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History, Heritage and Archaeology – Archaeology in the Ancient World: Leptis Magna

Year 9 Elective History

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Britannica

Leptis Magna, also spelled Lepcis Magna, Punic transliteration Labqior Lpqi, modern Labdah, largest city of the ancient region of Tripolitania. It is located 62 miles (100 km) southeast of Tripoli on the Mediterranean coast of Libya. 

Ancient Origins

Though the city of Leptis Magna is in ruins now, some fine architecture and art remain. There are only around 20 citizens armed with Kalashnikov rifles surrounding Leptis Magna and the surrounding archaeological ruins, which covers an area of about 120 acres (50 hectares).

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Leptis Magna was enlarged and embellished by Septimius Severus, who was born there and later became emperor. It was one of the most beautiful cities of the Roman Empire, with its imposing public monuments, harbour, market-place, storehouses, shops and residential districts.

The archaeological ruins in Lybia, mainly Roman, are truly exceptional because of their size and preservation. Beyond its archaeological dimensions, Leptis Magna symbolizes the myth of Rome more than any other site. Similar to the American myth, Septime Sèvère the African showed that every citizen of Rome could become Emperor and develop the civilization even in the desert.

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Leptis or Lepcis Magna, also known by other names in antiquity, was a prominent city of the Carthaginian Empire and Roman Libya at the mouth of the Wadi Lebda in the Mediterranean.

Ancient History Encyclopedia

Leptis Magna (aka Lepcis Magna), located in western Libya, North Africa, was a Phoenician city founded by Tyre in the 7th century BCE. Continuing to be a major city in the Roman period, it was the birthplace of Emperor Septimius Severus (r. 193-211 CE).

UNESCO

Leptis Magna was enlarged and embellished by Septimius Severus, who was born there and later became emperor. It was one of the most beautiful cities of the Roman Empire, with its imposing public monuments, harbour, market-place, storehouses, shops and residential districts.