of Jupiter (of whom a fine bust was found), and another temple (perhaps the Capitolium), both of the time of Antoninus Pius, two Christian basilicas (one, erected by Justinian, with fine mosaics), a baptistery. The theatre and the amphitheatre, fairly well preserved and recently carefully restored, lie farther away, near the quarries. The streets are wide and well laid, and the houses are numerous and closely built, without courtyards. There were no less than 12 fountains, supplied by an aqueduct. The Roman harbour was constructed by joining the rocks with masses of concrete, so as to form two moles with a narrow entrance between them; while along the shore were cisterns and store houses.
See R. Bartoccini, Guida di Sabratha (Rome and Milan, 1927).
the art of attack and defence with the sabre, or broad-sword. About 190o the light Italian sabre was introduced and became the recognized cut-and-thrust weapon. It was introduced in the United States about 1912; in Austria Hungary it was popular as early as 1885 ; in Italy, the country of its origin, it has been in use since the middle of the 19th century. Its blade is about Ain. wide a little below the guard, tapering A in., just under the point. For practice this is truncated and this edge blunt, but in scoring both edge and point are assumed to be sharp, while in countries on the continent of Europe (and also in Great Britain and the United States of America) the back edge (false edge) is also supposed to be sharpened for some 8in.
from the point. The modern sabre is a descendant of the curved light cavalry sword of the late 18th century, which was introduced into Europe from the Orient by the Hungarians.
The sabre championship of Great Britain was instituted in 1898, side by side with the foil championship, through the agency of the Amateur Gymnastic and Fencing Association. In this con nection there were no heartburnings, for the sabre is essentially a competitive weapon. One of the chief features of the competition in recent years was the victory in 1923 and 1924 of the veteran fencer E. Seligman, who thus became the first British fencer to gain a championship with all three weapons.
The winners since 1920 have been: 1920 Lieut. C. A. Kershaw, R.N. 1927 A. H. Corble 192I W. Hammond 1928 G. L. G. Harry 1922 A. H. Corble 5929 Col. R. B. Campbell 1923 E. Seligman 193o 0. G. Trinder 1924 E. Seligman 1931 0. G. Trinder 1925 Lieut.-Commander C. A. 1932 A. G. Pilbrow Kershaw, R.N. 1933-34 0. G. Trinder 1926 Lieut.-Commander C. A. 1935 A. G. Pilbrow Kershaw, R.N. 1936 R. F. Brook American Fencers League of America National champions: Leo Nunes 1931,-32 J. R. Huffman (N.Y.
1927 Nickolas Muray (N.Y.A.C.) A.C.) 1928 NickolasMuray (N.Y.A.C.) 1933 N.Y.A.C. (Huffman, Den 1929 Leo Nunes (N.Y.A.C.) agy, Foy) 1930 Norman C. Cohn (F. C.) 1934 Norman C. Armitage (F.C.)