Libycus Nomus
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Marmarica ( Greek Μαρμαρική) in
ancient geography The history of geography includes many histories of geography which have differed over time and between different cultural and political groups. In more recent developments, geography has become a distinct academic discipline. 'Geography' deriv ...
was a littoral area in
Ancient Libya The Latin name ''Libya'' (from Greek Λιβύη: ''Libyē'', which came from Berber: ''Libu'') referred to North Africa during the Iron Age and Classical Antiquity. Berbers occupied the area for thousands of years before the recording of histor ...
, located between '' Cyrenaica'' and ''
Aegyptus In Greek mythology, Aegyptus or Ægyptus (; grc, Αἴγυπτος) was a legendary king of ancient Egypt. He was a descendant of the princess Io through his father Belus, and of the river-god Nilus as both the father of Achiroe, his mother ...
''. It corresponds to what is now the
Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya bo ...
and
Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
frontier, including the towns of Bomba (ancient ''Phthia''), Timimi (ancient ''Paliurus''),
Tobruk Tobruk or Tobruck (; grc, Ἀντίπυργος, ''Antipyrgos''; la, Antipyrgus; it, Tobruch; ar, طبرق, Tubruq ''Ṭubruq''; also transliterated as ''Tobruch'' and ''Tubruk'') is a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near th ...
(ancient ''Antipyrgus''), Acroma (ancient ''Gonia''),
Bardiya Bardiya or Smerdis ( peo, 𐎲𐎼𐎮𐎡𐎹 ; grc, Σμέρδις ; possibly died 522 BC), also named as Tanyoxarces ( grc, Τανυοξάρκης ) by Ctesias, was a son of Cyrus the Great and the younger brother of Cambyses II, both ...
, As-Salum, and Sidi Barrani (ancient ''Zygra''). The territory stretched to the far south, encompassing the
Siwa Oasis The Siwa Oasis ( ar, واحة سيوة, ''Wāḥat Sīwah,'' ) is an urban oasis in Egypt; between the Qattara Depression and the Great Sand Sea in the Western Desert (Egypt), Western Desert, 50 km (30 mi) east of the Libyan Egypt–Li ...
, which at the time was known for its sanctuary to the deity
Amun Amun (; also ''Amon'', ''Ammon'', ''Amen''; egy, jmn, reconstructed as (Old Egyptian and early Middle Egyptian) → (later Middle Egyptian) → (Late Egyptian), cop, Ⲁⲙⲟⲩⲛ, Amoun) romanized: ʾmn) was a major ancient Egyptian ...
. 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 is the time of transition from classical antiquity to the Middle Ages, generally spanning the 3rd–7th century in Europe and adjacent areas bordering the Mediterranean Basin. The popularization of this periodization in English ha ...
, Marmarica was also known as ''Libya Inferior'', while Cyrenaica was known as ''Libya Superior''. ''Libya'' is found in Africa and is located west of the Nile, more precisely west of the mouth of the Nile at Canopus. The '' Periplus of Pseudo-Scylax'' 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. Under the
Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediterr ...
, Marmarica included the ''Libycus Nomus'', located between the Catabathmus and the Bay of Plinthine (''Sinus Plinthinetes''). This area 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 ( Ancient Egyptian: ; cop, /, romanized: , or , romanized: ; grc, Πηλουσιον, Pēlousion; la, Pēlūsium; Arabic: ; Egyptian Arabic: ) was an important city in the eastern extremes of Egypt's Nile Delta, 30 km to ...
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 In Greek mythology, Menelaus (; grc-gre, Μενέλαος , 'wrath of the people', ) was a king of Mycenaean (pre- Dorian) Sparta. According to the ''Iliad'', Menelaus was a central figure in the Trojan War, leading the Spartan contingent of th ...
, 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 Tripolitania ( ar, طرابلس '; ber, Ṭrables, script=Latn; from Vulgar Latin: , from la, Regio Tripolitana, from grc-gre, Τριπολιτάνια), historically known as the Tripoli region, is a historic region and former province o ...
was in the
Praetorian prefecture of Italy The praetorian prefecture of Italy ( la, Praefectura praetorio Italiae, in its full form (until 356) ) was one of four praetorian prefectures into which the Late Roman Empire was divided. It comprised the Italian peninsula, the Western Balkans, ...
).


Episcopal sees

Ancient episcopal sees of the Roman province of Marmarica or Libya Inferior listed in the ''
Annuario Pontificio The ''Annuario Pontificio'' (Italian for ''Pontifical Yearbook'') is the annual directory of the Holy See of the Catholic Church. It lists the popes in chronological order and all officials of the Holy See's departments. It also provides names ...
'' as
titular see A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbish ...
s:''Annuario Pontificio 2013'' (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2013 ), "Sedi titolari", pp. 819-1013 For the sees of Libya Superior see Cyrenaica.


See also

* North Africa during Antiquity *
Butnan District Butnan ( ar, البطنان ') sometimes called ''Tubruq District'' or ''Tobruk District'' from the former name, occasionally ''Marmarica'', is an administrative district (shabiyah) in eastern Libya. Its capital city is Tobruk. In the north, B ...
* Matrouh Governorate *
Libyan Desert The Libyan Desert (not to be confused with the Libyan Sahara) is a geographical region filling the north-eastern Sahara Desert, from eastern Libya to the Western Desert of Egypt and far northwestern Sudan. On medieval maps, its use predates t ...


References


External links

*Charles Anthon, ''A system of ancient and mediæval geography for the use of schools and colleges'', Harper & brothers, 1855
722-224
*George Kish, ''A Source book in geography'', Harvard University Press, 1978,
p. 24
*Leonhard Schmitz, ''A manual of ancient geography'', Blanchard and Lea, 1857
383-384
{{Late Roman Provinces, state=expanded Geographic history of Egypt Geographic history of Libya Historical regions