TripolitaniaLepcis Magna, one of the greatest cities of North Africa and one of the most famous archaeological sites in the Mediterranean, was situated in the region (later province) of Tripolitania. Birthplace of the emperor Septimius Severus, the city has yielded many well- preserved monuments from its Roman past, but the extraordinary architecture and history of this city has never been examined in the context of the ancient region as a whole, encompassing north-west Libya and southern Tunisia. David Mattingly has filled this gap, presenting important new research on the military frontier, the pre-Roman tribal background, the urban centers, and the regional economy. Drawing on recent excavations and field surveys, he reinterprets many aspects of the settlement history of this marginal arid zone that once was prosperous. Partly through large-scale cultivation of olives, one of the least promising environments of the Mediterranean hosted one of the wealthiest Roman provincial towns- -Lepcis Magna.David Mattingly also considers many wider themes in Roman provincial studies: Romanization, the military strategy on the frontiers, and the economic links between provinces and the sources of elite wealth. The dramatic rise and premature decline of this region, over the 500-year period between Caesar's victory at Thapsus in 46 B.C.E. and the conquest of North Africa by the Vandals, make it one of the most unusual provincial histories of the Roman world. David J. Mattingly is Lecturer in Roman Archaeology, University of Leicester. |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
acres Africa agricultural Ain Wif amphorae archaeological ashlar Austuriani Bezereos Brogan buildings Byzacena Byzantine camels cemetery centre clausura coastal construction Corippus Cyrenaica Dahar desert Donatist Duib early eastern Tripolitania el-Garbia elite epigraphic Euzennat evidence excavation Fezzan fortified farms fortlet fourth century frontier zone Gaetuli Garamantes Garamantian garrison Gasr gate Gebel Gefara Ghadames Gheriat Ghirza Gigthis Goodchild gsur harbour hillfort inscription Ksar Laguatan lands late Roman Lepcis Magna Libyan Libyphoenician limes limes Tripolitanus Macae major masonry Mattingly ment military Mizda Nasamones Nefzaoua Numidia oases oasis outposts Plate Pliny pottery pre-desert probably province Punic Rebuffat region Remada Roman period Rome Sabratha second century Septimius Septimius Severus settlement Severan Severus Sofeggin sub-tribes suggests Synesius Syrtes Syrtic Tacapae Tarhuna temple territory Thenteos third century tion Tisavar tombs towers town transhuming tribal tribes Tripoli Tripolitania troops Trousset ULVS Wadi wall Zintan