Dernah (for Cyrene), Libya
Situated on a high hill with a commanding view of the surrounding fertile plateau, ancient Cyrene, founded in 631 BC by colonists from the island of Thera, is one of the best preserved though least visited ancient Greek cities. It was not altogether unexpected that local officials had us on the “standby by to standby” program throughout the morning, as Dernah and ancient Cyrenaica had slipped from prominence during the early Christian era and even today remains an outpost of the easternmost province of modern day Libya. Tom Heppern quickly filled in the time with an impromptu lecture on the “Greek polis” that was followed by a video on the ‘History of Wine in Antiquity.’ With very short notice, our superb galley crew whipped up 110 lunches, and we finally got underway for our visit to Cyrene just after noon.
It was so, so worth the wait! Words cannot describe the awed silence of each group as we entered the massive Roman forum. Now fully reconstructed, this structure had once been a Greek gymnasium. Each stop on our tour was more magnificent than the last: the still brilliant tiled floors of the house of the House of Jason Magnus, the nautical monument topped with a winged Nike or the round Sanctuary of Demeter and Kore. Our second stop of the afternoon was the Temple of Zeus. Standing alone, this intact temple was as even larger than the one in Olympia. The Sanctuary of Apollo on top of the necropolis of the lower city was so complex and rich, it was hard to know what area to focus on in the hour we had.
Experiencing Cyrene’s port town of Apollonia in the warm rays of the setting sun was breathtaking. The Roman harbor features were largely in tack, including the fish and olive oil tanks. Wandering through the grey and white marble columns of the Byzantine churches and Bishop’s palace in the warm rays of the Libyan sun listening to the lapping rays of the Mediterranean reminded us that it was time to return to the National Geographic Endeavour – our home away from home…..
Situated on a high hill with a commanding view of the surrounding fertile plateau, ancient Cyrene, founded in 631 BC by colonists from the island of Thera, is one of the best preserved though least visited ancient Greek cities. It was not altogether unexpected that local officials had us on the “standby by to standby” program throughout the morning, as Dernah and ancient Cyrenaica had slipped from prominence during the early Christian era and even today remains an outpost of the easternmost province of modern day Libya. Tom Heppern quickly filled in the time with an impromptu lecture on the “Greek polis” that was followed by a video on the ‘History of Wine in Antiquity.’ With very short notice, our superb galley crew whipped up 110 lunches, and we finally got underway for our visit to Cyrene just after noon.
It was so, so worth the wait! Words cannot describe the awed silence of each group as we entered the massive Roman forum. Now fully reconstructed, this structure had once been a Greek gymnasium. Each stop on our tour was more magnificent than the last: the still brilliant tiled floors of the house of the House of Jason Magnus, the nautical monument topped with a winged Nike or the round Sanctuary of Demeter and Kore. Our second stop of the afternoon was the Temple of Zeus. Standing alone, this intact temple was as even larger than the one in Olympia. The Sanctuary of Apollo on top of the necropolis of the lower city was so complex and rich, it was hard to know what area to focus on in the hour we had.
Experiencing Cyrene’s port town of Apollonia in the warm rays of the setting sun was breathtaking. The Roman harbor features were largely in tack, including the fish and olive oil tanks. Wandering through the grey and white marble columns of the Byzantine churches and Bishop’s palace in the warm rays of the Libyan sun listening to the lapping rays of the Mediterranean reminded us that it was time to return to the National Geographic Endeavour – our home away from home…..
