History of Libya

Pre-historic periods (Paleolithic, Neolithic, etc.)

Significative traces (such as chopper, stone tools, millstones, earthenware, rock paintings and graffiti, etc.) can be found "en-plein-air" all over in the Libyan desert, as well as in all the Sahara.

They show that Sahara was not an arid desert at that time, but it was rich of water, vegetation and animals; probably similar to a savannah.

BOARD shows: top, years before present days; second line, main archeological periods; stone tools are divided according to peculiar archeological periods.

STAMPS ISSUE: 1978, January 1 - "Archaelogy in Libya" (3 stamps of 5)

10 dirhams: Crocodile or varano, and its young - graffito (length 220cm.) - South Libya, area of Messak Settafet (uadi Mathendusc)

15 dirhams: Two human creatures (wolf-men, lycanthropes ?) transport a killed rhinoceros - graffito - location, same as above

40 dirhams: Elephant - graffito - South Libya, area of Messak Settafet (in Galgulen)

Phoenician and Greek periods

The Phoenicians were the first to establish trading posts in Libya, when the merchants of Tyre (in present-day Lebanon in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea) developed commercial relations with the Berber tribes and made treaties with them to ensure their cooperation in the exploitation of raw materials.

They established commercial colonies in all the Mediterranean area; in Libya around the 7th century BC.

MAP shows the situation in the Mediterranean area in that period.

STAMPS ISSUE:

1983, March 17 - "Ancient Ships"

(2 stamps of 6)

(left) Pheonician ship

(right) Greek ship

So, at that time, the coastal part of Libya was divided under the two colonizations: Punic in the western part (later on "Tripolitania") and Greek in the eastern part (later on "Cyrenaica").

The internal part of Libya was not colonized. It was a far and mysterious territory called Phazania (present-day Fezzan). Herodotus in his "Histories" gives a short but significative description of the bold and belligerent local tribes: the Garamanti. Their main centre was the Oasis of Garama/Germa; another was Cydamus (present-day Ghadames). Garamanti had the control of the rich commercial lines crossing the desert and connecting the coast to the internal regions of Africa.

PHOTO shows a pre-historical rock painting with a "two-wheels" Garamanti battle chariot.

STAMPS ISSUE: 1972, December 15 - "Libyan Monuments/Archaelogy" (2 stamps of 6)

25 mills - Rock painting "Exchanging of weapons" - South Libya, Akakus Mountain (cave of Wan Amil)

55 mills - Rock painting "Garamantian chariot" - South Libya, (uadi Zigza)

Punic period

By the 5th century BC, Carthage, the greatest of the Phoenician colonies in present-day Tunisia, had extended its hegemony across much of North Africa, where a distinctive civilisation, known as Punic, came into being. Punic settlements on the Libyan coast included, from west to east, Sabratha, Oea (Tripoli) and Labdah (Leptis). All these were in an area that was later called Tripolis, or "Three Cities". Libya's current-day capital Tripoli takes its name from this.

Carthage went in conflict with the arising power of Rome, and they were defeated at the end of the 3rd century BC during the "Punic Wars" (battle of Zama 202BC).

MAP shows Punic-Carthage and Roman territories before "Punic Wars".

Roman period

The Romans unified both regions of Libya, and for more than 400 years Tripolitania and Cyrenaica became prosperous Roman provinces. Roman ruins, such as those of Sabratha and Leptis Magna, attest to the vitality of the region, where populous cities and even small towns enjoyed the amenities of urban life. Merchants and artisans from many parts of the Roman world established themselves in North Africa, but the character of the cities of Tripolitania remained decidedly Punic and, in Cyrenaica, Greek.

As regard to the internal part of Libya, present-day Fezzan, which was problematic to colonize and control at that time, the Romans made agreements with Garamanti peoples.

FIRST MAP shows the Roman territories at the time of the death of Julius Ceasar (44BC).

SECOND MAP shows the Roman Empire divided between Senatorial and Imperial Provinces at the time of the first Emperor, Augustus (27BC - 14AD).

STAMPS ISSUE:

1981, January 15 - "Mosaics from Jamahiriya"

(2 stamps of 6)

Roman mosaics

STAMPS ISSUE:

1984, February 10 - "Antiquities of Jamahiriya"

(1 stamp of 6)

Roman theatre in Sabratha (80km west of Tripoli)

Vandal and Byzantine period

The Roman Empire reached its maximum extension in the 3rd century CE.

In the 4th century all the territories of the Empire were under the pressure of belligerent peoples.

See MAP above.

In 395AD the Roman Empire was divided in two: the Western Roman Empire (capital Ravenna) and the Eastern Roman Empire (capital Constantinople-Byzantium), also known as the Byzantine Empire.

In 439, the coastal part of Libya was conquered by the Vandals, peoples who came from the western aerea of the Mediterranean.

In 533, Belisario, Emperor of Byzantium, put Libya under the Byzantine control.

See MAP below.

Both Vandals and Byzantines could not extend their influence in the southern region of Fezzan, which remained independent.

Early Arab Islamic period

The Byzantine control over Libya was tenuous and restricted to a few poorly defended coastal strongholds. In September 642 the Arab horsemen, army of Islam, under the command of Amr ibn al-A'as, crossed into Cyrenaica and conquered it. The city of Pentapolis was renamed "Burqa".

MAP shows the rapid extension of the Arab Islamic influence starting from the Arabic peninsula; the period of time goes from 622 (Hegira of Prophet Mohamed) to 945 (Abbasidi dinasty).

In the following centuries, many of the indigenous peoples of Libya adopted Islam, and also the Arabic language and culture.

Arab Islamic period

MAP shows the situation of the Islamic world in the 12th century.

Libya was under the control of the Caliphate of Fatimidi.

STAMPS ISSUE: 1984, February 15

"Old Arab Islamic Silver Coins"

Dates shown on stamps are of the Islamic Era

(starting from Hegira - 622 a.D.).

Ottoman period

The Ottoman Turks conquered the country in the mid-16th century. See the MAP.

The three States or "Wilayat" of Tripolitania, Cyrenaica and Fezzan (which make up Libya) remained part of their empire with the exception of the virtual autonomy of the Karamanlis who ruled from 1711 until 1835 mainly in Tripolitania but had influence in Cyrenaica and Fezzan as well, at the peak their reign (mid 18th century).

View of Tripoli

(print - 16th century)

ISLAMIC-OTTOMAN CULTURE

STAMPS ISSUE:

1994, November 15 - "Old Mosques"

STAMPS ISSUE:

1985, September 15 - "Old Entrances"

STAMPS ISSUE:

1984, July 1 - "Old Traditional Clothing"

19th century

Since the end of the 18th century, problems arised between European and American States (new constituted United States of America) and North African local governments. These were the independent Sultanate of Morocco, and the three Regencies of Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli, which were quasi-independent entities nominally belonging to the Ottoman Empire.

The reason of the conflict was the control of maritime traffics in south Mediterranean. The war dragged on for four years (1801-1805).

In October 1803 the frigate "USS Philadelphia" aground off Tripoli. The ship and its crew was captured by Libyan forces. After few months the vessel was burn.

PICTURE: burning of the "USS Philadelphia" (painting 1897)

STAMPS ISSUE: 1985, June 12 - "The battle of the Philadelphia"

Maps of North Africa and Cyrenaica (19th century)

20th century

After the Turkish-Italian War of 1911/12 and the Treaty of Lausanne of 1912, the Ottoman provinces of Tripolitania and Cyrenaica went under the control of Italy. Then they were unified and became the Italian colony of Libya.

MAP shows foreign colonies in Africa at the beginning of 20th century.

The Libyans raised a bold resistance to the occupying troops. This period of the history of Libya has been commemorated years later (period '80s/'90s) by the Postal Administration of the Libyan Jamahiriya, with several stamps issues dedicated to the "Battles of Libya", "Deported Libyans to Italy" and commemorative issues dedicated to Omar Muktar, national hero, and Martyrs Day.

STAMPS ISSUE: 1980, September 16 - "Martyrdom of Omar Muktar" (souvenir-sheet)

At the end of World War II Italy was a defeated Country and lost its Colonies.

Libyan territories went under the Administration, first military, then civil, of England (Tripolitania and Cyrenaica) and France (Fezzan).

MAP shows the administrative division of Libya.

On 16th September 1949 the autonomous administration of Cyrenaica was proclaimed.

On 24th December 1951 all the territories of Libya were unified as a free and indepedentent Country.

After the Revolution of 1st September 1969 the new Libyan Arab Republic was proclaimed.

On 1st September 1977 Libya officially became the Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.