Download The Roman Empire, at its height, extended from modern Sudan in

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Leptis Magna, Libya
The Road to Ruins
by ANDREW HUNT North Africa & Arabia Programme Manager
The Roman Empire, at its height, extended
from modern Sudan in the south, to the
Scottish border in the north and from Morocco
in the west to the Caspian Sea and Arabian
Gulf in the east. With the exception of Oman,
every country in our North Africa & Arabia
brochure knew the tramp of legionary boots
and rule of toga-clad governors. The Roman
narrative from the early days of the republic,
through to the collapse of the Empire, can be
traced through the basilicas, mosaics, forums
and amphitheatres still standing and
demanding our attention.
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Palmyra, Syria
El Jem, Tunisia
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T
Jerash, Jordan
For more on the
Roman Empire
SOURCE MATERIAL
Polybius – his histories tell of the
growth in power of the Roman
Republic, including the Punic Wars and
the structure of the Roman state.
Written early in the second century BC.
Livy – his Ab Urbe Condita sets out
to chart Rome from the birth of the
republic through to the Emperor
Augustus’ reign. Written early in the
first century AD.
Procopius – his Secret History is a
salacious look at the court of the
Emperor Justinian, a court that he had
documented in more traditional and
less controversial style in his Wars of
Justinian and Buildings of Justinian.
MODERN HISTORIES
‘Decline and Fall of the Roman
Empire’ by Edward Gibbon – Vast,
exhaustive and for the dedicated only.
‘Byzantium: The Empire of New
Rome’ by Cyril Mango – A look at
the culture and history of Byzantium,
after the split between East and West
Roman Empires.
‘Rubicon’ by Tom Holland – A look
at the end of the Roman Repuiblic and
the start of the Empire by one of a new
generation of historians who are able
to make an exciting narrative out of dry
historical facts.
HISTORICAL FICTION
‘Masters of Rome’ series by
Colleen McCullough – A seven-book
series charting the decline of the Roman
Republic. Huge in scale and ambition
and incredibly faithful to the source
material, an excellent way of getting
under the skin of Ancient Rome.
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hroughout its history the Roman state
defined itself by conquest and the three
Punic Wars of the 2nd and 3rd centuries
BC really kick-started this, particularly the
legendary clash between Hannibal, his elephants,
and Scipio Africanus. Hannibal’s Carthage, like
many other empires, eventually succumbed to
Rome, and it was at this time that their presence
in North Africa was first seen. The Roman cities
of Voloubilis (in Morocco), El Jem (in Tunisia),
Leptis Magna and Sabratha (both in Libya) were
all on the sites of former Carthaginian settlements.
Romans were very good at assimilating other
cultures and then gradually imposing their own;
this cultural imperialism has given us most of the
remains we marvel at today. The mosaics of
Voloubilis, the amphitheatre at El Jem, the
bathhouses of Leptis Magna and the theatre at
Sabratha were all designed not just to bring the
comforts of home to the officials sent to govern
the provinces, but also to impress and seduce the
local population with the sophistication of Rome.
As the Roman Republic grew, the commanders
of her armies became more and more powerful,
resulting in a series of civil wars that threw up the
most famous name in Roman history: Julius
Caesar. Hugely capable, he was also a man of
strong passions, and it has been argued that it was
only his infatuation with a usurper queen that led
him to capture the city of Alexandria. That
usurper queen was of course Cleopatra; she sided
with the losers in civil war that followed Caesar’s
death, which ultimately led to her famous suicide
and the transition of the Roman Republic into
the Roman Empire.
Alexandria in its Roman pomp was largely
designed by the next major character in our story;
the Emperor Hadrian (sadly subsidence and
over-building have left little of his city: Alexandria
Sabratha, Libya
is best visited for her Mediterranean languor, not
her Roman ruins.). We know Hadrian best for his
Wall that marked the northern extent of the
Roman Empire, but his fingerprints can be found
across the Levant as well. He spent several months
over the winter of 129/30 AD in the prosperous
city of Jerash, in the province of Arabia (now in
modern-day Jordan). The monumental arch that
still greets the visitor was erected in his honour,
and games were thrown to entertain him. Thanks
to the re-enactment efforts of the modern VI
Legion Ferrata in the Hippodrome, you’ll be able
to experience the same thrill Hadrian and his
citizens enjoyed nearly two thousand years ago.
Racing chariots and staging gladiatorial contests,
they recreate the games that thrilled Roman blood.
Not too far away, Hadrian also spent some time
in Palmyra, in modern day Syria. It was once a
wealthy trading city that straddled the border
between the Graeco-Roman world and the east.
Although part of the Roman Empire, Hadrian
declared it a free city. Palmyrans enjoyed this
status for the best part of a century before
eventually revolting against Rome. The Empire
was never going to tolerate this ingratitude, and
Aurelian duly crushed the rebellion and garrisoned
the city with several legions. Their presence,
deterring invaders and further insurgency, and
the desert air have helped preserve the marvellous
temples, colonnades, fountains and tombs of a city
declared by UNESCO to be “one of the most
important cultural centres of the ancient world”.
The Libyan people would never forgive me if I
got through the whole of this article without
mentioning Septimius Severus, Roman Emperor
from 193-211 AD. The only African-born
Emperor, he hailed from Leptis Magna, and
favour was lavished on his home town during
his reign. We should be grateful for his largesse,
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as its legacy is a vast city deliciously only partlyexcavated, and with a fraction of the number of
visitors to somewhere like Ephesus or Rome itself.
Sadly, we’ve now passed the high-water mark of
the Roman Empire, and we’re into its protracted,
complicated and messy decline. This is definitely
not for discussion here: if you’re interested read
“Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire” by
Edward Gibbon, but be warned it runs over
1700 pages across three volumes. Much more
entertaining and accessible is Procopius’s
“Secret History”, a vitriolic snapshot of the
period written by a wronged courtier with an acid
tongue, which will give you enough of an insight
into the corruption and depravity that defined
and precipitated the collapse of the Empire.
The final nail in the coffin of Rome in the
Levant was the eruption of Islam from the Arabian
Peninsula. Part of the reason for the meteoric
speed with which the armies of this new religion
swept through the region was the general decline
of the Empire, but the Arabs also possessed hugely
capable generals, none more so than Khaled Ibn
al-Walid. Amongst other notable conquests, he
captured the city of Bosra (in Syria) in 634 AD
but crucially didn’t sack it. So a line of history that
dated back through Ancient Egyptian, Nabatean
and Roman times remained unbroken. One of the
wonderful legacies of this for the visitor is that you
can find Byzantine churches, early Islamic
medressahs, and Ottoman housing dotted amongst
the Roman columns and surrounding the huge
Roman theatre of black basalt, the defining feature
of Bosra dating to the Emperor Trajan.
This continuity is visible across the region:
wandering through the souqs of Damascus,
admiring Ottoman windows and Mamluke arches,
you are suddenly confronted with a Roman
colonnade. Elsewhere, what appears to be
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continuity is in fact looting: the Roman columns
that mark the street corners in Tripoli medina and
decorate the Zitouna Mosque in Tunis are not
evidence of the conquering Arabs moving into
existing Roman structures, but were in fact
“borrowed” from the now-deserted Roman cities
of Libya and Tunisia by their new rulers.
To paraphrase some well-known comedians, by
visiting the remains of their great Empire, we can
really understand what the Romans have ever done
for us. Their architecture, art and culture pervade
our lives, and we’re extremely lucky that we can
go and see for ourselves how they lived and
where this influence comes from. Their vast civic
buildings tell us of their pride and engineering
prowess, their mosaics suggest a love of
refinement, whilst the events the mosaics
depict indicate a passion for leisurely pastimes,
deeply-held faith and every now and then, a
wicked sense of humour. The grids of colonnaded
streets, meeting at perfect right-angles belie their
military bent and love of order, and their imposing
amphitheatres and hippodromes tell us of the value
they placed on public entertainment. Thanks to
their statues we know how they looked, and thanks
to the likes of Procopious we have perhaps too
much of an idea of exactly what they got up to.
Standing in the ruins of somewhere like Jerash
or Leptis Magna, I love building up a picture of
life in the Empire, visualising priests making
offerings, chariots rattling along the ruts in the
cobbled streets and senators plotting coups in
ornate bathhouses. The Roman legacy in these
countries is one of their defining features, and
will likely provide some of the major highlights
of any visit to the region. Scipio Africanus,
Caesar, Septimius Severus and Hadrian would
all doubtless be proud, but not surprised, to see
you following in their footsteps.
Leptis Magna, Libya
FACT file
The best time of year for travel
across North Africa and Arabia is
spring (March - May) and autumn
(October - November). The summer
is extremely hot and the winter can be
quite wet and chilly.
Libya, Tunisia, Jordan and Syria have the
greatest concentration of Roman ruins.
Libya: We have a group tour to Libya
in the spring which focuses on the
Greek and Roman sites. The 12-night
tour costs from £2,395 per person
and departs on 23rd April, 2010.
Tunisia: a 7-night trip focusing
on the main highlights, including the
major Roman sites, would cost from
£1,500 per person.
Jordan and Syria: these countries
can be combined in a two week trip
covering all their principal highlights
and would typically cost from £3,200
per person.
For more information on travel to
this region please contact our
North Africa & Arabia specialists on
01993 838 400.
www.audleytravel.com/naa
WEBplus
Discover more about the Roman
Middle East with our interactive
map and slideshow.
www.audley.co.uk/traveller/autumn2009
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