Leptis Magna Antiquity Khoms, Libya – History, Facts, Images

Arch of Septimius Severus Leptis Magna

Lucius Septimius Severus was one of the greatest Roman emperors. He reigned from 193 AD to 211 AD in York, Britain. He was originally from Berber and was born on 11th April 145 AD.

His father Publius Septimius Geta was an affluent man who had no connection with politics. His mother, Fulvia Pia, on the other hand, belonged to Italian Fulvius gens; she was of Plebeian origin.

After he developed through the customary succession of offices, he initially held power after the demise of King Pertinax in 193, ousted the ruler Didius Julianus, and afterwards defeated the generals Pescennius Niger and Clodius Albinus in 194 & 197 individually.

2nd-century structures consisting of well-maintained baths constructed under the ruler Hadrian and a circus that is 460 meters long. The long-lasting monuments were built throughout the supremacy of Severus.

Connecting the city centre to the port was a colonnaded street about 410 meters long that ended in a rounded open space ruled by complexly designed nymphaeum.

Leptis Magna’s two significant roads crossed under a large four-way curve, a tetra pylon, on which the magnificence of Severus and his family was represented in a wall painting.

Amongst other buildings constructed throughout that time were a canal 19 km long, an intricate compound of buildings on the left side of the wadi.

The present arch of Septimius Severus is an imitation of the original arch, which has been shifted to Tripoli. The magnificent theatre by the sea was constructed in the course of Severus Empire, as well.

Its outstanding museum holds several significant pieces of the city’s history, such as Pollux, the mythological Gemini twin Castro, few portrait damages found dispersed over throughout the ruins, the stone elephant, and two Aphrodites form the baths.

Leptis Magna Sabratha

Sabratha’s harbour was founded in 500 BCE, it was one of the ancient triplets of cities, comprising of Sabratha, Oea, and Leptis Magna, hence the name Tripolitania. The natives of this established community were preserved from local tribal attacks by a sturdy wall.

Sabratha like Oea and Leptis Magna was incorporated in the profitable coastal area called as the Emporia, under Carthaginian domination.

Albeit Leptis was elevated to the position of a colony by the ruler Trajan, it seems that the natives of Sabratha maintained their ancient Punic type of government, led by two spheres, ‘till probably the supremacy of Antoninus Pius.

At that time Sabratha became a colony, and the sulphates were made duoviri. The community pride brought wealth and royal recognition to the citizens of sabratha, who at that period retained shipping offices at Ostia on the Tiber, directed them to follow their fellow city Leptis Magna in restoring the public buildings of their city.

Leptis Magna facts

By 439, the rest of the city of Tripolitania along with Leptis Magna fell under the supremacy of the Vandals, when their ruler, Gaiseric, seized Carthage from the Romans and made roman it’s capital.

Sadly, for the citizens of Leptis Magna, Gaiseric commanded to destroy the city’s walls in order to deter its citizen from revolting against Vandal reign. The native of Leptis and the Vandals had to suffer big time for this in 523 AD when a group of Berber robbers ruined the entire city.

Belisarius- the general emperor Justinian I of the Byzantine Empire, after ten years, regained Leptis Magna under the name of the Roman Empire. In 533-534 it was re-included into the kingdom.

Leptis Magna was made a provincial capital of the Eastern territory, however, never regained from the havoc inflicted upon the city by the Berbers.

In 544, in the region of Sergius, came under an attack of Berber community, after attaining success, Sergius was degraded to withdraw into the city, with the Leuathae society association camped outside the gate insisting payments.

Sergius permitted 80 deputies into the city to represent their petition. However, when Sergius tried leaving the conference, he was apprehended by one of the deputies and crammed by others.

There were some baseless reports that Leptis Magna was used as a shield for military transportation and tanks by pro- Gaddafi armed forces throughout the 2011 Libyan Civil War.