Abstract:In a previous article in this Journal the writer and Mr. J. B. Ward Perkins gave a summary historical and archaeological sketch of the Roman Limes in Tripolitania, illustrated by the two sites, Ain Wif and Gasr Duib, investigated in 1948. Further evidence of the character of this Limes was obtained in the summer of 1949 when air and ground reconnaissances were made over a considerable area of the frontier zone, with the aid of the Royal Air Force and of the military authorities in Tripolitania. Since this new … Show more
The neuter substantivecentenariumappears in a series of documents to designate a particular type of building. The etymology and precise meaning of this word have long been debated by scholars, who have proposed a wide range of explanations, none of which appears to be entirely satisfactory. In this paper, we put forward a different solution, taking into account textual, archaeological and linguistic evidence. In our opinion, the wordcentenariumcomes fromcentenum, which means a kind of a cereal; thus,centenariumindicates a ‘fortified grain-house’. It seems probable that originalcentenariawere military structures of varying shape and size, first created in the third century and then spreading in the Tetrarchic period. They appear to be distinctive of the African provinces, from which comes most of the evidence, but one cannot exclude that the same name was applied to similar structures in other parts of the Empire (such as in the Iberian Peninsula, for instance). The militarycentenariawere later imitated by private landlords – maybe even indigenous chieftains in charge of the defence of sectors of the frontier – who transferred the name to their unofficial or para-official defensive structures. This process of emulation was already advanced in Constantinian age.
The neuter substantivecentenariumappears in a series of documents to designate a particular type of building. The etymology and precise meaning of this word have long been debated by scholars, who have proposed a wide range of explanations, none of which appears to be entirely satisfactory. In this paper, we put forward a different solution, taking into account textual, archaeological and linguistic evidence. In our opinion, the wordcentenariumcomes fromcentenum, which means a kind of a cereal; thus,centenariumindicates a ‘fortified grain-house’. It seems probable that originalcentenariawere military structures of varying shape and size, first created in the third century and then spreading in the Tetrarchic period. They appear to be distinctive of the African provinces, from which comes most of the evidence, but one cannot exclude that the same name was applied to similar structures in other parts of the Empire (such as in the Iberian Peninsula, for instance). The militarycentenariawere later imitated by private landlords – maybe even indigenous chieftains in charge of the defence of sectors of the frontier – who transferred the name to their unofficial or para-official defensive structures. This process of emulation was already advanced in Constantinian age.
“…A large number of the sites within this square were already known from previous studies, primarily the UNESCO Libyan Valleys Survey (ULVS) which had undertaken field survey in select areas along the main course of the Wadi Sofeggin and the Bir Scedua basin in the 1980s (Barker et al 1996b;see also Gentilucci 1933;Goodchild 1950;Mattingly et al 2013, 183-84). The sites they identified largely dated to the first to While the threat of modern disturbances to archaeological sites therefore appears to be relatively low in this region, some form of disturbance was still recorded at 64 of the 203 sites analysed so far, and 113 were identified as being possibly or probably under threat in coming years.…”
Libya's archaeological heritage is under serious threat, not only because of recent conflict, but also due to other factors such as urban expansion, agricultural development, natural resource prospection, vandalism, looting and natural deterioration. The Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa Project (EAMENA) has developed a database and methodology using remote sensing and other techniques to rapidly document archaeological sites and any disturbances and threats to them in Libya and across the MENA region. This paper will demonstrate this methodology and highlight the various types of disturbances and threats affecting the archaeology of Libya, concentrating on four case studies in different areas of the country, including the coastal plain around Zliten, a section of the Wadi Sofeggin in the pre-desert, and the desert oases of Jufra and Murzuq.
“…First there has been an undoubted tendency to overemphasize the military nature of rural sites ('fortin', 'construction militaire' were used as blanket terms by some investigators) and ex-military personnel came to dominate many of the regional archaeological societies, ensuring the continued predominance of this perspective (Malarkey 1984). The Roman garrison could not have manned more than a small fraction of these sites (Février 1985, 87-93;Frémeaux 1984), but the military connotations originally attached to them were perpetuated by the development of a body of theory about supposed soldier farmers and frontier militias colonizing the limes zone (Goodchild 1949(Goodchild , 1950(Goodchild , 1976cf Mattingly 1995, 194-209). The second and far more damaging consequence in a post-colonial age of its too close association with the actual agents of modern imperialism, has been the stigma attached to Roman archaeology as a result (see below).…”
Section: Colonial Attitudes (Ii) Emulating Romementioning
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