To East and West: the Mediterranean Trade of Cyrenaica and Tripolitania in Antiquity

Abstract

In the context of the North African littoral Cyrenaica and Tripolitania appear almost as fertile islands, surrounded by desert on three sides and the Mediterranean to the north (Fig. 1). Between Cyrenaica and Egypt the desert runs to the sea, while between Cyrenaica and Tripolitania lies desert which stretches up to the shores of the Gulf of Sirte. Only to the west of Tripolitania is there a thin coastal strip of cultivable land which runs past the island of Djerba, turning north past Gabes to the productive lands of central Tunisia. As the crow flies only some 350 miles (450 km) separate Berenice (Benghazi), the most westerly of the cities of Cyrenaica from Lepcis Magna, her nearest neighbour among the Tripolitanian cities. While a land-route existed along the north African coast, the destinations it offered were clearly limited. Transport by sea not only offered the opportunity for the most economical long distance movement of bulk commodities such as grain, olive-oil and wine — the staples of the ancient world — but it also presented a greater range of possible destinations.