North Africa: The Ancient Greek City of Cyrene Dominated by the Temple of Zeus

Cyrene was an ancient Greek city located near the modern city of Shahhat in North Africa. The city gave its name to the eastern region of Libya, known as Cyrenaica, which remains to this day. It was the most significant of the five Greek cities in the region, collectively known as the Pentapolis, and was founded around 631 B.C. by Greek colonists from Thera (Santorini) under the leadership of Battus. Cyrene quickly developed into one of the most important cultural and commercial centers in North Africa, taking its name from the spring Kyre, dedicated to the god Apollo. Initially governed by the Battiad dynasty until 440 B.C., it became a democracy in 460 B.C., following the traditions of Athens. After the death of Alexander the Great, it became part of the Ptolemaic dynasty. Ophellas seized the city from Ptolemy, and after his death, Ptolemy’s son Magas took control of the region. In 276 B.C., Magas declared himself king and gained independence for the city, but after his death, Cyrene returned to Ptolemaic control. The decline of Cyrene began with its diminishing role as a trading hub, competing with Carthage and Alexandria. The city’s port, Apollonia, remained a significant urban center until destroyed by an earthquake, leading to its decline despite restoration efforts by Emperor Claudius. In the 3rd century A.D., severe earthquakes and barbarian invasions severely damaged the city, which was eventually conquered by the Arabs in 643. Notable ruins include the Temple of Apollo (7th century B.C.), the Temple of Demeter, and the partially destroyed Temple of Zeus, demolished on orders from Muammar Gaddafi in 1978. Also preserved are the ruins of the Temple of Hecate and the Dioscuri, along with the ancient necropolis featuring significant tombs and funerary stelae. Nearby, the statue of the rising Aphrodite, a replica from the Hellenistic period, was discovered and is now exhibited at the Archaeological Museum in Rome. In 2005, Italian archaeologists from the University of Urbino uncovered 76 untouched Roman statues from the 2nd century, found beneath a collapsed temple wall due to the 375 earthquake. Cyrene also housed a prominent philosophical school in the 3rd century B.C., with notable figures like Aristippus, a student of Socrates. Additionally, the great mathematician and geographer Eratosthenes was born here, alongside other philosophers such as Callimachus, Carneades, and Synesius, bishop of Ptolemais. Today, the ruins of Cyrene are among the most important archaeological sites in North Africa and have been included in UNESCO’s World Heritage List since 1982.