Marmarica
Encyclopedia
Marmarica in ancient geography referred to the part of the North Africa
n coast between Cyrenaica
and Aegyptus
.
It corresponds to what is now the border region between Libya
and Egypt
, including the towns of Bomba
(ancient Phthia), Timimi
(ancient Paliurus), Tobruk
(ancient Antipyrgus), Acroma
(ancient Gonia), Bardiya
, As-Salum, Sidi Barrani
(ancient Zygra).
It extended southward to a considerable distance, to the inclusion of Siwa Oasis
, at the time known for its sanctuary to Ammon
. The eastern part of Marmarica, by some geographers considered a separate district between Marmarica and Aegyptus, was known as Libycus Nomus. In Late Antiquity
, Marmarica was also known as Libya Inferior, while Cyrenaica was known as Libya Superior.
Libya was considered as the part of Africa west of the Nile, more precisely east of the mouth of the Nile at Canopus
. The periplus of Scylax of Caryanda
names the Adyrmachidae as the first people of Libya (Africa).
Marmarica proper was delimited towards the east by the escarpment of Catabathmus Magnus, now known as Akabah el-Kebir, at Salum. The geographers of the Hellenistic period
included Egypt in the continent of Asia, and drew the boundary between Asia and Africa (Libya) at this point.
Under the Roman Empire
, the definition of Marmarica was extended to include the Libycus Nomus, between the Catabathmus and the Bay of Plinthine (Sinus Plinthinetes) which had formerly been considered part of Egypt.
The city of Paraetonium (also Ammonia, modern Mersa Matruh) was the westernmost town of Egypt, for which reason it together with Pelusium
was known as the "horns of Egypt". About 10 stadia west of Paraetonium was Apis
, marking the border to the Libyan Nomos. Menelaus Portus (near modern Zawiyat Umm Rukbah), according to tradition founded by Menelaus
, was known as the site of the death of Agesilaus II
.
The inhabitants of Marmarica were known generically as Marmaridae, but they are given the special names of
Adyrmachidae and Giligammae in the coastal districts, and of Nasamones and Augilae in the interior.
The Adyrmachidae are said to have differed considerably from the nomadic tribes of the country, strongly resembling the Egyptians.
The territory south of the Libyan Nomos was inhabited by the Ammonii, centered on the celebrated and fertile oasis of Ammon (Siwa
)
Both Cyrenaica and Marmarica were included in the diocese of Egypt in the 4th century, within the larger Praetorian prefecture of the East
(while Tripolitania
was in the Praetorian prefecture of Italy
).
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
n coast between Cyrenaica
Cyrenaica
Cyrenaica is the eastern coastal region of Libya.Also known as Pentapolis in antiquity, it was part of the Creta et Cyrenaica province during the Roman period, later divided in Libia Pentapolis and Libia Sicca...
and Aegyptus
Aegyptus
- Aegyptus, King of Egypt and Arabia :In Greek mythology, Aegyptus is a descendant of the heifer maiden, Io, and the river-god Nilus, and was a king in Egypt. Aegyptos was the son of Belus and Achiroe, a naiad daughter of Nile. Aegyptus fathered fifty sons, who were all but one murdered by the...
.
It corresponds to what is now the border region between Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
and Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, including the towns of Bomba
Bomba, Libya
Bomba is a village in eastern Libya on the Gulf of Bomba. It is located south of Derna.Greek historian Herodotus said that Cyrene was founded in mid-7th century BC, when a group of Greek immigrants from Thera landed at the Gulf of Bomba, and stayed there for years, then, they moved to place of...
(ancient Phthia), Timimi
Timimi
Timimi, At Timimi or Tmimi, is a small village in Libya about 75 km east of Derna and 100 km west of Tobruk. It is on the eastern shores of the Libyan coastline of the Mediterranean Sea.-Geography:...
(ancient Paliurus), Tobruk
Tobruk
Tobruk or Tubruq is a city, seaport, and peninsula on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near the border with Egypt. It is the capital of the Butnan District and has a population of 120,000 ....
(ancient Antipyrgus), Acroma
Acroma
Acroma is an alternative rock band formed in Salt Lake City, Utah. The band consists of Jeremy Stanley , Brian Christensen , Tom Collins , and Joshua Zirbel . The band released a three-song demo and was signed by Universal Records in 2002...
(ancient Gonia), Bardiya
Bardia
Bardia is a geographic region in the Democratic Republic of Nepal.Bardia comprises a portion of the Terai, or lowland hills and valleys of southern Nepal. The Terai is over 1,000 feet in elevation, and extends all along the Indian border...
, As-Salum, Sidi Barrani
Sidi Barrani
Sidi Barrani is a town in Egypt, near the Mediterranean Sea, about east of the border with Libya, and around from Tobruk, Libya.Probably named after Sidi Mohammed el Barrani, a Senussi fighter in the early 1900s, the village is mainly a Bedouin community...
(ancient Zygra).
It extended southward to a considerable distance, to the inclusion of Siwa Oasis
Siwa Oasis
The Siwa Oasis is an oasis in Egypt, located between the Qattara Depression and the Egyptian Sand Sea in the Libyan Desert, nearly 50 km east of the Libyan border, and 560 km from Cairo....
, at the time known for its sanctuary to Ammon
Ammon
Ammon , also referred to as the Ammonites and children of Ammon, was an ancient nation located east of the Jordan River, Gilead, and the Dead Sea, in present-day Jordan. The chief city of the country was Rabbah or Rabbath Ammon, site of the modern city of Amman, Jordan's capital...
. The eastern part of Marmarica, by some geographers considered a separate district between Marmarica and Aegyptus, was known as Libycus Nomus. In Late Antiquity
Late Antiquity
Late Antiquity is a periodization used by historians to describe the time of transition from Classical Antiquity to the Middle Ages, in both mainland Europe and the Mediterranean world. Precise boundaries for the period are a matter of debate, but noted historian of the period Peter Brown proposed...
, Marmarica was also known as Libya Inferior, while Cyrenaica was known as Libya Superior.
Libya was considered as the part of Africa west of the Nile, more precisely east of the mouth of the Nile at Canopus
Canopus, Egypt
Canopus was an Ancient Egyptian coastal town, located in the Nile Delta. Its site is in the eastern outskirts of modern-day Alexandria, around 25 kilometres from the centre of that city....
. The periplus of Scylax of Caryanda
Scylax of Caryanda
Scylax of Caryanda was a renowned Carian explorer and writer of the 6th and 5th centuries BCE.-Exploration and literary works:In about 515 BCE, Scylax was sent by King Darius I of Persia to follow the course of the Indus River and discover where it led. Scylax and his companions set out from city...
names the Adyrmachidae as the first people of Libya (Africa).
Marmarica proper was delimited towards the east by the escarpment of Catabathmus Magnus, now known as Akabah el-Kebir, at Salum. The geographers of the Hellenistic period
Hellenistic period
The Hellenistic period or Hellenistic era describes the time which followed the conquests of Alexander the Great. It was so named by the historian J. G. Droysen. During this time, Greek cultural influence and power was at its zenith in Europe and Asia...
included Egypt in the continent of Asia, and drew the boundary between Asia and Africa (Libya) at this point.
Under the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
, the definition of Marmarica was extended to include the Libycus Nomus, between the Catabathmus and the Bay of Plinthine (Sinus Plinthinetes) which had formerly been considered part of Egypt.
The city of Paraetonium (also Ammonia, modern Mersa Matruh) was the westernmost town of Egypt, for which reason it together with Pelusium
Pelusium
Pelusium was a city in the eastern extremes of Egypt's Nile Delta, 30 km to the southeast of the modern Port Said. Alternative names include Sena and Per-Amun , Pelousion , Sin , Seyân , and Tell el-Farama...
was known as the "horns of Egypt". About 10 stadia west of Paraetonium was Apis
Apis (city)
Apis , was an ancient seaport town on the north coast of Africa, about 18 km west of Paraetonium, sometimes reckoned to Egypt, and sometimes to Marmarica. Scylax places it at the western boundary of Egypt, on the frontier of the Marmaridae. Ptolemy Apis (Greek: , named for the god Apis), was an...
, marking the border to the Libyan Nomos. Menelaus Portus (near modern Zawiyat Umm Rukbah), according to tradition founded by Menelaus
Menelaus
Menelaus may refer to;*Menelaus, one of the two most known Atrides, a king of Sparta and son of Atreus and Aerope*Menelaus on the Moon, named after Menelaus of Alexandria.*Menelaus , brother of Ptolemy I Soter...
, was known as the site of the death of Agesilaus II
Agesilaus II
Agesilaus II, or Agesilaos II was a king of Sparta, of the Eurypontid dynasty, ruling from approximately 400 BC to 360 BC, during most of which time he was, in Plutarch's words, "as good as thought commander and king of all Greece," and was for the whole of it greatly identified with his...
.
The inhabitants of Marmarica were known generically as Marmaridae, but they are given the special names of
Adyrmachidae and Giligammae in the coastal districts, and of Nasamones and Augilae in the interior.
The Adyrmachidae are said to have differed considerably from the nomadic tribes of the country, strongly resembling the Egyptians.
The territory south of the Libyan Nomos was inhabited by the Ammonii, centered on the celebrated and fertile oasis of Ammon (Siwa
Siwa Oasis
The Siwa Oasis is an oasis in Egypt, located between the Qattara Depression and the Egyptian Sand Sea in the Libyan Desert, nearly 50 km east of the Libyan border, and 560 km from Cairo....
)
Both Cyrenaica and Marmarica were included in the diocese of Egypt in the 4th century, within the larger Praetorian prefecture of the East
Praetorian prefecture of the East
The praetorian prefecture of the East or of Oriens was one of four large praetorian prefectures into which the Late Roman Empire was divided...
(while Tripolitania
Tripolitania
Tripolitania or Tripolitana is a historic region and former province of Libya.Tripolitania was a separate Italian colony from 1927 to 1934...
was in the Praetorian prefecture of Italy
Praetorian prefecture of Italy
The praetorian prefecture of Italy ) was one of four large Praetorian prefectures into which the Late Roman Empire was divided. It comprised the Italian peninsula, the Western Balkans, the Danubian provinces and parts of North Africa...
).
See also
- North Africa during Antiquity
- Al Butnan DistrictAl Butnan DistrictButnan sometimes called Tubruq District or Tobruk District from the former name, occasionally Marmarica, is an administrative district in eastern Libya. Its capital city is Tobruk....
- Matrouh Governorate
- Libyan DesertLibyan DesertThe Libyan Desert covers an area of approximately 1,100,000 km2, it extends approximately 1100 km from east to west, and 1,000 km from north to south, in about the shape of a rectangle...