Apollonia (Cyrenaica)
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Apollonia was an ancient Greek port city in Cyrenaica , today Susah in the district of al-Jabal al-Akhdar in Libya .
Apollonia was probably founded in the late seventh or early sixth century BC. Founded as the port of Cyrene in the 4th century BC , it only became an independent city in the late Hellenistic period. Little remains of the early city, as it was overbuilt by the Byzantine ranks. The center of Apollonia were two seaports, one in the east and one in the west, these were particularly protected by islands and headlands. There was a lighthouse on one of the islands. The city proper had an acropolis, which has been poorly preserved, a theater and a bath. An aqueduct supplied Apollonia with water. In the second century BC it was given city walls, the main task of which was to protect the port. In the first century BC, Apollonia became Roman .
In the fifth century, Ptolemais moved the provincial capital to Apollonia. Since at least 359 the city has had a new name: Sozusa. The city was badly damaged in an earthquake of 365 , parts of the urban area sank in the sea. With the elevation to the provincial capital, the city received important buildings, such as various basilicas and the palace of Dux, who lived here. Under Emperor Justinian I , the city was fortified again, but lost its importance even before the arrival of the Arabs and was then completely abandoned.
literature
- R. Plidori: Libya, The Lost Cities of the Roman Empire . Cologne 1999, pp. 228-233, ISBN 3-89508-844-7 .
- R. Goodchild, J. Pedley, D. White: Apollonia, the Port of Cyrene. The University of Michigan Excavations 1965-1967 . Tripoli 1976.
Web links
Coordinates: 32 ° 54 ' N , 21 ° 58' E