ANCIENT THEATRE IN LIBYA-BY CULTURE OF GREAT GREECE
According to tradition, the Oracle at Delphi oracle prepared, with which prompted Greek Santorini look at North Africa new residence. So in 631 BC They founded Cyrene. Over the years they followed other Greeks, of course, including Peloponnesians and Cretans.
Especially when he was king in this region the BATT B joined the Evdemon extra Greeks from all parts of central Greece.
Hence the city Berenice, we will see below, possibly named for Macedonians, who had a special idiom to pronounce the letter “F” to “B”.
So the place name Berenice comes from the then known name in ancient Greece “Fereniki” (the one that carries the victory “Niki”).
By Berenice came and verinikion Hellenistic common, the current ie varnish.
Within a hundred years, and founded other cities in the region.
Among them the boat (pt. Al Marj), the Efsperides (later Berenice pt. Benghazi), the Bayda, the Tocra (later Arsinoe pt. Tokra) and Apollonia (pt. Susah), the port of Cyrene.
Together with Cyrene, they were known as the Pentapolis.
Years after the cities were included in the Roman territory, but retaining their Greek character. The emperor Diocletian divided the Empire and Cyrene granted in the State of the East and in 455 AD held invasion Western Powers held vandalism in the area until they were expelled by Justinian in 533 AD
In the coming years the country went through the hands of Arabs, Turks and Italians until self declared independent state after the end of WW2.
The Greeks took the lead in the political and cultural life of the region, making reforms (from democracy reign replacement), building temples, theaters, libraries and extending the borders of the country in which they were now installed.
Ancient Greek theater in Libya

The most populous city of Greek population was Cyrene, which was built on a promontory. There are several theories about how the name originated.
According to Hesiod and Pindaros, the Thessalian nymph Cyrene, daughter of the King of the Lapiths, was swept up by Apollo, when he fell in love while killing unarmed a lion. After the then grabbed, carried her in libya, where the welcomed Venus. He became “queen” of the country and gave birth to her son, Aristea.
On the other hand, according to Callimachus, Cyrene, sister Larissa, while he was in Libya killed a lion that roamed the country. The prize for the achievement of took the governance of the region.
The Cyrene, known in Libya, illustrated a large number of monuments, pediments and statues. Many have even come to light after excavations British, Americans and Italians primarily in the area.
Karneios Temple of Apollo, the ancient city of Cyrene, the Kings tombs are some of the most famous monuments in the area, located at the British Museum. It has been discovered even theater intact his orchestra arcade with length 118m., Which was decorated with 56 statues of Hercules and Hermes, a temple dedicated to Zeus Lykaio, the baths of Justinian and Hadrian statue Venus statue of Athena in 100 copies around. The original statue was a gift of philhellene Egyptian King Amasis.
Many of the monuments bear Greek inscriptions while the country abounds equally Greek wall paintings and rock engravings.
The Cyrene but is not the only city that certifies the Greek presence in Libya. yet there is Apollonia, homeland Mathematician and astronomer Eratosthenes, the Efsperides, who took their name from the Garden of the Hesperides, which we know from the labors of Hercules, Great Leptis (it was called Magna Leptis for Romans to distinguish it from another city with the same name) with 250 marble columns, the Savrata with mosaics and countless ancient Greek temples, etc.
But during the Ottoman period many Greek -christianoi had taken refuge in the Libyan region and especially in the capital, Tripoli.
(Leptis)Today he continues to live in a part of the then Hellenes, as their descendants can not be lost. Some of them may have exislamistei and ignore their roots. But this does not change their origin.
Characteristic is the fact that there Greeks do not stop to honor historical anniversaries of the Greeks, as they did recently on October 28.
Libya therefore represents another station in the endless journey of the Greeks around the world. Certainly North Africa in general strongly possessed by the Greek element, which is easy to determine whether throw a look to the ancient buildings of the regions, such as Tunisia Morocco, Algeria, etc..
Many try today, using every means to perform all this ancient wealth, characterized by the Apollonian Greek aesthetics, the Romans!
We will formulate the following question on it; because the Romans built theaters, libraries, high schools, etc., and in Central Europe or Britain, which had equally?
The answer is simple. Why the Romans, they claimed themselves, only they came into contact with the Greeks, pierced such awe about their culture, who adopted the fullest. Even when their rule, used the Mediterranean ellinogeneis populations was established to rule their vast empire. So the Greeks continued to thrive in the Roman period.
As much as some try to destroy the Greek element or else the Greek if not dimiourgia- contribution to world culture, the stones are there, ready to “tell” their story to anyone who is willing to listen …