Fourth Dimension Tours

Ancient Apollonia was Cyrene's port for over a thousand years, and its ruins form an essential part of the whole archaeological complex. They can conveniently be visited from Cyrene by means of the modern road , twenty kilometers long , which follows the course of the ancient highway linking city and port .Originally constructed by the Greeks , when they began to develop their naval merchant fleets , the road was improved in A.D. 100 by a working -party of legionary recruits enlisted in Cyrenaica , and was partly destroyed by the Jewish insurgents only fifteen years later after further repairs it remained in use until the Arab invasions . At the beginning of the present century the old highway still retained its original form "chiseled squarely into the living rock, with its side walks on either hand", but the construction of a new bituminized road-bed after 1914 has changed its appearance, whilst at the same time facilitating access to Apollonia.
After descending tortuously through the northern necropolis the road reaches the lower plateau at the entrance to which ( just before the modern road-house ) are some remains of an ancient temple on a hillock to the right and the well-defined track of a stepped open water channel , which formerly brought down the waters of Ain Hofra ( a spring immediately east of Cyrene ) to gardens in the plain .

From here the road runs eastward , and then northward , towards the crest of the lower escarpment , where the Italian-built " Signal Fort " is a prominent land-mark . During the descent of the escarpment the modern town of Susa comes into view , with its long beaches and small islands . In the coastal plain west of the town can be seen the overgrown field-walls which enclosed the land cultivated in Greek and Roman times .
Modern Susa was founded in 1897 as a colony of Moslem refugees from Crete , and there is a decidedly non-African strain apparent in its population . It was extensively rebuilt in the Italian occupation as a port for coastal shipping and an administrative centre . To-day it serves neither role and is pleasantly somnolent . By good fortune the modern habitations lie almost entirely outside the ramparts of the ancient town , and the principle damage to the latter has been caused by the sea following a sinking of the coast in late antique times .

Of the ancient history of Apollonia itself there are few recodes , but it shared the vicissitudes of Cyrene for most of its existence . It was given its name in honour of of the patron god who brought the Greeks to Libya , but in Christian times it was more commonly called " Sozusa ", from which has developed the Arab name " Susa " . Although originally the dependent port of Cyrene , the prosperity of Apollonia was such as to give it autonomy during the Roman period , when it was recognized as one of the five cities of the Pentapolis .By the sixth century A.D. it had succeeded both Cyrene and Ptolemais as the principal city in the province , and its fine series of Byzantine churches bears witness to its new status . But the building activities of the Byzantines wrought great damage to the earlier buildings , and for this reason only the city walls , the theatre and the harbour works remain to represent the earlier phase of Apollonia's life .

To reach the ruins , pass through the modern town square and continue on the Derna road towards the Libyan Army barracks . Shortly before reaching the latter , turn half left at the point where the houses on the left -hand side of the road end and take the track leading up to the old ramparts . Between here and the seashore are the prominent remains of the Eastern Church , and a track continues down to a parking place on the beach .

The first important monument of ancient Apollonia to be encountered on this itinerary is the Extra-Mural Church (1_ which stands on the right -hand side of the Derna road , opposite the track to the excavations . Only a corner of the outer walls of this Church is visible , as modern buildings encumber it . The Church is remarkable for the traces of a cactus garden at its east end .
The Hellenistic City Walls (2) pf Apollonia are well preserved throught their landward course , but an enormous quantity of fallen stone makes it difficult to detect the gateways and towers which formerly existed . The Walls are most impressive at the south-east corner where they rise high on the Acropolis Hill , and visitors not pressed for time are advised to follow the walls as far as the Theatre , and then return along the cliffs and beach to the Eastern Church .
The Theatre(3) lies immediately outside the eastern ramparts , the line of which cuts short the full development of the rock-cut seats in the western cavea . it is clear that the ramparts were standing when the Theatre was constructed , and we must therefore presume that the architect preferred to sacrifice a number of seats rather than move the whole building eastward into the broken and unstable area of the quarries .
The Theatre is of Greek type and of Hellenistic date ; but it was extensively remodeled under the Emperor Domitian ( A.D. 92-96) , when a parapet was erected around the margin of the orchestra , and a new and elaborate stage - wall constructed . This was demolished by the Byzantines in the sixth century , to provide building materials , and only its lowest courses survive to-day .

The cavea remained unchanged throughout in history , and still has its full quota of 28 tiers of seats : it is the best preserved theatre auditorium in Cyrenaica . The loss of the stage wall , and the sinking of the coast has disturbed the acoustics ; but we must bear in mind that the noise of the sea breaking on the nearby rocks would not have been audible in ancient times .
The main access-route to the theatre appears to have been through the quarries that lie outside the south-east corner of the city , and by a rock - cut road leading to the top of the cavea .
Returning westward from the Theatre we cross the unexcavated Acropolois Hill and descend to the beach at a point where some large valuated Cisterns (4) with remains of Byzantine houses above them , have recently been excavated . The rocks below these houses contain a curious group of beehive-shaped storage bins cut into the rock and now undercut by sea erosion . Before the sinking of the coast these bins would have served for the storage of grain or other merchandise .

Immediately west of the Cisterns follows a row of Rock Chambers (5) consisting of simple rectangular rooms with elaborate portals . A channel along the back wall served to divert water-seepage , and these chambers were probably used as warehouses . Beam-holes in their facades show that timber structure were added externally .
From the west end of these Chambers ran a Main street (6) of the city , passing the north side of the imposing Eastern Church (7) . A porch opening from the street gave access to the Church , which has large monolithic columns of " cipollino " marble dividing the nave and aisles and forming transepts . In front of the alter table , of which the base , with slots for six legs , survives .
Remains of fine mosaic lie in the apse and another one , with figured panels , is in the southern transept , overlying an earlier mosaic of geometrical pattern . The paneled mosaic , of characteristic sixth - century A.D. type , includes representations of wild beasts , and a scene ( now in Museum ) of Noah releasing the dove from the Ark .

In the north-east corner of the Church is a Baptistery of triconchos plan with a marble-faced baptismal tank which was perhaps surmounted by a marble canopy . In the outer walls of the building is a raised cistern used for filling the baptismal tank .
The walls of the Church , especially on the west , embody remains of an earlier pagan building which , on the evidence of an inscription , is believed to have been a Temple of Apollo. To this supposed Temple probably belonged the large molded bases of purple " Aswan " granite scattered in and around the church . The fine " drafted " masonry of Hellenistic type in the west wall of the church is noteworthy .
The date of the Eastern Church is uncertain , but the mosaics and some of the other fittings seem to be sixth century . On the other hand the generous proportions and the use of " cipollino " columns taken from some earlier building may indicate a fifth century date for its initial construction .
Immediately west of this Church is an area of recent excavations containing crude Byzantine dwellings , with a few slight traces of earlier public and private edifices . Small side streets running down to the main east-west street reveal the usual classical plan of intersecting streets . Continuing westward we enter the zone of the recently excavated Baths(8) . The original entrance to the Baths was probably in the main street to the north , near the present cliff , but there has been much Byzantine rebuilding in this area . A large open courtyard , flanked by fluted Corinthian columns of local sand-stone , served as a palaestra or exercise hall and contains a small plunge bath in its centre . To the west opened off the principle hot rooms, the hypocausts of which were stripped in Byzantine times when the whole block was put to different use .

On the hill-top above the Baths lie the extensive remains of the Byzantine Palace (15). This highly complex building is divided into two halves by a paved corridor giving access to a projecting bastion on the city ramparts .
The western wing contains the ceremonial rooms used by the Byzantine " Duke " or Governor in the sixth century , when Apollonia was the provincial capital . A broad portal in the north wall leads into a vestibule with benches around the walls . From here one door gives access to the centre of the Palace and another ( on the right ) leads into a long Audience - Hall , with an apse at its west end . Through a doorway in this apse , the governor would enter to meet important visitors . And the cupboards built into the south wall may have contained the volumes of imperial legislation . In the centre of the building is an open courtyard with low arcades on three sides , and a lofty Council-Chamber opening off to the west . This chamber has an apse with raised floor , where the Governor would be enthroned on state occasions . In front of the apse is a stone table of uncertain function , and there may have been wooden benches for the notables on either side of the room . On the south side of the courtyard is a small apsed Chapel which contained a fine marble reliquary decorated with crosses ( now in the Museum ) : it is presumable that this originally contained the bones of a local Saint .

The eastern wing is less imposing , and was much modified during its life . Many of the walls preserved at ground-floor level were intended to support a piano nobile which extended across both this and the western wing . At the eastern end of the building is a self-contained house with apsed room ( ? office ) which was perhaps the residence of a high Palace official .
Beyond the Baths stands prominently the Central Church (9) recently excavated and restored . Its entrance was on the west and led into a small atrium which , in turn , gave access to the long narrow narthex . With apses at both extremities in the better preserved southern apse stand a throne and clergy - benches , perhaps for the receipt of offerings .

The main body of the church opens , by triple portals , from the narthex , and the marble - paved nave is flanked by columns of white marble bearing crosses resting on orbs . Immediately in front of the eastern apse is the sanctuary surrounded by marble balustrades , and with a ciborium , or canopy , on four columns over the site of the alter table . Possibly there was a synthronos or clergy-throne in the apse , but all trace of it has vanished . Of the two sacristies flanking the apse the southern one contains a small chapel with fragmentary mosaic floor and columns and niches in its end wall. Remains of the original wall-plaster decoration survive .
The find quality of the marble fittings in this church contrasts with the mean and shoddy construction of the outer walls. It is also noticeable that the columns of the nave are not exclusively of marble, but are supplemented by roughly cut and stuccoed columns of local sandstone. So, too, the marble paving of the nave is incomplete.
These indications suggest that the Byzantine inhabitants of Apollonia received a shipload of imported church fittings and set about improvising, as best they could, a building to receive them.
The character of the fittings indicates a date in the sixth century A.D., probably in the reign of Justinian. The columns were deliberately undermined to destroy the church at a later date, presumably after the Arab invasion.

The Western Church (10 ) is built up against the ramparts of the city, it's apse occupying one of the former towers. The fact that it has a western rather than eastern apse may be due to considerations of access rather than of cult; and it was in any case economical to make use of the massive structure of the city wall. The nave and aisles were divided by columns of different sizes and materials, the smaller ones being raised up on stone piers. The capitals ( also of differing types ) supported arcades of which remains have been found. The sanctuary was of usual sixth-century type, and enclosed with marble balustrades: it's floor included panels of good quality opus sectile.
There is a small and rudimentary narthex on the east, with a paved atrium outside, beyond which lies a complex of rooms an open water-tank. To the north a vestibule with mosaic floor ( typical sixth-century animal figures ) gave access to a small baptistery with sunk baptismal tank. The water for this tank was heated by a furnace in the south wall.
The city walls in this area are disfigured by modern buildings, but the modern lighthouse is known to stand on top of the circular tower that marked the south-western angle of the circuit. Towards the sea the walls emerge from their covering and terminate, on the modern seashore, in the remarkable West Gate (11) of the city.

This gateway, now severely threatened by the encroaching sea, consisted of two round towers ( the easternmost is now almost unrecognizable ) with a finely-built portal between them. The portal has been blocked up at some successive period, perhaps in the Byzantine age after an earthquake and land-subsidence had destroyed the original port installations. The gateway did not open directly in the city, but had an inner court enclosed by a large semicircular wall, most of which is now under water. From this wall a massive mole, perhaps serving also as a defensive wall, ran out towards the reefs and islands.
As already stated, the sinking of the coast has greatly changed the aspect of Apollonia, but recent underwater explorations have given an idea of the original port lay-out. The Outer Harbour, for sea-going vessels , was protected by a mole running northwards from near the Theatre towards the easternmost of the offshore islands , on which stood a lighthouse of circular plan . A second mole , of very massive construction , ran from near the Eastern Church towards the largest island , and near the latter was interrupted by a narrow channel , through which smaller vessels could enter the Inner Harbour .
This Inner Harbour was probably the original Greek harbour , and was surrounded by wharves and slipways up which the oared war vessels would be drawn for maintenance . Well-preserved remains of one such Slipway (12) , now partly submerged , exist on the central island , and consist of eight separate compartments , the dividing walls of which can be seen from the shore .

The semi-circular bay that forms the modern harbour and defensive works , and was of much smaller extent and depth in ancient times . The point that encloses it on the north contains a remarkable rock-cut recess now under water and known romantically ( if unjustifiably ) as " Cleopattra's Pool " ( 13 ) . It was evidently a query in origin , but may later have served as a slipway for repairing boats .Equally notable is the isolated Tomb Chamber(14) lying in the centre of an ancient quarry now washed by the sea . This chamber evidently represents an ancient tomb left intact when all the surrounding rock was quarried away . The adjoining rocks beside the sea display other ancient cutting of obscure purpose .
The cemeteries of ancient Apollonia lay in the quarries to west and east of the walled town , and those on the west are mainly covered by the modern habitations of Susa . The surviving tombs on the east lack the architectural elegance of the Cyrene tombs , but we must bear in mind that stone -built tombs were probably demolished by the Byzantine builders , ever in search of building materials . One very elaborate tomb , now completely stripped of masonry , stood at Ras Leshgram ,2km . east of the Theatre , and close to an interesting rock-cut Greek fortress .
To the west of the modern town , between the Moslem Cemetery and the sea , lies the leveled platform of a large Greek temple similarly demolished by the Byzantines . It may have been that " Temple of Venus " which figures in the play " The Cable " by Plautus , the action of which is set on the seashore near Cyrene .

Apollonia was the terminal of the Greek and roman road system , and there are no indications of any major coastal highway continuing eastward to Derna , or westward to Ptolemais . In ancient times , as to-day , the main lines of east-west communication lay on the high plateau , where there were numerous villages .