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Extramural rock-cut sanctuaries in the territory of Cyrene

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 August 2015

Oliva Menozzi
Oliva Menozzi*
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Scienze Psicologiche, Umanistiche e del Territorio (DiSPUTer) – Centro di Ateneo di Archeometria e Microanalisi (CAAM), Università G. d'Annunzio di Chieti-Pescara, Italy.
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Abstract

Chieti University's team in Libya has been mapping and studying the extraordinary patrimony in rupestrian architecture, looking at both funerary and sacred spaces. Particular attention has been paid to the rock-cut sanctuaries in the areas to the east (Ain Hofra/Bu Miliou areas) and to the west (Baggara and Budrag) of Cyrene, which also represent the most problematic zones for looting and vandalism. Therefore, the principal need for these areas has been to plan a project of mapping and recording that is as systematic as possible for this huge patrimony. The resulting data, coming from surveys, non-invasive geo-prospecting, laser scanning of the main monuments, diagnostic mapping of the damaged monuments, as well as from the excavations, have been recorded in a multilayer GIS. In combination with the surveys, a series of excavations have also been organised in several areas in order to have stratigraphic information from sample areas, which have been chosen on the basis of both their typology/monumentality and the degree of risk of damage and looting. These sanctuaries are generally located on the steep slopes of deep canyons, typically associated with water springs, wild landscape, chthonian cults and also, therefore, funerary areas. They are generally monumentalised and emphasised by rock-cut architecture. Among the most interesting finds are the sanctuaries of Budrag and Ain Hofra, with votive inscriptions, rocky altars and shrines. Particularly interesting is the discovery of a rocky high-relief statue of Dionysus, attesting a possible open-air sanctuary in the area of Baggara. It is a unique example of rocky sculpture in Cyrene and it could be one of the best-preserved examples from the Greek world. Distinguishable by their topography, architectonic features and distance from the town, these rocky sanctuaries attest to a reciprocal osmosis between Greco-Roman and Libyan cultural, artistic and ritual elements. The levels of hybridisation and reciprocity vary from case to case and from period to period, suggesting different degrees of Greco-Roman impact, which seem to be, generally speaking, inversely proportional to the distance from Cyrene, giving space and voice to the cults and rites of the local tribes.

يقوم فريق جامعة " تشيتي " في ليبيا بترسيم ودراسة تراث هندسة النحت على الصخر الإستثنائي، وذلك بالنظر إلى كلٍ من المساحات الجنائزية والمقدّسة. حيث تم تكريس عناية خاصة للمعابد المحفورة في الصخر في المناطق الشرقية (مناطق عين حفرة/ بو ملييو) وغرباً مناطق (بقارة وبودراق ) القيروانية، والتي تمثّل أيضا أكثر المناطق من حيث تعرضها للنهب والتخريب . وعليه، فإن الحاجة الأساسية لهذه المناطق هي وضع خطة مشروع ترسيم وتسجيل لهذا الميراث الضخم، على أن يكون منهجياً بقدر الإمكان . فقد تم حفظ المُعطيات الناتجة والتي جاءت من كل من المسوحات والتنقيب الجغرافي غير الاجتياحي وفحص التماثيل الرئيسية بالليزر والترسيم التشخيصي للتماثيل التالفة، بالإضافة إلى الحفريات على " نظام معلومات جغرافي " متعدد الطبقات . بالاضافة الى ذلك تم أيضا تنظيم مجموعة من الحفريات في مناطق متعددة من أجل الحصول على معلومات طبقية من مناطق نموذجية، والتي تم اختيارها على أساس كلٍ من طبيعتها الطبوغرافية والأثرية ودرجة خطورة التلف والنهب فيها. وتتواجد هذه المعابد بصورة عامة على المنحدرات الشديدة الإنحدار للوديان السحيقة، والتي عادةً ما ترتبط بينابيع المياه والطبيعة البرية بالاضافة الى عبادات الأرض والمناطق الجنائزية. وعادةً ما يميزها هو وجود نصب تذكاري يتم اظهاره عن طريق هندسة النحت بالصخر . وقد كانت معابد بودراق وعين حفرة من أكثر الإكتشافات إثارةً للإهتمام من حيث النقوش النذرية والمذابح الصخرية والأضرحة. و يثير الإهتمام على الأخص اكتشاف لتمثال صخري واضح التجسيم لديونيوسوس والذي يشير الى احتمالية وجود معبد في الهواء الطلق في منطقة بقارة. حيث يعد مثالاً فريداً لفن النحت الصخري في القيروان وقد يكون من أفضل الأمثلة المحفوظة من عالم الإغريق . هذا وتشهد هذه المعابد الصخرية على تبادل واضح بين العناصر الثقافية والفنية والشعائرية اليونانية–الرومانية والليبية والتي يميزها الطوبوغرافية الخاصة والفن المعماري وبُعدها عن المدينة. وتتفاوت مستويات التبادل والتداخل هذه من حالة إلى أخرى ومن حقبة زمنية إلى أخرى مما يشير الى درجات مختلفة من التأثير اليوناني –الروماني والذي يتناسب على ما يبدو، وبصورةٍ عامة، على بعدها من القيروان، الشىء الذي يتيح للقبائل المحلية ممارسة عباداتها وشعائرها الدينية بهامش من الحرية.

Type
Articles
Information
Libyan Studies , Volume 46 , November 2015 , pp. 57 - 74
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Libyan Studies 2015 

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