The Coolidge examiner., 1932-12-23

Prepared by National Geographic Society.
! Washington. d. C.-WNU Service.
A NCIENT places of worship
~ with several hundred draw
ings engraved on rocks in the
style of from 5000 to 1000 B. c.,
were uncovered recently by a Ger
man scientific expedition in the Fez-
zan district of Italian Libia.
Frequent reports of discovery of
historic relics indicate that the Ital-
ian colony is becoming more and
more a great archaeological work
shop. Early this year the pages of
history were turned back into the
pre- Christian era at Cirene.
Founded by Greek refugees from
islands of the Aegean sea about
2,600 years ago, Cirene was born
humble settlement, unaware that in
a century or two it was to rise to
a city of power, the commands of
whose rulers would be felt far be-
yond the borders of Cirenaica.
Cirene once had population of 100,-
900. From it's inhabitants came art
lists, poets, writer's and philosophers
who drew intellectual men from
many parts of the civilized world
of it's time. It's medical school was
famous it's buildings were architec-
tural gems. 1t was called "The
Athens of Libia."
Though culture saturated Cirene,
the city never lacked men with an
eye for business. Caravan mer-
chants found Cirene a market for
their goods; they also found the city
a meeting place to exchange COM
modities with other foreigners"
Then sea trade beckoned to Cirene.
A port town rose on the Mediterra-
mean and a road was built to the
city II miles inland.
Both land and sea trade flour
ished when the port was opened.
With new revenues, Cirene, which
was already city of magnificence,
continued its costly building. But
progress was not to be perpetual.
About two centuries after the first
settlers arrived on the Cirene
plateau, the dynasty that had led
the city through an era of progress
fell, and a republic was set up. The
republics path was strewn with ty-
rants, while nature added frequent
severe earthquakes that threatened
the city's foundation. In 96 B. C.
Rome took over the government.
Cirene basked in glory among an
cient cities nearly thousand
years, but nearly as quickly as it
rose, a gem of ancient art, it fell
into ruins. A dominant city became
dominated. In the Fourth CEN
tury A. D. it was left to the ele-
ments. BY the Fifth century, Cirene
was in ruins.
Largest italian Colony.
Italian Libia is the largest of
Italy's colonies. Five Italian boots
could be placed on its map and not
cover it completely. 1t was once
divided into three parts-Tripoli-
tania, Cirenaica. and the portion of
the Libian desert
Old Roman writer's described Tri-
politania as extremely fertile. Per-
haps they exaggerated, and perhaps
the climate and physical conditions
have changed markedly. At any
rate, most of the country Is now
desert with it's fertile strips and
oases scattered in the wastes of
sands and stones. There is much
evidence that the region once knew
better days climatically.
The Phoenicians began the record
ed history Of the country by estab-
fishing cities there, perhaps as early
as 1900 B. G. The fact that these
cities and their surrounding country
throve them, and that later Greek
and Roman culture flOurished there,
indicate that the country was more
favored then than now.
Sand dunes have encroached
through the centuries on much land
in the fertile strip along the Med
iterranean coast. But the relatively
poor condition Of Tripolitania to-
day is largely due to sociological
and governmental factors. The
commercial Phoenicians and the col
onizing Greeks and Romans were
able to make the most of the coun-
try. Since the region was overrun
by the Arabs in 644 A. D., and since
1t passed under Turkish control
later, however. it has been marked
to a considerable extent by eco
nomic and cultural stagnation.
In places along the 1,000-mile coast
of Tripolitania the arid sands come