Society Monographs (Members Only) – British Institute for Libyan & Northern African Studies

Tripolitania in the Roman Empire and Beyond

Pieter Preston — Mon, 13 Jan 2025 16:56:41 +0000

Niccolo Mugnai (Editor)

Roman-period Tripolitania conjures up images of the monumental architecture of Lepcis Magna and Sabratha, but it was much more than this. This new volume provides up-to-date research by an international team of scholars who tackle important topics such as the urban development, artistic works, rural settlement, culture, religion, and the role of the military on the frontiers of this North African region. Spanning the Roman and later phases through to the early Islamic era, the chapters offer an accessible account of key aspects of Tripolitania’s archaeology for students, researchers, as well as general readers.

About the Author

Niccolò Mugnai is Assistant Professor at the Institute of Classical Archaeology, University of Tübingen (Germany). He held postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Oxford, the British School at Rome, and the University of Leicester where he completed his doctorate in 2016. His principal research interests encompass the archaeology and history of North Africa (Libya to Morocco), Greco-Roman architecture and urbanism, and the material culture of the ancient Mediterranean.

Read a review of this title (in French) by Mohamed-Arbi Nsiri of the Université Paris Nanterre, which appears in Cartagine. Studi e Ricerche, 10 (2025) Rivista della Scuola Archeologica Italiana di Cartagine [Carthage Studies and Research, 10 (2025) in the Journal of the Italian Archaeological School of Carthage.]

Read a review of this title by Antonio Ibba of the Università degli Studi di Sassari which appears in BMCR – Bryn Mawr Classical Review 10/04/2026.

Read a review of this title by Matthew M. McCarty of the University of British Columbia, which appears in The Classical Review, published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 September 2025.

Read a review of this title by Dennis Mario Beck of the Istituto Archeologico Germanico, Rome which appears in Journal of Roman Studies, published online by Cambridge University Press: 30 March 2026.

An Engraved Landscape: Rock Carvings in the Wadi al-Ajal, Libya: Vol 1 Synthesis [HARDBACK]

Pieter Preston — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 19:26:02 +0000

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.

Both richly illustrated, Volume 1 presents a synthesis and Volume 2 is a gazetteer of engravings. This record of the fragile engravings provides an important source of information for researchers, students and rock art enthusiasts.

Click here to read a review of this title in African Archaeological Review

Click here to read a review of this title in Antiquity

Résistance et Dévotion – Anciens sanctuaires ibadites de Djerba

Pieter Preston — Tue, 31 Oct 2023 00:14:24 +0000

This beautifully illustrated study is based on a corpus of 48 places of worship, some in excellent condition, others in ruins or completely rebuilt, which are mentioned in written Ibadi sources and in particular in the chronicle of al-Ḥīlātī (d. 1099/1688-1689). Using numerous unpublished documents, the author reconstructs their history, and presents an in-depth analysis of the local memory of the island.

Virginie Prevost (Université Libre de Bruxelles) has published L’aventure ibāḍite dans le Sud tunisien (Helsinki, 2008), Les Ibadites. De Djerba à Oman, la troisième voie de l’Islam(Turnhout, 2010) and many articles on the history of Djerba.

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Publicity and Reviews

Please click here to read a review of this title by Mounia Chekhab-Abudaya, Deputy Director of Curatorial Affairs Museum of Islamic Art, Doha, which was published by Bulletin critique des Annales islamologiques (BCAI) in May 2025.

Please click here to read an article about “Resistance et Devotion” by journalist Marwa Saidi, which was published in the leading French-language Tunisian daily newspaper La Press de Tunisie, in February of 2024.

Please click here to read a review of this title by Sana Belaazi, which was published by Tunisian news website, African Challenges in February 2024.

Please click here to view an interview with Virginie Prevost and Axel Derriks, which was broadcast in February 2024 by Tunisian national radio station Radio Tunis Chaîne Internationale (RTCI).

Ancient Olive Presses and Oil Production in Cyrenaica (North-East Libya)

Pieter Preston — Wed, 26 Oct 2022 16:21:28 +0000

Please note: for the eBook version of this title there are online appendices which can be found on the Open Access eBooks page of this website. Follow this link to download the appendices.

About the Author

Ahmed Mustafa Buzaian was awarded his first degree in archaeology in 1984 from Benghazi University, Libya. This was followed by an MA (1994) and PhD (2019) in Archaeology from the University of Leicester. He was a lecturer in classical archaeology in the Department of Archaeology, Benghazi University from 1994 to 2012. A very experienced field archaeologist, he was the director of training excavations at Benghazi University on the ancient site of Teucheira (modern Tocra) from 1994-2012, and at the Omer al-Mokhtar University at Balagrae (modern al-Beida) from 2001 to 2006; as well as co-director of the Anglo/Libyan excavations at Euesperides (1995-2006). His interests focus on Roman archaeology and the evidence for olive oil production in Cyrenaica and its economic implications; and finding ways to tackle the unprecedented threat to Libyan heritage.

Click here to read a review of this title by Dr. Emlyn Dodd, Institute of Classical Studies, University of London in the Bryn Mawr Classical Review (BMCR).

Camel Tracks: A History of Exploration, Warfare and Policing in the Modern Imperial Age

Pieter Preston — Wed, 24 Nov 2021 03:13:09 +0000

Camels, one of creations 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 extensive geographical coverage. Descriptions of their biology, value and benefits are followed by travellers’ stories that link them to their historical context. Accompanied by splendid paintings, drawings, photos, and maps, and with a comprehensive bibliography, this volume entertains at the same time as providing a very thorough historical account of these amazing beasts. 1

Building the Countryside: Rural Architecture and Settlement in Tripolitania during the Roman and Late Antique Periods

Pieter Preston — Wed, 24 Nov 2021 02:50:42 +0000

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, dating between the 1st century BC and the 7th century AD. The synthesis and standardisation of these diverse data using new typologies applicable to structures in all parts of the region have, for the first time, facilitated meaningful comparisons between buildings and settlements across Tripolitania. The analysis looks at 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.

For the eBook version of this title there is an online appendix which can be found on the Open Access eBooks page of this website.

Nichole Sheldrick has a DPhil in Archaeology from the University of Oxford and works for the Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa (EAMENA) Project, University of Oxford. She has supervised excavations at two urban Roman sites in Tunisia taken part in survey projects in Morocco and Egypt.

Click here to read a review (in Italian) of this title in the Bryn Mawr Classical Review.

For a English language (Google) translation of this review click on this link

Rural Settlement and Economic Activity [PAPERBACK]

Pieter Preston — Wed, 27 Mar 2019 11:16:20 +0000

This title 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.

An Engraved Landscape: Rock Carvings in the Wadi al-Ajal, Libya Vol 2 Gazetteer [HARDBACK]

Pieter Preston — Tue, 26 Mar 2019 08:07:58 +0000

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.

Click here to read a review of this title in African Archaeological Review

Click here to read a review of this title in Antiquity

De Africa Romaque: Merging Cultures Across North Africa

Pieter Preston — Fri, 18 Nov 2016 16:45:25 +0000

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.

Click here to read a review of this title in the American Journal of Archaeology

Click here to read (in Italian) a review of this title in Latomus

Les mosquées ibadites du djebel Nafūsa: Architecture, histoire et religions du nord-ouest de la Libye [PAPERBACK]

Pieter Preston — Mon, 22 Aug 2016 22:31:47 +0000

Les mosquées ibadites du djebel Nafūsa: Architecture, histoire et religions du nord-ouest de la Libye [The Ibadites Mosques of the Djebel Nafūsa: Architecture, history and religion of North West Libya (VIII-XIII centuries)]

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.

A review of this title, by Mounia Chekhab-Abudaya, Curator, Museum of Islamic Art, Doha, can be found here.