Ancient and modern: The two Libyas

Peter Jones

26 March 2011

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Classical wisdom is reasserting itself

The Foreign Office is contemplating the possibility that — as in Iraq, where the 1992 no-fly zone allowed the Kurds to take control in the north — the current intervention may split Libya. It would revert to what it had always been up till 1911: two entirely separate administrations, one eastern and one western. A very sensible idea, too. In the 7th century bc, Greeks colonised Cyrene on the north African coast. Herodotus tells the story. A deputation from Thera (modern Santorini) had gone to Delphi to consult the oracle on various matters and was told to found a city among the Libyans. By Libyans, Greeks meant the people who inhabited north Africa. But since no attention was paid to this command, Thera suffered a seven-year drought.

A mission to Delphi to discover the reason was reminded of that command, and, after some help from Crete and many false starts, a settlement was finally founded at Cyrene in 630 bc. Despite some hostility from local berbers, other Greek towns sprang up — one was Berenice, modern Benghazi (c. 250 bc)—and the whole region became known as Cyrenaica. Cyrene itself was the jewel in its crown, a magnificent city famed for its medical school and philosophers.

Meanwhile, since the 9th century bc, other interlopers in north Africa had been making hay some 700 miles by sea to the west (1,200 miles by land). These were Phoenicians (modern Lebanon), led by queen Dido, who settled in the magnificent harbour site of what they called Qart Hadasht, ‘New City’. This was later latinised by Romans into Carthago, as was ‘Phoenicians’ (Greek Phoinikes) into Punici. They were looking for metals and had Spain in their sights.

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William Lambton

March 25th, 2011 2:25pm Report this comment

First rate!

ChristopherM

March 27th, 2011 9:02am Report this comment

Why have "bc" and "ad" replaced "BC" and "AD"? Is this some manner of PC?

lescam

March 28th, 2011 3:07pm Report this comment

Fascinating article. I had no idea that "Tripoli" was derived from "3 cities". Most interesting.

pennyoz

April 10th, 2011 2:53am Report this comment

Very interesting. The history of the Middle East clings to the present and the ramifications still exist. Same as with Africa and its divisions by the colonial powers. It has barely ever recovered.
And if it's BC (pc) and that's today's biggest problem, then fantastic!

Michael

April 10th, 2011 5:35am Report this comment

Interesting yes, relevant no. It's all too easy to draw a similar picture for all African states: a direct continuity of civilization from antiquity only to be rudely interrupted by a colonizing European power translated into the casus belli for an opaque rebellion 70 years later. This facile view omits any consideration for the changes that occurred in the 2000 years between let alone those which have occurred since WWII. It might belong in a history textbook but not as an opinionated political commentary in 2011.

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