[117] ‘Scarcely a vestige of the wall remains.’—Eng. Cycl. s.v. ‘Bengazi.’
[118] Berenice, about 40 miles to south-west of Barca. Here the ancients placed the gardens of the Hesperides—now Ben Ghazi. (Beechey, p. 314.) Bengazi may be considered as occupying the site of the Berenice of the Ptolemies and of the Hesperis of earlier times; but very few remains now appear above ground to interest the sculptor, the architect or the antiquary.—J. Pennell’s ‘Herodotus’ (4to., London, 1800), p. 154.
Of the ancient city very few remains are now visible. ‘At the back of the castle, some foundations may be seen cropping out, but the tomb of a saint prevents any excavations being made.’—Smith and Porcher’s ‘Discoveries at Cyrene’ (1864), p. 13.
‘Bengazi, the ancient Berenice, built by Ptolemy Philadelphus.
Nothing now remains but its port, which is certainly the best on the coast of Tripoli.’ ‘On the north there are still to be seen, beyond seamark, the foundations of several large buildings, of stones 8 or 10 feet long and 3 broad, which, by their own weight and being bound by strong cement, have preserved their places.’—Lieut.-Col. Playfair, ‘Travels in the Footsteps of Bruce’ (4to., London, 1877.)
[119] Ptolemaïs (Ptolemeta), now Dolmeita. V. Beechey, p. 376. He gives, at p. 338, etc., a plan of the city and environs, and also drawings of some of the ruins. The city was something less than a mile in length from north to south, and its breadth from east to west something more than three-quarters. Captain Beechey describes the remains of the walls to the city and harbour, of two theatres, an amphitheatre, and various buildings of more than ordinary consequence. ‘Some of the shafts of small columns are spiral and formed of coloured marbles, and may probably be attributed to the time of Justinian, when the city revived under his politic munificence.’
Lieut.-Col. Playfair, ‘Footsteps of Bruce’ (1877), pp. 288, 289, gives a good account also.
Smith and Porcher, pp. 64, 66, give drawings of ruins. ‘At a point nearly opposite the centre of the east wall, the ravine is spanned by the arch of a bridge still standing, which appears to have been built for an aqueduct which we could trace distinctly for some distance from the city. Within the walls the aqueduct led in the direction of enormous reservoirs near the centre of the city.’ Messrs. Smith and Porcher describe them as consisting of six chambers, each chamber too feet long and 20 broad, arched over. The repairs to the aqueduct and cisterns are ascribed by Procopius to Justinian. (L.)
[120] ‘Several of the buildings are partly standing, such as a lofty gateway, an amphitheatre, two theatres, a palace or large building, the inner court of which still retains its tesselated pavement.’—Eng. Cycl. s.v. ‘Cyrene.’ (S.)
[121] ‘The exact position of this S. Borium it is difficult to determine.’—Smith’s ‘Dictionary of Geography.’