White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1932-12-15

Prepared by National Geographic Society.
Washington, D. C-WNU Service.
A NCIENT places of worship with
IN several hundred drawings en-
( a graved on rocks in the style OF
from 5000 to 1000 B. O., were
uncovered recently by a German scien-
tific expedition in the Fezzan district
Of Italian Libia
Frequent reports of discovery Of his
toric relics indicate that the italian
colony is becoming more and more
great archaeological workshop. EARLY
this year, the pages of history were
turned back far into the pre- Christian
era at Cirene.
Founded by Greek refugees from
islands of the Aegean sea about 1900
years ago, Cirene was born humble
settlement, unaware that in century
or two it was to rise to city of pow
er, the commands of whose rulers
would be felt beyond the borders of
Cirenaica.
Cirene once had a population of 10O,-
600. From the ranks of it's inhabi-
tants came artists, 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 archi-
tectural gems. 1t was called "The
Athens Of Libia."
Though culture saturated Cirene,
the city never lacked men with an eye
| for business. Caravan merchants
found Cirene market for their goods;
they also found the city a meeting
place to exchange commodities with
other Foreigners" Then sea trade
beckoned to Cirene. A port town rose
on the Mediterranean and road was
built to the city II miles inland.
Both land and sea trade fourished
when the port was opened. With new
revenues, Cirene. which was already
a city of magnificence, continued it's
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 prog
ress fell, and republic was set up.
The republics path was strewn with
tyrants, while nature added frequent
severe earthquakes that threatened
the city's foundations. In o6 B. @.
Rome took over the government.
Cirene basked in glory among an
- os+ no1.1x,
but nearly as quickly as it rose a gem
of ancient art, it fell into ruins. A
dominant city became dominated. In
the Fourth century A. D. it was left
to the elements. 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 it's map and not cover it
completely. 1t was once divided into
three parts-Tripolitania, Cirenaica,
and the portion Of the Libian desert
Old Roman writer's described Tri-
politania as extremely fertile. Per-
haps they exaggerated. and perhaps
also the climate and physical condi-
lions have changed markedly. At any
rate most of the country is now des-
ert with it's fertile strips and GASES
| scattered in the wastes of sand and
| stones. There is much evidence that
| the region once knew better days eli
matically. Great avenues of stones
l. set on end and numerous circles Of
monoliths and trilithons, like the fa-
nous Stonehenge of England. testify
to neolithc culture of Importance
in this section of North Africa, per-
haps many thousands Of years before
Memphis and Babylon were thought Of
The Phoenicians began the recorded
history of the country by establishing
cities there, perhaps as early as 1900
B. c.. The fact that these cities and
their surrounding country throve them,
and that later Greek and Roman cul
ture flourished there, indicates that
the country was more favored then
than now.
Sand dunes have encroached through
the centuries on much land in the fer
tile strip along the Mediterranean
coast. But the relatively poor condi
ton of Tripoltania today is largely
due to sociological and governmental
factors The commercial Phoencians
and the coloniZing Greeks and Romans
were able to make the most of the
country. Since the region was over
run by the Arabs in GA A. d., and
since it passed under Turkish control
later, however. it has been marked