This essay will examine to what extent the archaeological evidence from North Africa does or does not reveal an indifference to permanent funereal memorials in the form of monumental superstructures. In particular, comparison will be made with the royal tombs of Tanis from the Libyan Period in Egypt. The validity of the Marxist derived assumption that nomadism is a lifestyle unconcerned with monuments to the dead will also be considered in this context.

In historical times, coastal North Africa has been colonized repeatedly, and each group has provided an additional layer of cultural influence. While this colonial process did not eliminate the influence of the underlying native system, this layered colonization of Cyrenaica and the various indigenous groups of the region had a profound effect on the development of funerary architecture. Hybrid funerary systems and architectural forms developed, and it is perhaps a synthesis of these forms which could truly be labelled as ‘Libyan’, since it is their unifying features which define the characteristic attributes of that culture's approach to the treatment of their dead.

Immediately following the conclusion of the Ashmolean Excavations at Euesperides (Spring 1954) investigations were made at a locality c. 1 km to the south of the site and close by the (then) modern road to Benina Airport in order to determine possible survivals of undisturbed burials in a region long known as an ancient cemetery area. These investigations immediately lighted on an interesting deposit of pottery and terracotta jewellery from the later part of the fourth century BC. The deposit was placed on the rock floor in front of a cutting which had produced a vertical face c. 1 m high. Yet although a flat stone had been set against the rock face no chamber had been cut into the scarp, and no evidence of funerary practice survived in the area excavated.

Editor's Note: this short paper is printed purely as a salvage operation concerning an exploratory sondage carried out in 1954 and written up at that time. It was handed over for publication by the author in Athens to Llewellyn Brown of the Ashmolean Museum, but never actually appeared; the original text, together with photographs and drawings of the objects, cannot now be found: possibly with this publication they may be identified. Mr Wright is one of the few people now living who was involved in archaeological work in Libya at that period, and even in its largely unillustrated form it would be unfortunate to entirely lose the 1954 record printed below.

Mohammed el Adouli was well known throughout the Jebel Akhdar in the nineteenth century, and for at least twenty years was employed as a guide by many foreign consuls and explorers. This article seeks to bring together any information, both complimentary and otherwise, which has been left by these travellers about Adouli. The most striking record is his photograph, taken in 1861 by Smith and Porcher, which must be the earliest named photographic portrait of a Libyan.

Traditional settlements in Libya reflect man's response to the harsh environmental conditions and the need to sustain the social organisation and respect social and cultural traditions. Thus urban dwellers have a strong desire for the morphology of settlements and the needs of indigenous habitats. This has played an important part in shaping the character of traditional Libyan cities and town. As far as people are concerned they are part of their community or neighbourhood. This paper reviews the old town of Ghadames to show how traditional settlement successfully responded to the geographical, environmental conditions and social needs. Attention is also focused on the architectural character, house form and building methods and materials, based on a survey carried out by the author in Ghadames oasis in August 1991. It attempts to establish the suitability of traditional building.

This article presents a new approach to the analysis of the UNESCO Libyan Valleys Survey data, using a Geographical Information System (GIS) for mapping and spatial analysis of site distribution. The first section of the article describes the way in which the GIS was compiled and linked to the computerised gazetteer database. The second section demonstrates the use of the system as a mapping tool, shedding new light on the settlement trends in the region through time. The final section of the article explores in greater depth some aspects of its potential in sophisticated spatial analysis.

The Editor introduces the first of a new occasional series for the reproduction of early photographs of Libya. The group of photographs selected were taken at Cyrene in 1860–61 during the Smith and Porcher archaeological expedition to that site.

In October 1994, a small Anglo-Libyan team carried out a short field season on the site of Euesperides in the suburbs of Benghazi. The work was intended as the prelude to the renewal of excavation and more detailed investigation of this important Greco-Libyan town of the sixth to third century BC. Through selective recording of trenches dug recently by the Department of Antiquties on the north side of the site and of exposed sections in a redevelopment site close by, some important data on the nature of activity in this area has been gained. Palaeobotanical samples from these trenches have also yielded significant new information. In addition, surface collection of artefacts from the hill of Sidi Abeid and the northern part of the site will provide an opportunity to assess the phasing and zoning of Euesperides. Finally, a new theodolite survey of the site in its modern urban context demonstrates all too clearly the degradation of the ancient city in the face of intense modern development since the 1950s.

In April 1995 a three week season of excavation was conducted at the ancient city of Euesperides by the Society for Libyan Studies and the Department of Archaeology, Gar Younis University, Benghazi, in collaboration with the Libyan Department of Antiquities. This note provides a brief account of the main findings.

The background to the new work at the site is as follows: in the early 1990s unauthorised excavations for a shopping precinct took place immediately to the north of the known archaeological zone of Sidi Abeid, bringing to light huge quantities of pottery and other artefacts of the Greek period. Eye-witnesses report also the removal of large quantities of ancient building stone during these operations. Following initiatives by the Department of Antiquities and Gar Younis University a legal judgement was obtained suspending further construction (the court case is continuing) and archaeological investigations were set in train.

The condition of the site was brought to the attention of Drs Susan Walker and Joyce Reynolds during their visit to Benghazi in September 1993. A year later, following further visits by the first-named author of this note (in December 1993) and by the Libya Society's Chairwoman, Dr Walker, and Head of Mission, Professor Graeme Barker (in Spring 1994), a joint programme of research was agreed and a two-year contract with the Department of Antiquities was signed in Tripoli. The Society was able to divert resources immediately to the site, and the results of the ensuing investigation, which benefited greatly from the participation of the Department of Archaeology, are reported elsewhere in this volume. The field directors, Drs Peter Hayes and David Mattingly, very kindly made available the full records of this work in advance of the excavations.

Lepcis Magna is one of the best examples of an African city during the Roman period. Its importance lies in its location in relation to the Mediterranean and the well-watered hinterland of Tripolitania and its resources. The key factor in the development of the city was its position, sheltered by a promontory, at the mouth of Wadi Lebda. It displays the processes of growth which other Roman town-plans have made familiar: a nuclear chessboard with divergent though mostly rectilinear enlargements. Lepcis became more important than the other two ports of Oea and Sabratha.

Wealthy private citizens contributed greatly toward the buildings of the first century. In the second century the Libyan S. Severus became Emperor at a time when a lively and independent culture was growing up in the western part of North Africa. Lepcis attained its greatest architectural glories under S. Severus and his two sons. With the decline of seaborne trade that followed the serious economic crises at the end of the third century, raids by the tribes of the interior became bolder and more ruthless.