The effects of recent storms on the exposed coastline of Tocra

Bennett, Paul; Wilson, Andrew; Buzaian, Ahmed; Kattenberg, A.E.

doi:10.1017/s0263718900003745

Cited by 10 publications

(18 citation statements)

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“…For instance, between 2002 and 2019 at Tocra the coastline eroded by approximately 11 m (m) along the central part of the site. Future projections are even more alarming, indicating that by 2050 25–26% of sites will experience the impact of erosion (Westley et al 2021 ; Bennett et al 2004 ). The results of this survey show that some of the coastal sites are already adversely impacted.…”

Section: Overview Of Disturbances and Threatsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ancient writers mentioned over 25 sites along the coastline, although for some their exact location remains uncertain (Hesein 2015). The five largest ports in classical antiquity include Euesperides (which was later moved to Berenice), Taucheria, Ptolemais, and Apollonia (e.g., Jones and Little 1971;Bennett et al 2004;Bogacki 2012;Hesein 2015;Yorke and Davidson 2017). Smaller harbors, settlements, forts, farms, and industrial installation related to maritime and agricultural activities are scattered along the coast and shipwrecks found, for instance, at Apollonia and Ptolemais, speak of the strong connection this region once had with the wider Mediterranean world (Laronde 1990;Tusa 2010;Beltrame 2012;Hesein 2014Hesein , 2015Buzaian 2019;Tusa and Buccellato 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Other areas consist of sandy and soft sediments than can be easily washed away by wave action (Hamza et al 2011;Said 2011;Riad 2016;Catani et al 2020). The devastating effects are already documented at Tocra and Apollonia (Yorke 1972;Bennett et al 2004;Bennett 2018). A study by Westley et al (2021) indicates that already 8-14% of coastal sites in Eastern Libya have been affected by the erosion of the seashore and modelling predicts an increase to 25-26% by 2050, rising to 32-33% by 2100.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Cyrenaica Coastal Survey Project: Documenting Endangered Maritime Heritage in Libya

2022

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This paper introduces the Cyrenaica Coastal Survey (CCS), a collaborative project between the Maritime Endangered Archaeology project and the Department of Antiquities (DoA) Cyrenaica in partnership with the Universities of Al Bayda and Benghazi in Libya. Since the Arab Spring in 2011 and the subsequent civil unrest in Libya, heritage professionals, the DoA, and various individuals interested in heritage have struggled to safeguard heritage sites across the country, as policies and laws that protected archaeological sites were no longer reinforced and adhered to in the wake of the revolution. This lack of finances, capacity, and governmental support led to an unprecedented loss of archaeological sites since 2011. The CCS survey records the current condition of maritime sites along the Cyrenaican coast. The project focuses on the smaller, lesser known, coastal heritage sites that are not as well studied as the much larger classical period port towns of Apollonia, Tocra, or Ptolemais. This article will focus on the results of the first phase of the project between ancient Phycus (modern Zawiet el-Hamama) and Kainopolis (modern Al-Ogla). The results of the first stage of the Cyrenaica Coastal Survey provides a snapshot of the damages and threats that coastal heritage faces in Libya, most notably (often unregulated) building activities, clearance, sand mining, and coastal erosion. Furthermore, this article highlights the importance of remote collaboration between UK institutions, in-country partners, and heritage authorities, especially in countries where the discipline of maritime archaeology has been established more recently.

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Section: Overview Of Disturbances and Threatsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Cyrenaica Coastal Survey Project: Documenting Endangered Maritime Heritage in Libya

2022

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“…Natural threats fall within this category; for instance, erosion of the sea frontage has become a matter of increasing alarm. Since the late 1990s, coastal sites like Tocra, Ptolemais and Apollonia have been subject to considerable damage (Bennett and Barker 2011, 10–12; Bennett et al 2004; Catani 2016, 174–76). Factors related to human activities are even more troubling.…”

Section: Preliminary Steps: Assessing Threats To Libyan Archaeologicamentioning

confidence: 99%

Libyan Antiquities at Risk: protecting portable cultural heritage

et al. 2017

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This article provides an outline of the Libyan Antiquities at Risk (LAaR) project, which has developed a reference database and website recording Libyan antiquities that are under threat of being stolen and sold on the illegal art market. Since the Arab Spring in 2011 and the subsequent political instability, the number of antiquities that are trafficked out of Libya has risen sharply. The illustrated reference collection created by LAaR is mainly aimed at customs officials, international agencies, museum curators, the police and cultural heritage sector, to alert them about the likelihood of Libyan provenance of previously unrecorded material of similar appearance to known pieces, and thereby help to prevent the sale of Libyan antiquities on the illegal art market. LAaR is a collaboration between the Society for Libyan Studies and the University of Leicester.

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“…Coastal erosion is also occurring at Ptolemais near the ancient harbour. Dramatic evidence for erosion by the sea exists at Tocra (Bennett et al 2004), where a complete section through the ancient city can be seen on the foreshore carved by wave action (Fig. 7).…”

Section: Heritage Threatsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Protecting Libya's Archaeological Heritage

Bennett

Barker

2011

Afr Archaeol Rev

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Libya's archaeological heritage is truly spectacular, comparatively little studied and hugely under threat. Following an extended period of isolation, improvement in Libya's relations with the rest of the world and a rise in the price of oil have stimulated a huge amount of development in the country, especially in the hydrocarbon and infrastructure sectors of the economy. With a rapidly growing population, and expanding youth unemployment, the Libyan government is attempting to develop a new way forward for its society and economy. Archaeology and heritage have not traditionally been high on Libya's agenda. The custodian of Libyan heritage, the Department of Antiquities, has been poorly supported by the state (perhaps in part relating to postcolonial Libya's ambivalent feelings towards its past) and is now badly positioned to deal with the nature and scale of development threats in the cities, the agricultural zone, and especially the desert where the greatest number of heritage assets are located. Most major development projects in these areas and elsewhere have been undertaken with little or no archaeological impact assessment, monitoring or mitigation activities, with unfortunate consequences for buried and standing archaeological remains. There are some encouraging signs of a sea change in the state's attitude to archaeology, heritage, conservation and tourism.Résumé Le patrimoine archéologique libyen est absolument extraordinaire, relativement peu étudié et gravement menacé. Après une période prolongée d'isolement, l'amélioration des relations entre la Libye et les autres pays du monde ainsi que l'augmentation du prix du pétrole ont stimulé un haut niveau de développement dans le pays, en particulier dans les secteurs économiques des hydrocarbures et des infrastructures. Compte tenu de l'accroissement rapide de sa population et de l'augmentation du chômage parmi les jeunes, le gouvernement Afr Archaeol Rev (2011) 28:5-25 libyen essaye à présent de trouver de nouveaux modes de développement social et économique. L'archéologie et le patrimoine n'ont traditionnellement pas fait partie des priorités du gouvernement libyen. Le Département des Antiquités, chargé de la conservation du patrimoine libyen, a reçu peu d'aide de l'État (peut-être en raison, du moins partiellement, des sentiments ambivalents de Libye postcoloniale envers son passé) de sorte qu'il se trouve actuellement incapable de gérer la nature et l'ampleur des menaces liées au développement, dans les villes, les zones agricoles et particulièrement dans le désert, où se trouvent la plupart des richesses patrimoniales. Dans ces régions et ailleurs, la plupart des projets de développement ont été entrepris avec peu ou sans mesures d'évaluation de l'impact archéologique, de surveillance ou d'atténuation, ce qui a eu un effet dévastateur sur les vestiges archéologiques enfouis ou hors sol. Toutefois, des signes encourageants annoncent un profond changement dans l'attitude de l'État envers l'archéologie, le patrimoine, la conservation et le tourisme.

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The effects of recent storms on the exposed coastline of Tocra

Cited by 10 publications

References 4 publications

The Cyrenaica Coastal Survey Project: Documenting Endangered Maritime Heritage in Libya

The Cyrenaica Coastal Survey Project: Documenting Endangered Maritime Heritage in Libya

Libyan Antiquities at Risk: protecting portable cultural heritage

Protecting Libya's Archaeological Heritage

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