Abstract:Chieti University's team in Libya has been mapping and studying the extraordinary patrimony in rupestrian architecture, looking at both funerary and sacred spaces. Particular attention has been paid to the rock-cut sanctuaries in the areas to the east (Ain Hofra/Bu Miliou areas) and to the west (Baggara and Budrag) of Cyrene, which also represent the most problematic zones for looting and vandalism. Therefore, the principal need for these areas has been to plan a project of mapping and recording that is as sys… Show more
“…The property, that is the ‘Archaeological Site of Cyrene’, as shown in the maps of the UNESCO World Heritage List, clearly include only the urban remains of the ancient city, completely ignoring the incredible density of the archaeological remains in the extra-urban area 3 . The property boundaries basically ignore the huge necropolis (Thorn 2005), the extramural sanctuaries (Menozzi 2015 and 2016), the ancient road network, the monumental gsur (fortifications) and basilicas and farms (Abdalrahim et al 2016) and, more generally, the whole ancient landscape surrounding the city that has been miraculously preserved for centuries, at least until recent times.…”
The ancient landscapes surrounding Cyrene, which have been incredibly well preserved for centuries, have suffered more destructions in the past 7 or 8 years than in the whole of the last millennium. Urban encroachment, strong demographic pressure, unsustainable exploitation of resources and unplanned growth of infrastructures and services are threatening the archaeological heritage of this splendid site. The Department of Antiquities (DoA) has always struggled against these phenomena, but today the destructions are so great that the DoA is often powerless to act. This paper continues previous works on the damage to the Cyrenean necropoleis after 2011(Abdulkariem and Bennett, 2014; Al Raeid et al. 2016; Menozzi, Di Valerio et al. 2017; Menozzi, Tamburrino et al. 2017) and proposes strategies to help, on the basis of a preliminary report organised by the Mission of the University of Chieti in collaboration with the Departments of Antiquities of Cyrene and Tripoli, as requested by UNESCO. This preliminary step towards further improvements and needs to be discussed with other institutions and missions. The first part presents a proposal for controlling the core and buffer zones around Cyrene; the second part is an update on the recent damages to the necropoleis.
“…The property, that is the ‘Archaeological Site of Cyrene’, as shown in the maps of the UNESCO World Heritage List, clearly include only the urban remains of the ancient city, completely ignoring the incredible density of the archaeological remains in the extra-urban area 3 . The property boundaries basically ignore the huge necropolis (Thorn 2005), the extramural sanctuaries (Menozzi 2015 and 2016), the ancient road network, the monumental gsur (fortifications) and basilicas and farms (Abdalrahim et al 2016) and, more generally, the whole ancient landscape surrounding the city that has been miraculously preserved for centuries, at least until recent times.…”
The ancient landscapes surrounding Cyrene, which have been incredibly well preserved for centuries, have suffered more destructions in the past 7 or 8 years than in the whole of the last millennium. Urban encroachment, strong demographic pressure, unsustainable exploitation of resources and unplanned growth of infrastructures and services are threatening the archaeological heritage of this splendid site. The Department of Antiquities (DoA) has always struggled against these phenomena, but today the destructions are so great that the DoA is often powerless to act. This paper continues previous works on the damage to the Cyrenean necropoleis after 2011(Abdulkariem and Bennett, 2014; Al Raeid et al. 2016; Menozzi, Di Valerio et al. 2017; Menozzi, Tamburrino et al. 2017) and proposes strategies to help, on the basis of a preliminary report organised by the Mission of the University of Chieti in collaboration with the Departments of Antiquities of Cyrene and Tripoli, as requested by UNESCO. This preliminary step towards further improvements and needs to be discussed with other institutions and missions. The first part presents a proposal for controlling the core and buffer zones around Cyrene; the second part is an update on the recent damages to the necropoleis.
“…However, if one doubles the distance to 1,000 m there is a large quarry (Figure 2), which possibly acted as the source for the nearby Late Archaic temple (excavated by Urbino University). The sanctuary area acts as a kind of free area (Menozzi 2015 and 2016) not occupied by Archaic tombs, but in the El-Baggara small valley (the north-western angle in Figure 1) the sarcophagus chambers, possibly dating to the early fifth century BC, still respect the system, since they are divided into two clearly different groups separated by c. 450 m. Figure 2.Cyrene. The large quarry facing the temple excavated by the Urbino University team.…”
Section: From Quarries To Tombs In the Changing Landscapes Of The Cyrmentioning
The four cemeteries of Cyrene were a living archaeological landscape whose life continued far beyond antiquity. The habit of using monumental tombs was a long-lasting one in Cyrene, starting in the Archaic period and continuing until Roman times. The concept of ‘reuse’ is in itself a problematic one since, from a semantic point of view, it implies the presence of a clear-cut division between an original ‘phase of use’ and of a later ‘phase of reuse’. This approach could have sense when a clear hiatus is present, for example when speaking of modern reuse of ancient Greek tombs. However, the main problem is the use of the term ‘reuse’ when describing two ancient phases, such as a Hellenistic phase and a Roman phase of the same tomb, implying a clear hiatus between them even if one often lacks the elements for identifying the existence of such a hiatus. In particular, the Southern and Northern Necropolises have been analysed here to investigate this subject, basing the hypotheses on data coming from field research and previous studies. However, the topic of reuse for the tombs of Cyrene would need far more space than this paper, so this work should be considered an introduction to a matter that needs a far deeper and a far wider analysis. Given these limits, an ‘anthological’ approach is here proposed, with a sequence of various subjects connected to the ‘reuse’ topic and some new data coming from recent research (such as the surveys in the Northern and Southern Necropolises and the excavation of Tomb S1 by the Chieti University team, and of a tomb in the Northern Necropolis by a team of colleagues from the local Department of Antiquities).
“…The area of Ain Hofra, although very close to Shahat, is quite remote and since 2010 vandalism and looting have started at the site, probably because the archaeological area has been seen as a possible impediment to urban expansion and building works. From the archaeological point of view, the area is very interesting owing to an early Greek rock-cut sanctuary (an heroon with necromantic cults: Menozzi 2015) and to the monumental Hellenistic and Roman funerary areas. The upper plateau, just above the alek of the wadi (that is, the beginning of the canyon), presents very monumental buildings, not all of them excavated.…”
Section: Damage To the Area Of Ain Hofra (E DI Valerio)mentioning
The core area of Cyrene, despite recent upheavals, benefits from well-managed controls and fences that so far seem to have stopped the looting, although not the vandalism. These fences act mainly as a psychological barrier; for the local people, everything inside the fences is seen as ‘more important’ than what is outside. However, it is impossible to enclose all the monumental tombs, rock-cut sanctuaries and ancient farms and fortifications. The first type of damage we see is due to looting, which is increasing, and acts of vandalism. The lack of regulation and police control as well as increased urbanisation have caused a lot of uncontrolled building, causing the further destruction of large sections of the necropolis. A second type of damage is due to the lack of maintenance. In order to help restore the sites, the Universities of Urbino, Chieti, Roma 3, Naples 2 and the Mission of the MIBACT at Giarabub, in collaboration with the DoA, have organised courses on ‘Rescue restoration in emergency’. Despite the growing number of inspectors and technicians in Cyrene, there are still not enough archaeologists, guards or restorers. This paper explains these general issues and, as a case study, the remote but important area of Giarabub.
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