Sabratha, an old Phoenician colony in North Africa

Since the toppling and execution of Muammar Gaddafi, Libya has been left in turmoil. The centralized government he had put into place has totally collapsed, and the country has fallen apart. The old Tripolitania in the west, with cities like Oea (Tripoli), Leptis Magna, and Sabratha, is separated from the Cyrenaica in the east around the modern city of Benghazi and old Cyrene. The deserts to the south have become a no man's land where smugglers, militias, and armed groups of all kinds roam and rule freely.

There is no room for archaeologists who fear the worst as the more than two thousand years old sites are the scene of armed conflicts or otherwise fall victim to urban expansion. Armed groups often gather inside archaeological sites from where they organize their attacks.

For decennia, the conservation and restoration of the antique sites were entrusted to Western experts and archaeologists, but the political and practical insecurity has kept them away. Recently, a Spanish archaeological mission visited Sabratha and reached an agreement to restore the site. Pending due security measures, however, their good intentions cannot materialize (see: Still hope, though scant, for Libya’s heritage). 

Meanwhile, looting is still occurring on a large scale. Taking advantage of the lack of security, smugglers have no difficulty collecting archaeological treasures (see: Cyrene and other Lybian sites defaced and left for grabs). Occasionally, some of these artworks are seized, but there is no overview of the looting. The fact that Sabratha has become the departure point for illegal migrants from Africa is not helping either.

All museums have closed, including the major one in Tripoli. Some of the most precious artifacts have been stored in safe locations, but that will never be enough to truly safeguard the vast and varied amount of artwork.

I have found no particular information about the situation at the Museum of Sabratha, which holds a rare collection of mosaics and frescoes.

One of the most striking mosaics is the Triumph of Bacchus which displays three inserted medallions. It appears that these medallions were created by specialized craftsmen in Alexandria who were famous for using tiny tesserae. Looking closely, one can easily notice the difference in size and style between the overall mosaic and the inserts. The top medallion shows Bacchus standing on a chariot that is pulled by two panthers. The central medallion contains a rather aggressive lion head, and the bottom one is a carefully executed panther head. 

Another remarkable piece of the museum is the sizeable mosaic retrieved from the Basilica of Justinian, which must have been exceptionally large. The work of art is filled with Byzantine-Christian symbolism, such as the vine surrounding an ostentatious peacock (representing immortality) and the bird in a cage (the human soul trapped in his body). The phoenix, in turn, stands for the resurrection. The mosaics that once covered the floor of the side naves of the Basilica are hung from the walls.

The frescoes, although rather small, are very well executed and very lively. Most of these pieces were recovered from the House of Leda.

The importance and significance of Sabratha deserve to be underscored. Few people realize that as early as the 10th century BC, Phoenicians from Lebanon founded three trading posts on the shores of North Africa. In time, these became known as the Tripolitania. It was the Greeks who founded the first colonies in the Cyrenaica in the 8th century BC, including cities like Cyrene (see: Picking up Alexander’s traces in Cyrene). After the death of Alexander, this area was ruled by the Ptolemies as the Cyrenaica was part of Egypt.

Click here to see all the pictures of Sabratha