#tripolis

Tripolis-Denizli

15.05.2025

Newest pickup. Syrian tetradrachms might be my favorite…

Roman Province - Syria

AR Tetradrachm - 25.5mm 11.32g

Caracalla 215-217 AD

Tripolis Mint

Obverse AVT K M A ANTΩΝΕΙΝΟC CEB

Head of Caracalla right, laureate

Reverse ΔΗΜΑΡΧ ΕΞ VΠΑΤΟC TO Δ

Eagle standing front, head right, holding wreath in beak, caps of the Dioscuri topped by stars between legs

Sabratha, the Cartheginian trading post formerly-known as Emporia, was annexed by the Romans following the defeat of the Numidian king Jugurtha in 105 BC and became an official colony under Antoninus Pius. In the 3rd century, the three cities of Sabratha, Lepcis Magna and Oea were known as Regio Tripolitania, or Tripolis (the Region of the Three Cities). Profiting from their connections to the African hinterland, Sabratha’s city’s traders supplied Rome with exotic animals for the venationes and luxury goods like ivory.

The architectural magnificence of these cities reflect their wealth and importance to the capitol. Partially buried in the sand for centuries, the extensive and well-preserved ruins of Sabratha were excavated and reconstructed by Italian archeologists in the 1930s. The major monuments, built mainly in the second half of the third century and during the reign of Septimius Severus (a native of Lepcis Magna), include a large theatre, a spacious forum, temples and seaside baths. As was the case throughout Roman North Africa, ashlar masonry, and not brick-faced concrete, was the preferred construction technique and white marble imported from Greece the preferred material.

Due to the statics of stone block architecture, a more classical post-and-lintel type of structure prevails, with few of the daring innovations in vaulting and scale made possible by concrete. The builders of Sabratha nevertheless used columnar architecture to great decorative effect, as seen in the rhythmic groupings of projecting entablatures of different sizes in the scaenae frons and the syncopated pilasters and lunettes of the exterior arcades.

Sabratha was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1982 and has been on the endangered monuments list since 2016, due to the political instability of Lybia, military combat on the site in 2017, and the rising levels of the Mediterranean Sea.

The photo below shows the point of impact of a rocket-propelled grenade, fired at ISIS forces in 2017, on the exterior wall of the theatre of Sabratha. Proving once again the superior engineering and building skills of the Romans, the 2000 year old structure sustained only superficial damage from a direct hit by a modern explosive missile.

Archaeologists have unearthed a 2,000-year-old olive oil mill in the ancient city of Tripolis in southwestern Turkey. Discovered in Turkey's Aegean province of Denizli, the mill is expected to shed light on the rich olive history of the region, according to Doğan News Agency.

The mill was uncovered during the excavation of an ancient agora. The mill room measures 3.5 meters, with a stone press 50 centimeters in diameter used to crush the olives.