Things to see and do Leptis Magna

Leaving the Sévérienne basilica by the north, we follow a path that runs along the Byzantine wall to the Byzantine door. This wall wall was designed to protect the city from attacks by Berber tribes. The wall and door use stones from Roman buildings.

(An 12 Apr. ). Between Cardo and Theatre.

Leaving the south-east of the market, we lead to the path of the Cardo, with as a perspective the sober arc of Tiberius (35-36 apr. ) and then the arc de Trajan (109-110) in the second plan. The four-arch arch (tétrapyle) of Trajan, built in commemoration of the city's access to colony status, orne Libyan banknotes with a quarter of a dinar. The Trajan arc allowed traffic, unlike the arc De arc.

Between the two arches, one will note an engraved stone of an abundance horn, and a circle and a stick symbolizing the god Mercury.

The path you take at the entrance to the site leads to the right line with a view overlooking this fabulous arch, built in 203 apr. On the occasion of the visit of the emperor born in Leptis Magna in 146. The bow is located at the intersection of the two main tracks of the city, the Cardo maximus and the one which connected Tunisia (Carthage) to Alexandria. Raised from three large steps, the arc did not allow the passage of the tanks, which had to bypass the imposing monument.

This arc of 40 m in 40 has four entrances (tétrapyle arc) and three floors, for a height of about 20 m. It is entirely made of limestone, only its surface was covered with carved marble. Some marble ornamentations have been restored, including vine friezes. However, most of the original marble are at the Tripoli Museum. Thus winged victories on each side of the arcades and the great besieged on the four sides of the Attica (the summit of the arc on which statues were laid), which appear as August scenes of the life of the emperor and his family:

Continue straight and turn left at the Angle angle: Palaestra is located north of Hadrian's thermal baths. It was in this vast shaped stage divided by paved aisles that men were involved in physical exercises, such as struggle and race, before going to the baths. The palaestra is surrounded by about terrazzo columns in cipolin marble. During its construction, like the thermal baths in the 72nd century, columns supported the portico. Many of them were purchased from the Libyan tribes by French consul Claude Lemaire to be shipped to France in the th century.

(th century. ). From the old forum, orient direction north west by borrowing the small path along the shore on the right, until the wall of Byzantine enceinte. We will then discover the three main columns of cipolin marble from the frigidarium of Hadrian's thermal baths, lined in the sand. Then move to the southwest. The temple of Sérapis is recognizable in its four columns. The Christian living in Leptis worship their God there. The inscriptions that have been discovered are in Greek only. In Hellenistic times, the Rois kings of Alexandria made Sérapis a syncretic deity embodying the characteristics of the Egyptian God Osiris and of Greek gods like Zeus, Hades, Dionysus and Asclépios, God of Medicine. Subsequently, his cult developed in the Roman world.

Following this path east from the Arc Sévère arc, it will be noted that the centre of the track was dug to insert it into the city's wastewater drainage system. At the angle of Decumanus and the street leading to Hadrian's thermal baths, by turning their eyes on the angle wall, one will distinguish a phallus engraved in the center of a stone, with an eye to its right, the harmful influences of the latter (the bad eye) being neutralized, according to Roman belief, by the protective properties and bienfaitrices of the phallus.

Starting at the height of the nymphée, the path to the Columns, drawn from the cord, stretched 420 m to the Roman port. It was 50 m wide, or 20 m between columns. Each side of the avenue had 125 columns on which the arches, without entablements, were directly rooted in Islamic architecture. This imposing avenue was part of the great beautification works of the city carried out in the early th century under the reign of Emperor Septime Sévère and was built at the initial geographic location of the Oued, which was built in the Punic city, the wadiLebda. The course was hijacked prior to construction as part of the construction of the port at the same time.

From the Curia, go along a caged barrier surrounding the remains of the Punic town uncovered during excavations, then take a small path to the right and continue about 150 m. One can also go northeast to the location of the Western pier warehouses. Little spectacular and distant, to visit only by those who have all their time. At the time of carthaginian, the mouth of the wadiLebda provided a natural shelter to the ships, which was partially installed under Nero. But it was under the reign of Septime Harsh that the port was actually highlighted, by diversion east of the natural course of the Wadi, originally located at the location of the Columns and which charriait charriait responsible for a regular silting of the estuary.

The port, with a circumference of 1 200 m, with its 800 m of docks and the possibilities of anchorages outside the perimeter of the Périmètre Oriental Pier now submerged, represented the third harbour of the Roman world, after Ostia and Carthage. The harbour is now sleeping under the alluvial Du Wadi Wadi, but it is still possible to distinguish certain remnants of harbour facilities, such as the base of the lighthouse at the western pier or the wharf limestone blocks.

More than 500 m later, between the Porte gate (Byzantine era) and the arc of Marc Aurèle (173 Apr. ), head to the amazing roofs of the Domes thermal baths near the shore. These baths belonged to a wealthy owner. Long buried beneath the sands, they seem to be intact, and it is striking to contemplate this concrete edifice that has gone through history perfectly. Stroll through the frigidarium, the tepidarium and the caldarium, admiring their beautiful frescoes painted with nilotics scenes and arena scenes with gladiators and leopards.

Many columns still adorn the shrine of the sanctuary. In its centre you can see the little temple of the Divine Augustus, that is, the emperors to whom a cult was made after their death. This is also a work of Mayor (antique patron), offered by a family member of Hannibal Tapapius Rufus in the first Century. C.C.

Also called "new forum", to distinguish it from the "old forum" which structurait the public life of the Roman city before the reign of Septime Severe. Because the new forum is also part of the city's expansion under the latter's reign. By choosing its architecture and the luxury of its marble ornamentation, Septime Sévère wanted it to compete with the Rome Forum. The square of 100 m in 60 was dallée of marble and bordered by a portico with columns of cipolin supporting arches adorned with large medallions and heads of gorgonia and néréides. We must take the time to contemplate the different expressions of their fascinating marble faces. At the bottom of the forum, the collapsed temple was dedicated to the family of Septime Severe.

At the other end of the forum, against the wall adjoining the Sévérienne basilica, small pieces were used as shops and bars; they also served, at the architectural level, to hide the imperfect alignment (not really parallel) of the basilica terraced together with the forum.

The circus (112 apr. J Magna is one of the largest in the Roman world. It is 450 m long, 100 m wide and could accommodate up to 25 000 people. During the races, the tanks were élançaient for 7 laps. They were around a long (spina) wall with fountains in the centre of the track. The winning tank came out of a triumphal door. A mosaic of Villa Silin thus represents the exit of the circus of the winners of a race. The amphitheatre (56 apr. Pouvait could accommodate 15 000 people. We will note the small openings by which the Fauves were left in the arena.