Classical Antiquities of Libya
October 20 thru 26, 2009

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The classical remains of Libya are among the finest and yet least well known in the world. The West of what is now Libya was originally colonized by the Phoenicians and later administered by the Romans, while Greeks settled in the East. The flourishing of an intensive trade transformed this area into one of the most important of the ancient Mediterranean: slaves, grain, wild animals, ivory and the medicinal plant silphium were the main commodities that once flowed from the harbors of Libya and contributed to the great wealth of the local population.

Following the Punic wars, Libya came into contact with the Romans and was later incorporated in the Roman Empire under the name of Tripolitania and Cyrenaica. This region was home to several influential people in Classical antiquity: Callimachus the Hellenistic poet, Eratosthenes who calculated the circumference of the earth with remarkable accuracy, and Septimus Severus, who was born in Leptis Magna and became the first Roman emperor of African origins.

This Classical Libya itinerary will reveal to you the breathtaking and perfectly preserved sites dating to the Greek and Roman periods. You will be able to admire the highlights of Cyrenaica: Cyrene, Apollonia and Qasr Libya and compare and contrast these Greek settlements with the magnificent Roman cities of Tripolitana: Leptis Magna and Sabratha.

Tuesday, October 20 - Arrival in Libya

Today you arrive in Libya by mid-day. You will be met at the airport and have a late day transfer by plane from Tripoli to Benghazi, where you will spend the night. Dinner and overnight in Benghazi. (D)

Wednesday, October 21- Cyrenica

This morning you check out of your hotel and depart Benghazi to the first terrace of the Djebel Akhdar (Green Mountain), the main peak of the eastern province of Cyrenaica. The bare landscape soon changes to a mixture of juniper, pine and cypress tree. Your first stop will be Qsar Libya, site of two Christian basilicas, one of which has the earliest of Christian mosaics in the region, dating to the 6th century AD; a composition of fifty panels representing birds, the rivers Tigris and Euphrates, Orpheus and his lyre and the lighthouse of Alexandria. This is the top of the Djebel, where Cyrene was founded. You will also visit the ruins at Latrun.

After lunch, we drive to Apollonia (modern day Susa), the ancient port of Cyrene. The city, named after Apollo, named after its guardian deity, was affected by a major earthquake in the 4th century AD, when the sea submerged the harbor and its structures. Nevertheless the Roman baths, three Christian basilicas and the palace of the Dux are still visible and testify to the importance of Apollonia in the Byzantine period. The theatre is located at the far eastern section of the archaeological site, resting on the city defensive walls. It is the best preserved theatre of this kind in Cyrenaica, constructed by the Greeks, rebuilt in the Roman period and despite being dismantled in later centuries, it is still a wonderful site to see! Late day check-in at your hotel in Apollonia. Dinner and overnight in Apollonia. (B, L, D)

Thursday, October 22 - more of Cyrenica

Cyrene was founded in the 7th century BC by colonizers from Thera (modern day Santorini) who came to the coasts of North Africa following an oracle of Apollo, in a search for fertile and uninhabited land. Once the tops of the hills were reached, they knew they had found their place! In fact, the promontory on which they settled offered both security from attack and a plentiful supply of water. A spring at the foot of the hills is the place where the settlers built the sanctuary of Apollo. According to the myth, it was here, in a grove of myrtles, that the nymph Cyrene, secured the region for the settlers by strangling a lion.

Your visit will begin from the area of the agora which hosts public, civil and religious buildings. Here you will find the temple of Zeus, one of the most spectacular sacred buildings in Cyrene, with its large Doric columns. On the terrace below the agora lies the sanctuary of Apollo. The temple dedicated to the guardian god of the city is the most significant monument of the sanctuary and is composed of a variety of sacred buildings and monuments. Just facing the entrance of the sanctuary appears the fountain of the nymph Cyrene. Outside the city walls is the necropolis, extensive and spectacular. The monumental graves occupy the hillsides, facing the Mediterranean to the North. Some of them have Doric façades cut in the rock, some are circular monuments, and others are stone sarcophagi, which present the bust of veiled or faceless female figures symbolizing Persephone, the Goddess of the Underworld. Return to Benghazi. Dinner and overnight in Benghazi. (B, L, D)

Friday, October 23 - Tripoltania/Sabratha

This morning you transfer to the airport in time for the first flight to Tripoli, today's capital of the western province of Tripolitania and the capital of Libya. After a visit to the National Museum that houses artifacts from the excavations in Sabratha and Leptis Magna, you depart for the drive to Sabratha, 75 km west of Tripoli. Sabratha developed around the port, one of the few along the Syrt coast which allowed safe harboring and therefore, an ideal spot for the Mediterranean trade of gold, ivory, animals, slaves coming from Ghadames in the south of Libya and from central Africa. Your walking tour of Sabratha will cross the city along the cardum, admiring the residential quarters, the Forum, the Basilica, the Temple of Liber Pater, the seaward Baths, as well as the Theatre, the most notable Roman building of Sabratha. Late day return to Tripoli. Dinner tonight will be in a restaurant in the central part of Tripoli, which is also where you hotel is located, Tripoli's most deluxe hotel, the Corinthian Bab. Overnight in Tripoli. (B, L, D)

Saturday, October 24 - Tripoli

Saving the jewel of Libya's antiquity sites for the later portion of your visit to Libya always provides wonderful way to bring closure to your visit. This morning you depart to Leptis Magna, some 125 km East of Tripoli. Ancient Phoenician emporium, then Carthaginian settlement, later rich Roman town, the site gained its fame and splendor during the dynasty of Septimius Severus, the first Roman emperor of African origins, born in Leptis Magna in the 2nd century AD. The site was founded around a natural harbor, artificially improved in the first century AD and again by the emperor Septimius. The old Roman Forum developed around the Phoenician settlement. From this early nucleus the city rapidly spread westward with the quarters of the Theatre and the Market. The Hadrian baths, the big Nympheum, a monumental fountain with statues and waterfalls, the Forum Novum and the adjacent Basilica are - without doubt - amongst the most imposing monuments of Classical Antiquity. In the South eastern outskirts of the city is the amphitheatre, one of the best preserved in the Roman world. Return to Tripoli. Overnight in the hotel. For dinner, you will be free to explore the numerous and excellent restaurants of the capital city. Overnight in Tripoli.(B, L)

Sunday, October 25 - Tripoli

This morning, you have a walking tour of the medina of Libya, and a walk through areas that became the heart of the Italian community during the days of Italy's colonization of Libya, as well as the Ahmed Pasha Karamanli and Ottoman Pasha mosques. The remainder of the afternoon is free, with lunch suggestions provided. You will rendezvous in the evening for dinner. Overnight in Tripoli. (B, D)

Monday, October 26 - airport transfers

You will be picked up at your hotel and transferred to the airport for your return flights to the U.S. (B)