[122] Augila (now Aujilah). ‘Its historical importance is considerable, and it is one of those few places whose name has not undergone change since Herodotus wrote.’—Rennell’s ‘Herodotus,’ pp. 568-613 (4to., 1800). (L.)
[123] Leptis Magna. ‘The city appears to have been comprehended within little more than a square half-mile of ground. The actual remains are still sufficient to be somewhat imposing; but they are for the most part so deeply buried under the sand which ten centuries of neglect have allowed to accumulate over them, that plans of them could not be obtained without very extensive excavations. The style of the buildings is universally Roman.’ The walls and fortifications, probably restored by Justinian, were finally demolished by the Saracens. From that time the city appears to have been wholly abandoned and its remains employed in the construction of Modern Tripoli.—‘North Coast of Africa,’ by Beechey (4to., London, 1828), pp. 52, 54.
Lieut.-Col. Playfair, p. 283, describes the remains thus: ‘Libidah, the ancient town of Leptis Magna, three days’ journey from Tripoli where there are a great extent of ruins, but all in bad taste—chiefly done in the lime of Aurelian—indeed very bad. It is said that in the time of Louis XIV. seven monstrous columns of granite or marble were carried from this place into France.’ Bruce also states that he saw several statues of good taste which had been deprived of their heads. (L.)
[124] Tacape. ‘Gabes: this was the Epichus of Sylax and the Tacape of other ancient geographers; where we have a heap of ruins with some beautiful granite pillars still standing. These are all square and about 12 feet long, and such as I have not met with in any other part of Africa.’—Shaw’s ‘Travels in Barbary,’ p. 113. (L.)
[125] Carthage. Shaw, p. 81, etc., of his ‘Travels in Barbary,’ describes the remains of Carthage existing in his time (circa 1750), in particular the great cistern (of which he gives a plan at p. 75), ‘which had very little suffered,’ and ‘the famous aqueduct, a great part whereof is still standing:’—‘We see—a long range of its arches, all of them intact, 70 feet high, supported by columns 16 feet square ... the channel being high and broad enough for an ordinary person to walk in.’
Bruce says, ‘We passed ancient Carthage, of which little remains but the cisterns, the aqueduct, and a magnificent flight of steps leading up to the Temple of Esculapius.’ He gives (p. 130) a drawing of the aqueduct, which Col. Playfair describes ‘as one of the greatest works the Romans ever executed in North Africa.’ ‘It was destroyed by the Vandals, restored by Belisarius, the general of Justinian. On the expulsion of the Byzantines it was once more cut off, restored by the Arabs, again destroyed by the Spaniards, and finally restored by the present Bey, Sidi Saduk, at a cost of 13,000,000 francs.’—Lieut.-Col. Playfair in ‘Footsteps of Bruce,’ p. 128.
[126] Baga. ‘The city of Beja or Bay-jah, which by the name and situation should be the Vacca of Sallust, the Oppidum Vagense of Pliny, the ΒΑΓΑ of Plutarch, and the Vaccensium ordo Splendissimus, as the title runs in an imperfect inscription.’ ‘Bay-jah keeps up the character that Sallust gives his Vacca of being a town of great trade.’ ‘The walls are raised out of the ancient materials.’—Shaw’s ‘Travels in Barbary,’ p. 92.
‘The ancient city was surrounded by a wall, flanked by square towers—no doubt this was originally constructed by the Byzantines—but were allowed by the Arabs to fall into decay. The only part in a relative state of preservation is the Kasba, a great part of which seems to me the original construction of Belisarius or Solomon.’ It contains ‘a large and lofty hall, about 15 paces long and 10 wide, with a vaulted roof supported on two square pillars.’—Lieut.-Col. Playfair, p. 234. (L.)
[127] Adrumetus. ‘Herkla—the Heraclea of the lower empire, the Justiniana of the middle, and the Adrumetum of the earlier ages.‘ ‘It appears to have been little more than a mile in circuit.’ ‘That part of the promontory which formed the port seems to have been walled in quite down to the seashore; but the rest of it, to a distance of a furlong from thence, does not discover the least traces of ruins.’—Shaw’s ‘Travels in Barbary,’ pp. 105, 106. (L.)
[128] Ca-poudia, the Caput Veda of Procopius, the Ammonis Promontorium of Strabo, and the Promontorium Brachodes of Ptolemy—a low narrow strip of land which stretches itself a great way into the sea. Upon the very point of it we have the ruins of the city that was built there by Justinian, where there is likewise a high round watch-tower.’—Shaw’s ‘Travels in Barbary,’ p. 111. (L.)