Shop – 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 [PAPERBACK]

Pieter Preston — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 20:13:23 +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

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

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

An Engraved Landscape: Rock Carvings in the Wadi al-Ajal, Libya: TWO VOLUME SET [HARDBACK]

Pieter Preston — Thu, 23 Nov 2023 19:51:48 +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

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).

Farming the Desert: The UNESCO Libyan Valleys Archaeological Survey: Volume 1, Synthesis [Hardback]

Pieter Preston — Fri, 17 Feb 2023 19:01:24 +0000

The desert margins of North Africa are extremely rich in archaeological ruins of the Roman period, evidence of dense settlement 2,000 years ago in what are now arid and hostile environments. Historians, geographers and archaeologists have long debated the significance of these sites, explaining the ‘Greening of the Desert’ variously in terms of environmental change, colonization, external market forces or combinations of factors. The debate so far has been characterized by the lack of scientific data from any one region concerning, on the one hand, the nature of settlement, society and land-use and, on the other, the contemporary climate and environment; this has made it impossible to compare rigorously the strengths and weaknesses of the alternative theories.

The two volumes of Farming the Desert present the results of the alternative approach taken by the UNESCO Libyan Valleys Archaeological Survey: a detailed inter-disciplinary study by archaeologists, geographers and historians of a single region, i.e. the basins of the Wadis Sofeggin and ZemZem in Tripolitania, northwest Libya. The project’s methodologies for studying the archaeology of arid-zone agriculture have been recognized internationally, and the results of their application to the study area have transformed our understanding of how the desert margins of North Africa were farmed in antiquity, with important implications for modern agricultural planning.

‘A particular triumph. It marshals a wide variety of skills and techniques, transforms our understanding of ancient pre-desert farming, and is as vital a contribution to modern needs as it is to scholarship.’ (Tim Potter, British Museum)

Frontiers of the Roman Empire [PAPERBACK]

Pieter Preston — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 20:17:14 +0000

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

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