THARSIS. - A maritime city (or region) often mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, situated in the far West (Is. 66, 19), in the direction of the “islands” (Ps. 71, 13).
The Hebrew Tartīš is identified with Ταρτήσσος, the Ταρσήβον of Polybius (III, 24, 2), in Spain: Tartessus on the Baetis or Guadalquivir (Herodotus, I, 163; IV, 152). It was a rich colony of Tyre (Is. 23; Ez. 27, 12), famous for its trade (ibid. 38, 13); silver was mined there (Ier. 10, 9). The Old Testament often speaks of “ships of T.,” large vessels intended for long voyages (I Reg. 10, 22; 22, 49; Is. 2, 16; Ez. 27, 25; Ps. 48, 8). In the table of nations, T. appears among the sons of Iavan (Gen. 10, 4; I Par. 1, 7): the “Ionians” of Greece and Asia Minor. The Greek version of the Septuagint generally transliterates the Hebrew term; in Ez. 27, 12, 25; Is. 23 it renders it as Καρχηδών (= Carthage).