This masterly study presents the first comprehensive overview of olive oil production in Cyrenaica, North-East Libya, during the mid to late Roman period. The evidence collected by the author overturns previous assumptions about the small-scale of this industry and convincingly demonstrates its economic importance in both urban and rural settings. The typology and characteristics of Cyrenaican pressing elements and gazetteer of sites confirm this work as an essential reference volume for studies of ancient production and open up questions about the Cyrenaica’s role in producing olive oil for local, regional and Mediterranean markets.

Camels, one of creation's most remarkable animals, are celebrated through this fascinating historical study of their place in the modern imperial era. Goudie's wide-ranging research into the exploration and use of camels reveals dramatic stories and personalities, with an impressive geographical coverage. Descriptions of their biology, value and benefits, travellers' stories then link them to their historical context. Accompanied by splendid paintings, drawings, photos, and maps, and with an extensive bibliography, this volume entertains at the same time as providing a very comprehensive historical account of these amazing beasts.

This volume brings together data collected from both previously published surveys and new data collected using satellite imagery on the architecture and construction of over 2,400 rural structures in nine different regions of Tripolitania and dating between the 1st c. BC and the 7th c. AD. This first part contextualises the material within the historical background of Tripolitania, previous investigations and methodological foundations, the evidence for pre-Roman architectures and settlement, and the chronology of rural settlement during the period under study based on ceramic evidence.   The second part presents quantitative and qualitative analyses of the physical characteristics first of Roman military structures, and then of the main group of buildings under investigation: unfortified and fortified farm buildings. The ways in which different spaces may have been utilised and the spatial relationships between the settlement groups formed by these buildings provide insight into how and why different types of buildings developed in the countryside during between the 1st c. BC and the 7th c. AD. These analyses demonstrate that the rural buildings of Tripolitania can be seen as meaningful reflections not only of the wide variety of activities taking place in the buildings themselves, but also of the varying histories and patterns of land-use in different parts of the region and even the status, wealth, and socio-cultural structures of the people who constructed and lived in them.

The Sahara contains one of the most extensive and enigmatic collections of rock art in the world. An Engraved Landscape represents the main report on the rock art of the Wadi al-Ajal, south west Libya. Based on extensive fieldwork directed by the author between 2004 and 2009, and funded by the British Academy and Society for Libyan Studies, this monograph presents and synthesises a rich corpus of new engravings from an area of central importance in the cultural development of the Sahara. Spatial and quantitative analyses of the carvings reveal changing relationships between humans and the landscape over an 8000-year period from c.6000 BC to recent times. The volume is beautifully illustrated, with a substantial selection of the engraved panels presented in photographs and line drawings.

An Engraved Landscape is a contextual analysis of a substantial new corpus of engravings from the Wadi al-Ajal, situated in the Central Saharan region of south west Libya. The wadi is renowned as the heartland of the Garamantian civilization, which emerged from local mobile Pastoral communities in the 1st millennium BC, and dominated trans-Saharan trade and politics for over a thousand years. Extensive archaeological and palaeoenvironmental investigations in recent years have provided detailed insight into the later prehistory and protohistory of the wadi and surrounding areas. However, prior to the fieldwork detailed in this volume, only a handful of carvings had been recorded in the wadi. This volume is based on systematic survey, conducted between 2004 and 2009, which recorded around 2,500 previously unknown or unpublished engraved and inscribed rock surfaces. All forms of engraving, whether figurative or surface markings, were viewed as significant residues of human interaction with the rock surface and were recorded. The resulting database provides an opportunity to analyse the engravings in relation to their changing physical and cultural contexts, and the discussion offers a fresh interpretation of Saharan rock art based on this substantial new evidence. An Engraved Landscape also captures in detail a unique heritage resource that is currently inaccessible and threatened. This record of the fragile engravings provides an important source of information for researchers and students. Volume 1 offers a synthetic discussion, as a companion to this Gazetteer.

Captain Claud Williams’ memoir tells, first-hand, what it was like to be a Light Car Patrol commander during the First World War, while Russell McGuirk’s commentary provides the historical background to the formation of the Patrols and follows their activities from the British raid on Siwa Oasis to desert exploration and survey work and the Kufra Reconnaissance Scheme. Lavishly illustrated with original photographs from Light Car officers, this combined memoir and history provides a fascinating and informative picture of an unsung hero of the desert – the Model T Ford.

A new volume in the Society for Studies series Short North African Histories, this book brings togeher the best stories of intrepid desert drivers in the early 20th century, crossing the vast and sometimes dangerous expances of the Sahara.   The exploration of the Sahara - a huge swathe of terrain, the size of India - by motor car is one of the untold chapters in the story of 20th century exploration. This revised  version of the successful title Wheels Across the Desert, looks at the intrepid drivers who crossed the desert in the early 20th century - bothmilitary and civilian.

Rural Settlement and Economic Activity is a key new addition to literature on the rural economy of Tripolitania during Antiquity. The chapters explore the geography and climate of the area and present the results of the author’s archaeological survey. Settlement types and their constructions are examined, followed by a detailed analysis of olive oil presses and their production capacity. Finally, amphora production sites are discussed, with examples of the types of amphora and their capacities. The conclusions give an overview of the rural economy of Tarhuna during the Roman period, focusing on economic aspects and offering an astonishing new picture of this highly productive landscape

Algeria is a large country, rich in visual remains of its long and complex history. The monuments of the Roman period are particularly impressive. This is partly because they are well-preserved, but also because the French, who colonised the region in the nineteenth century and ruled it until 1962, carried out extensive excavations and restorations. Algeria is not yet in the grip of the mass tourism which is engulfing better known destinations; now is therefore the time to explore its beautiful landscapes and rich cultural heritage. The Roman sites rank amongst the most impressive anywhere in the Mediterranean and represent an important aspect of the nation’s past. This guidebook will take you to all the sites, with a historical introduction, a detailed gazetteer of the principal museums and Roman sites and lavish provision of maps, plans and photographs.

When the Roman Empire progressively expanded its influence over the North African continent, it encountered a very heterogeneous mix of peoples with a long and diverse history. This collection of papers from the conference De Africa Romaque:  Merging  Cultures   Across  North   Africa (Leicester, 2013), explores the mutual relationships between North African societies and Rome within this context. Moving away from traditional narratives of dominance and resistance, the discussions focus on bringing the local peoples of North Africa and their varied cultural features back into the fore.

Desert exploration, like climbing Everest or polar expeditions, is not for the faint-hearted, and many of the vivid tales within this fascinating biographical history end in tragedy. However, the informative and absorbing descriptions of the extraordinary journeys, challenges and achievements of these intrepid figures, are captivating. They risked their lives variously for good old fashioned epic adventure, solitude, fame, the answer to mythical questions and some were even spies. They experienced fear, excitement and hardship in their journeys into the unknown. There are many books on exploration but remarkably few on desert exploration. Moreover, some of the great desert explorers of the last three hundred years are now very little remembered or appreciated in comparison, say, with those who ventured to the poles, climbed Everest, or sought the source of the Nile. Yet, crossing unknown deserts is no less challenging. This volume finally brings these Great Desert Explorers into the limelight, with short, illustrated biographies of around 60 of the most interesting, intrepid and important explorers of the world’s greatest deserts. There is also a brief introduction to each desert region. The many original quotations, illustrations and maps, contemporary figures, as well as plates of a range of desert landscapes make this a colourful, lively and informative read.

The mosques of the Djebel Nafūsa, little known and under threat, personify the continuity of traditions and faith of the Ibadites, who have retained their grip over the centuries on this rugged landscape, despite their many trials and tribulations. This book is the result of a mission carried out in 2010 with the photographer Axel Derriks and examines twenty or so mosques, bringing to light their architectural features and linking them to medieval Ibadite texts.

Operation Idris provides the unofficial story behind the British Administration’s cultivation of Sayyid Mohammed Idris as the figurehead for their project of indirect rule in Cyrenaica.

The frontiers of the Roman Empire form the largest surviving monument of one of the world's greatest states, and stretch for around 7500 km through 20 countries. The remains of these have been studied for many centuries. Inscriptions, sculpture, weapons, pottery and artefacts created and used by the soldiers and civilians who lived on the frontier form the basis for this history and are outlined in this book. The physical remains of the frontiers are also visible in many parts of Africa, including towers and forts, stretches of defensive lines of stone and earth with ditches broken by gates, and roads. The aim of this book is to inform the interested visitor about the history of the frontiers and to act as a guidebook as well.Multi-language edition: English, French, German & Arabic

This is the concluding volume of the Archaeology of Fazzān series, bringing to press the combined results of two Anglo-Libyan projects in southern Libya: the pioneering work of Charles Daniels between 1958 and 1977 and the Fazzān Project directed by David Mattingly between 1997 and 2001. The investigations carried out by these two projects allow an entirely new reconstruction and understanding of the historic desert societies of the Libyan Sahara. In particular, the work has shed light on the ancient people known to Greco-Roman writers as the Garamantes, who are now revealed to have been a sophisticated state, with permanent towns and villages and an economy based on oasis agriculture and Saharan trade. This volume presents the results of excavations and survey work at the site of Old Jarma, identifiable with the Garamantian capital, Garama, that also had a long after-life in Medieval and Early Modern times. The Fazzān Project revealed an extraordinary urban story, spanning 10 major construction phases that extended from c.400 BC to the AD 1930s. The detailed publication of the complex stratigraphic evidence and the accompanying finds assemblages opens a fascinating window on the cultural heritage and lifeways of a central Saharan oasis.

This is the second volume in this series, which was launched to great acclaim in 2009. Cyrenaica (known to the Arabs as the Jabal Akhdar, the Green Mountain) has a terrain which resembles that of Greece or western Turkey. It was settled at an early date by Greeks and subsequently was part of the Roman and Byzantine empires before the advent of the Arabs. Each of these civilisations has left its mark on the landscape, not only at the locations of the major cities on the coast, but also at a host of lesser towns and villages whose ruins still dot the countryside. All are described and explained in a comprehensive gazetteer.- Historical background, from prehistory until the Italian invasion in 1911- Regional maps, site plans, drawings and reconstructions of individual buildings- Museum layout plans and guides to displays- Navigating instructions, with GPS coordinates for most sites- Lavish photography in colour