Leptis Magna And Villa Sillina, Libya
We walked a long green shrub covered walk on our way to the great Roman city of Leptis Magna, a UNESCO world heritage site. As we approached the end of the walk, the great four sided arch of Septimus Severus rose up before us. This magnificent sand stone triumphal arch is almost 40 meters tall and covered with elaborate sculptural figures: a stunning naked but tasteful depiction of the winged Nike goddesses adorns the front as do images of Roman Emperors and Roman mythological figures. The interior also has a variety of sculptural scenes, some showing the Emperor and his wife Julia Domna. The arch was built in 203 to honor this native son's return to his hometown.
The early history of Leptis is unknown. The city may date from the early colonization of Phonecian traders from the Levant who began their exploration of these coasts in the 9th century BCE. By the time of the Third Punic War, the city had a population of about 15,000 people. Trajan granted the city the status of a colonia which conferred the rights of citizenship on some. Septimus Severus, the first African emperor of Rome, stated that he intended to build in his home city an urban space to rival that of Rome itself. At the time of his death in the city of York, he had spent millions on creating one of the most beautiful cities of the empire. He was successful as our collective "oohs” and “ahs" testify. From the arch, we walked to the Baths of Hadrian and the Palestra (outdoor gymnasium), constructed 123-127. The baths are enormous being almost 7 acres in area and among the most sumptous in the Roman world. The swimming pool was covered with mosaics and the floor of the Palestra in varied slabs of marble. We then walked onto the forum. This is one of the great wonders of the Roman world. The forum (330' x 60') was surrounded by a colonnade of magnificent marble columns (perhaps imported from Asia Minor). The most stunning site in the forum for most of us was the series of the splendidly carved heads of Medusa. These heads are beautifully carved from veined marble by gifted artists.
We left the site for lunch and returned to the eastern part of the city in the afternoon. The weather was cool and we were protected from the intense sun by a beneficent cloud! We first walked to the great elliptical amphitheatre. This was the site of the blood sports, gladiatorial combat and the sacrifice of Christians, slaves and criminals. It sent a chill up our spines. We walked down onto the arena floor and saw the small holes in the walls where the wild animals (chiefly leopards and lions) rushed in. The amphitheatre was able to seat about five thousand and games were frequent. We then walked to the Hippodrome, the stadium dedicated to the chariot races. The scale of this stadium is truly staggering. It is about a half mile around the track and 17 thousand spectators sat in the stands. Imagine the roar of the crowd as the horses charged towards the finish line. After a visit to the lighthouse and the port of the ancient city with its intact wharves and merchants stores, we bade Leptis Magna farewell. As we left, a light rain began to fall bringing a cooling balm to the site. We returned in a state of wonder at the exquisite skill of these ancient builders and urban planners.
We walked a long green shrub covered walk on our way to the great Roman city of Leptis Magna, a UNESCO world heritage site. As we approached the end of the walk, the great four sided arch of Septimus Severus rose up before us. This magnificent sand stone triumphal arch is almost 40 meters tall and covered with elaborate sculptural figures: a stunning naked but tasteful depiction of the winged Nike goddesses adorns the front as do images of Roman Emperors and Roman mythological figures. The interior also has a variety of sculptural scenes, some showing the Emperor and his wife Julia Domna. The arch was built in 203 to honor this native son's return to his hometown.
The early history of Leptis is unknown. The city may date from the early colonization of Phonecian traders from the Levant who began their exploration of these coasts in the 9th century BCE. By the time of the Third Punic War, the city had a population of about 15,000 people. Trajan granted the city the status of a colonia which conferred the rights of citizenship on some. Septimus Severus, the first African emperor of Rome, stated that he intended to build in his home city an urban space to rival that of Rome itself. At the time of his death in the city of York, he had spent millions on creating one of the most beautiful cities of the empire. He was successful as our collective "oohs” and “ahs" testify. From the arch, we walked to the Baths of Hadrian and the Palestra (outdoor gymnasium), constructed 123-127. The baths are enormous being almost 7 acres in area and among the most sumptous in the Roman world. The swimming pool was covered with mosaics and the floor of the Palestra in varied slabs of marble. We then walked onto the forum. This is one of the great wonders of the Roman world. The forum (330' x 60') was surrounded by a colonnade of magnificent marble columns (perhaps imported from Asia Minor). The most stunning site in the forum for most of us was the series of the splendidly carved heads of Medusa. These heads are beautifully carved from veined marble by gifted artists.
We left the site for lunch and returned to the eastern part of the city in the afternoon. The weather was cool and we were protected from the intense sun by a beneficent cloud! We first walked to the great elliptical amphitheatre. This was the site of the blood sports, gladiatorial combat and the sacrifice of Christians, slaves and criminals. It sent a chill up our spines. We walked down onto the arena floor and saw the small holes in the walls where the wild animals (chiefly leopards and lions) rushed in. The amphitheatre was able to seat about five thousand and games were frequent. We then walked to the Hippodrome, the stadium dedicated to the chariot races. The scale of this stadium is truly staggering. It is about a half mile around the track and 17 thousand spectators sat in the stands. Imagine the roar of the crowd as the horses charged towards the finish line. After a visit to the lighthouse and the port of the ancient city with its intact wharves and merchants stores, we bade Leptis Magna farewell. As we left, a light rain began to fall bringing a cooling balm to the site. We returned in a state of wonder at the exquisite skill of these ancient builders and urban planners.
