bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Proposals for Updating the Rock-Drawing Sequence of the Acacus (Libya)
Authors: Muzzolini A. 
Published: February 2016

AbstractThe classification/chronology system which Mori put forward in 1965 for the rock-drawing sequence of the Acacus mountains has not since then been modified. It now needs re-examination, taking into account the recently acquired archaeological, palaeoclimatological and archaeozoological data and also the rock-drawing sequence of the Tassili. Indeed, several schools are found in both massifs. Firstly, this article summarises the archaeological results from recent excavations, mainly from Ti-n-Torha; the14C dates relevant to rock-pictures are set within their context and evaluated. Secondly, a new classification/chronology system is proposed, which matches the data provided by the other disciplines and the Tassilian sequence. Only some of Mori's initial units have been kept. Among the Acacus engravings, some have slight traits belonging to the ‘Naturalistic Bubaline’. Other engravings are considered unclassifiable. As for the paintings, the Round Heads are represented by their final phases only. A ‘Uan Amil Herders’ group corresponds to the ‘Final Bovidian’, not to the Early Bovidian. Finally the ‘Ti-n-Anneuin Herders’ group is the most strongly represented in the Tassili as well as in the Acacus mountains. It is contemporary with the Horse Period. Some sets of paintings also appear as unclassifiable. Whether the Garamantes are to be linked with the most recent schools remains questionable.
UNESCO Libyan Valleys Survey XXIII: The 1989 Season
Authors: Barker G. W. W. , Gilbertson D. D. , Jones G. D. B. , Welsby D. A. , Wakely J. 
Published: February 2016

AbstractThis report presents the preliminary results of the final season of the UNESCO Libyan Valleys Survey, that took place in October 1989. The fieldwork was divided in two parts. The first part of the work concentrated on the settlements in the Wadi Buzra, a northern tributary of the Wadi Sofeggin, especially at Souk el Awty. The major monument here consists of a substantial church (published elsewhere by D. A. Welsby in this volume), which was investigated by architectural survey and limited excavation, as were the surrounding late Romano-Libyan farms. The modern name of the settlement suggests that it may have been an important centre in Islamic as well as the Romano-Libyan periods, but the excavation did not obtain conclusive chronological evidence. The second part of the fieldwork was in the Wadi Umm el-Kharab, a southern tributary of the Sofeggin. Here, the team carried out a detailed study of a series of fortified farms of the later Romano-Libyan period, to compare with the open farm of the earlier Romano-Libyan period in Wadi el Amud previously studied by the project. An analysis of the constructional details of the major farms was integrated with excavations to recover stratified dating evidence from within the farms and faunal and botanical evidence from associated middens, and with a survey of the water-control systems of walls down the length of the wadi. The study indicates that the wadi was settled by people living in open farms and nucleated settlements in the first four centuries AD, but that by the fifth and sixth centuries AD these were replaced by fortified farms. There is evidence that the occupants of the fortified farms cultivated the wadi within an integrated economic system characterised by centralised food storage, rather than as independent units.
Some Notes on Islamic Tolmeita
Authors: Kennet D. 
Published: February 2016

AbstractThis article presents some sherds of glazed, medieval pottery which were found on the surface at Tolmeita in the vicinity of the Headquarters of the Dux. This pottery suggests a period of occupation at Tolmeita from the tenth to the thirteenth centuries AD. There is a brief discussion of the possible role of Tolmeita as a port for Barqa's trade. Yakubi, al-Idrisi and Abu al-Fida are quoted as they all mention Tolmeita by name.
Garamantian Agriculture: The Plant Remains from Zinchecra, Fezzan
Authors: van der Veen Marijke 
Published: February 2016

AbstractExcavations at Zinchecra, a hill fort settlement of the Garamantes in Fezzan, southern Libya, have recovered a rich assemblage of desiccated and carbonised plant remains. The archaeobotanical analysis of this assemblage has produced a unique insight into the state of agriculture in the Sahara during the first half of the first millennium BC. Three cereal crops and three fruit crops have been identified, as well as salad plants and aromatic herbs. The use of wild plant resources has also been attested. The assemblage is dated by eleven radiocarbon dates to 900–400 cal BC. A well-developed agricultural regime was present, despite the harsh climatic conditions.
A New Relief from Cyrene with a Libyan Scene
Authors: Wanis Saleh 
Published: February 2016

AbstractThe limestone relief, discovered near the motel in New Shahat in 1984, is one of a group of votive reliefs of the later Hellenistic period (2nd-1st centuries BC). The group, from various Libyan sites, depict Libyan sanctuaries, and are of especial interest in reflecting the close relationship between the Greek and native populations of Cyrenaica. The new find is unusual in devoting a large space to two pastoral scenes. They represent an aspect of the cult of a deity, probably Demeter, who was believed to bestow the Libyan people with meat, milk, hair, wool and other products. With these earthly goods Demeter brought the promise of fertility. Women feature prominently in the relief, as in her cult.
The Martyrion by the City Wall at Apollonia: Its Structure and Form
Authors: Wright G. R. H. 
Published: February 2016

AbstractA small Christian monument of centralised plan built against the West Wall of Apollonia was excavated and slightly restored by the Libyan Department of Antiquities under the directorship of the late Professor Goodchild during the sixties. In 1967 the present writer, then architect to the Michigan Apollonia Expedition, was commissioned to make a set of drawings of the monument as a basis for its publication by Professor Goodchild to appear in the Michigan Report. Professor Goodchild's untimely death in 1968 nullified the project and eventually in its stead only a cursory notice of the monument appeared. The substantive treatment of the monument, utilising the prepared set of drawings, was reserved for the long laboured Corpus of Christian Antiquities of Cyrenaica. Unfortunately in turn this design was frustrated by the death of Professor Ward Perkins in 1986 so that the detailed drawings of the monument remained unpublished for 25 years. In 1991 old prints of the drawings were recovered and are published here with a commentary.This small square monument with a dome on four pillars giving a rudimentary cross-in-square plan is of late sixth century date. It is clearly sepulchral, whether it be a simple tomb or a martyrion. Thus in spite of its provincial guise it is of interest and significance (together with the Church at Qasr el Lebia) in the long vexed question of the origins of the ecumenical Byzantine cross-in-square plan.
Pittura Funeraria Antica in Cirenaica
Authors: Bacchielli di Lidiano 
Published: February 2016

AbstractWith the exception of two epigraphic references and a surviving example at Ptolemais, paintings have vanished from the ancient buildings of Cyrenaica along with the walls that supported them. Only the rock-cut tombs offer a rich conspectus of funerary paintings from Hellenistic to early Christian times. These attracted the attention of several early travellers and archaeologists, but they have never been the object of detailed interpretative study.Here an account is given of ten painted tombs, beginning with the Hellenistic ‘Tomb of the Swing’ at Cyrene, the painted metopes of which are now in the Musée du Louvre. Roman imperial occupation of Hellenistic tombs at Cyrene is represented by the Tomb of the veteran Gaius Ammonius. Several tombs at Cyrene were decorated in late antiquity; here the tomb of the Good Shepherd and the Tomb of Demetria are discussed. Of particular interest are the late Roman tombs in rural sites such as Beit Ammer and Zawiet Asgafa, in which classical myth and Homeric epic are treated, the products of a culture still nourished by the remote past.
Recent Excavations at Lepcis Magna
Authors: Walda H. M. 
Published: February 2016

Lepcis Magna is one of the best examples of an African city during the Roman period. Its importance lies in its location in relation to the Mediterranean and the well-watered hinterland of Tripolitania and its resources. The key factor in the development of the city was its position, sheltered by a promontory, at the mouth of Wadi Lebda. It displays the processes of growth which other Roman town-plans have made familiar: a nuclear chessboard with divergent though mostly rectilinear enlargements. Lepcis became more important than the other two ports of Oea and Sabratha.Wealthy private citizens contributed greatly toward the buildings of the first century. In the second century the Libyan S. Severus became Emperor at a time when a lively and independent culture was growing up in the western part of North Africa. Lepcis attained its greatest architectural glories under S. Severus and his two sons. With the decline of seaborne trade that followed the serious economic crises at the end of the third century, raids by the tribes of the interior became bolder and more ruthless.
The Macroscopic Plant Remains from Euesperides (Benghazi): an interim report
Authors: Pelling Ruth , al Hassy Saleh 
Published: February 2016

AbstractRecent excavations at the Greco-Libyan site of Euesperides, Benghazi, have included a sampling programme for the retrieval of macroscopic plant remains. Preliminary results are now available and help to shed some light on the economy of the site between the sixth and the third centuries BC. Barley is the principal cereal crop recorded, while both hulled and free-threshing wheats are present. Fruit remains generally dominate the samples and include frequent seeds of grape and fig. The grape pips are of interest in that they appear to be morphologically more wild than cultivated. It is thought that they may be of a variety which does not conform with the characteristics of better known northern Mediterranean varieties of grape.
Boreum, an Educational Resource
Authors: Preece Chris 
Published: February 2016

AbstractThe purpose of this paper is to record the involvement of primary-age children from a Libyan-administered school in Marsa-el-Brega in basic archaeological practice, both in the classroom and in the field. The site of Boreum (as identified by Goodchild in 1951), which is in an area adjacent to the school, was used for fieldwork. As well as describing the methodology that was applied, the outcome of the work at Boreum is recorded, in the hope that it will be shown that not only is such practice viable, but also that the results can make a small but useful contribution to our knowledge of such sites.
The Ptolemaic ruler as a religious figure in Cyrenaica
Authors: Marquaille Céline 
Published: February 2016

AbstractThis article examines the particularities of Ptolemaic power outside Egypt through the religious activities of the Ptolemies in Cyrenaica. Since evidence is scarce on the direct administration of this Ptolemaic possession between 321 and 96 BC, the study of the royal cult and the relations between the Ptolemies and traditional cults of the city provides valuable insight on the nature of the dialogue between the king and the cities. It is clear from the available evidence that cult structures already existing in Egypt strongly included Cyrenaica in the Ptolemaic space. But the participation of the city in the royal cult and the flexibility of the royal language of power show that imperialistic views fail to fully explain both the longevity of Ptolemaic power in Cyrenaica and the necessity for the Ptolemies to legitimise their power even in a territory under direct administration.
Monitoring vegetation change in desert oases by remote sensing; a case study in the Libyan Fazzān
Authors: White Kevin , Brooks Nick , Drake Nick , Charlton Mathew , MacLaren Sue 
Published: February 2016

AbstractDesert oases are undergoing rapid changes in response to environmental, economic and social pressures. The Wādī al-Hayāt, in the Libyan Fazzān, illustrates these changes and exemplifies some of the processes at work. Human activity in the area is dependent on groundwater extraction. Introduction of mechanical pumps and modern irrigation technology has enabled significant expansion of irrigated area, but environmental problems have arisen as a result. Geoarchaeological studies have demonstrated that groundwater levels have fallen over the latter half of the Holocene. Large decreases have occurred since 1970 as a result of abstraction for agricultural, domestic and industrial use. This study uses aerial photographs from 1958 and Landsat imagery from 1987, 1999 and 2000 to map changes in the area under irrigation in the Wādī al-Hayāt. We find a general southwards migration of oasis agriculture within the Wādī, as vegetation has died in the northern part of the Wādī and irrigation extended to the south. A significant amount of inter-annual change in vegetation cover is identified, indicating the need to account for seasonal cropping practices when monitoring for longer-term changes.
Dating the Ptolemaic city-foundations in Cyrenaica. A brief note
Authors: Mueller Katja 
Published: February 2016

AbstractThis article discusses the origin of the three dynastic settlements, which the Ptolemies (re) founded in Cyrenaica: Arsinoe-Taucheira, Ptolemais near Barca and Berenike near Euesperides. The evidence for the dating of the foundation of Ptolemais is re-examined and a papyrological text introduced, which has so far been ignored by previous scholars. This text unambiguously attests citizens of Ptolemais near Barca as early as 252 BC in Egypt. It refutes the commonly accepted argument that all three Ptolemaic cities were founded under Ptolemy III Euergetes (246-221 BC) and within the same framework of administrative-political concerns. It will be suggested that Ptolemy I Soter had the motifs, opportunity and resources to found Ptolemais as early as the end of the fourth century BC. Several papyri further emphasise that despite the almost simultaneous demise of Euesperides and rise of Berenike nearby, ethnic designations for these two cities were simultaneously in use throughout Ptolemaic Egypt until at least the end of the third century BC.
Euesperides (Benghazi): preliminary report on the spring 2004 season
Authors: Wilson Andrew , Bennett Paul , Buzaian Ahmed , Fell Vanessa , Found Ben , Göransson Kristian , Guinness Abby , Hardy Jamal , Harris Kerry , Helm Richard , Kattenberg Alette , Megías Estíbaliz Tébar , Morley Geoffrey , Murphy Adrian , Swift Keith , Twyman Jessica , Wootton William , Zimi Eleni 
Published: February 2016

AbstractThis article reports on the sixth season of the ongoing project at Euesperides (Benghazi). Excavation in Area P established the date of construction of the penultimate phase (and therefore of the plain pebble mosaic with inscription published last year) as 300-282 BC, following the abandonment and demolition of the antepenultimate phase beneath it. An area used for the preparation and cutting of the materials employed in the final-phase mosaics has been identified. In Area Q the dismantling of the street sequence was completed, and the W building fronting the street found to date from the fifth century BC. In Area R the crushed deposits ofMurexshell were removed and working surfaces associated with purple dye production defined. Geological investigations to the west of the city revealed a possible location for the ancient harbour, and showed that the waterlogged deposits of the former sebkha are a good source for further palaeoenvironmental research.Study of the finds also continued. Further work on reconstructing the design of the final phase mosaic in Area P suggests a central motif probably of two dolphins set within a wave-crest surround. The initial results of the analysis of the mosaic samples taken from the final-phase Building A are presented. The study of the wall plaster fragments was begun, enabling some preliminary observations on the decoration. New forms of local black glaze pots have been recovered this year along with fineware imports from Attica, Corinth, East Greece, south Italy and the Punic world throwing light on the interrelations between Euesperides and the Mediterranean world from the fifth to third centuries BC. Full quantification of the coarse pottery assemblages continued this season, doubling the dataset of fully recorded pottery, whilst detailed analysis of vessel forms and their variations identified production techniques and chronological developments of vessel shapes within the local and imported wares. The study of the amphorae identified more Punic amphorae and an unusual basket-handled amphora which may be of Cypriot origin. Initial assessments of environmental and faunal remains were conducted.
James Hamilton in Tripoli, 1855–1856. The strange sequel toWanderings in North Africa
Authors: Wright G. R. H. 
Published: February 2016

AbstractA short note was published in the 1999 volume ofLibyan Studieswith the title ‘Cyrene. Other Men's Memories’. This note proceeded on the circumstances that virtually all early participants in the exploration and excavation of Cyrene, being adventurous men in an expansive age, carried memories of Cyrene to distant parts of the world. James Hamilton, the author of the travel-book,Wanderings in North Africawas included in the roll call of these men. However, it was observed that, exceptionally, nothing could be stated with certainty about him after his journey through Cyrenaica to Egypt (or for that matter, before his arrival in Cyrenaica). Therefore instead of referring to his later memories of Cyrene, note was taken of very unusual memories which he records came to him while in Cyrene. Recently, documentary information concerning Hamilton has come to light, and it is now possible to speak reliably about his activities in the years immediately following his travels to Cyrenaica. In this way it can be said that his immediate memories of Cyrene had the most untoward and unexpected setting imaginable.
Consul-General Hanmer Warrington and the Old Protestant Cemetery in Tripoli, Libya
Authors: Thorn Dorothy 
Published: February 2016

AbstractThe charismatic Consul-General Hanmer Warrington held his post in Tripoli for thirty-two years, during which time he cultivated a good, if tempestuous, working relationship with the Bashaw and the other foreign consuls. The large Warrington family was raised there. When they outgrew the Consulate building, which dated from 1774, the Consul designed a country house, and had it built two miles outside the town. It was near this house, and by the sea, that in 1830 he and the other consuls founded a walled Protestant Cemetery for the burial mainly of Europeans. This cemetery was rediscovered and studied by Abdulhakeem Amer Tweel of Tripoli, who is in the process of publishing a book on the subject.
Dancing girls and insect-headed gods: results of the rock art recording project in the Wadi al-Hayat, Fazzan, 2006
Authors: Barnett Tertia 
Published: February 2016

AbstractThe 2006 rock art survey continued the systematic identification and recording of rock art panels in the Wadi al-Hayat, started in 2004–5. Over 350 carved panels, comprising well over 1000 engraved images, were recorded and added to the digital database for the project. Anecdotal accounts of rock paintings were also followed up, and some meaningful observations were made.As the concentration of known carvings in the wadi grows, trends in their content and distribution begin to demonstrate some interesting patterns. Detailed analysis of the distribution patterns is currently hampered by an unreliable chronological sequence, and discoveries this season have cast doubt on the validity of the established sequence for this area, with wider implications for Saharan rock art.
A Forgotten Press Building at Lamluda
Authors: Buzaian Ahmed Mustapha 
Published: February 2016

AbstractPresented here are the preliminary results of the unfinished excavations conducted by Richard Goodchild in the late 1950s at Lamluda, east of Cyrene on the upper plateau of the Jebel Akhdar. One of the most interesting discoveries was a well-preserved press complex comprising a press and series of associated rooms, including a storage magazine. The evidence indicates that the complex was probably used for producing wine rather than olive oil; it appears to be of Late Roman or more likely of sixth-century date. This date is indicated by a reused stone bearing three faint carved Maltese crosses found incorporated within Room A. It is clear that parts of the complex were later modified; it is tempting to relate this later activity to continued occupation of the site after the Arab conquest.
The Cyrenaican Prehistory Project 2009: the third season of investigations of the Haua Fteah cave and its landscape, and further results from the 2007–2008 fieldwork
Authors: Barker Graeme , Antoniadou Annita , Barton Huw , Brooks Ian , Candy Ian , Drake Nicholas , Farr Lucy , Hunt Chris , Ibrahim Abdulsaid Abdulhamid , Inglis Robyn , Jones Sacha , Morales Jacob , Morley Iain , Mutri Giuseppina , Rabett Ryan , Reynolds Tim , Simpson David , Twati Mohammed , White Kevin 
Published: February 2016

AbstractThe paper reports on the third (2009) season of fieldwork of the Cyrenaican Prehistory Project, and on further results from the analysis of materials collected in the previous (2007 and 2008) fieldwork. Sediments in a 14 m-deep core drilled beside the McBurney trench provide an invaluable overview of the overall stratigraphic sequence, including at depths reached by the 1950s Deep Sounding but not yet investigated by the present project. Sampling of newly-exposed faces of the original excavation trench for dating (14C, ESR, OSL, U-series) and palaeoenvirommental indicators continued. Excavation was begun of sediments assigned to the early Holocene Libyco-Capsian (McBurney's Layer X), and of Pre-Aurignacian layers beside the top of the Deep Sounding. The Libyco-Capsian layers are particularly prolific in lithic debris, shells, and animal bones; preliminary analysis of the lithics suggests a development from Typical to Upper Capsian within the layers excavated in 2009. Geoarchaeological survey along the littoral to the west and east of the Haua Fteah identified complex sequences spanning most of the last interglacial-glacial cycle. Geoarchaeological survey south of the Haua Fteah characterized the major landforms of the Gebel Akhdar mountain and of the pre-desert and desert-edge zones further south, with Late Stone Age (Upper Palaeolithic and Epipalaeolithic) material being found especially on the southern side of the Gebel Akhdar, and Middle Stone Age (Middle Palaeolithic) material in the pre-desert and desert regions. The first suite of14C dates (from charcoal samples taken in 2007) indicates the use of the Haua Fteah by Oranian hunter-gatherers during the Last Glacial Maximum and in the succeeding millennia, but not in the Younger Dryas cold/dry phase (c. 11,000–10,000 cal. BC), with Libyco-Capsian occupation resuming soon after the beginning of the Holocenec. 9000 cal. BC, suggesting that the cave, and perhaps the Gebel Akhdar in general, have a complex history as refugia for human settlement during the Pleistocene.