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Historical Overview
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Chronology
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 Prehistory:
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The prehistory of Libya comes to life in the engravings of the Akakus mountains , the drawings in the Matandush Caves and other sites across the South.
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The Numidians:
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The first important political entity was the Numidian Kingdom, a sovereign North African kingdom which stretched from the Gulf of Sirte to Mauritania. The Numidians settled prosperous cities, established the ancient Libyan alphabet and wrote texts.They minted their own currency, as well, and built and maintained a large fleet.
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The Phoenicians:
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Following the establishment of their capital at Carthage in the 8th Century, they pulled out non extended east into Libya.
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The Classical Period:
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The long and rich classical Greeks and Roman Libya period began with the founding of the Greek colony of Cyrene and other cities near what is today known as Benghazi. Several centuries later, the provinces of Tripolitania and Cyrenaica were integrated into the Roman Empire while retaining a distinctive Libyan flavor in their hinterlands.
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The Advent of Islam:
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Within a generation of the Hijera, the Arabs arrived in Libya bringing with them Islam and ushering in the flowering of Islamic civilization.
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The Modern Period:
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Turks and Italians The Ottoman Turks ruled Libya at the beginning of the twentieth century and the Italian occupied the country following the First World War.
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UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Libya
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Dating from prehistory to Islamic civilization, the five sites added to the World Heritage list between 1982 and 1986 genuinely proof that Libya has a heritage whose incalculable value belongs to all humanity. Three sites, Cyrene, Leptis Magna and Sabratha, bear witness to the life that flourished in Libya during the Punic, Greek, Roman and Byzantine eras.
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The ancient city of Ghadames has a unique architectural heritage of intricately decorated mud-brick houses and covered streets. Finally, the prehistoric site of Tadrart Acacus is a continuation of the culture of Tassili n'Ajjer in Algeria.
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Eratosthenes of Cyrene
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The mathematician Eratosthenes was born in Cyrene, which is now in Libya. Today he is remembered for his work on prime numbers, particularly his "prime number sieve" which is still an important tool in number theory research. Eratosthenes calculated the the distance to the sun and moon and made a surprisingly accurate measurement of the circumference of the Earth. He also measured the tilt of the Earth's axis with great accuracy, obtaining the value of 23 51' 15", and compiled a catalogue of 675 stars.
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