CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

HISTORY OF CYRENE.

Derivation of the names Cyrenaica and Pentapolis — Causes which led to the country being colonized by a body of Dorians from Thera — Battus, the leader of this band, first takes possession of the island of Platea, and afterwards removes to Cyrene — Coalescence of the settlers with the Libyans — The dynasty of the Battiadæ — Constitution drawn up by Demonax, and granted by Battus III. — Attempt to overthrow it by his successor, Arcesilaus III., aided by his mother Pheretime, which is unsuccessful, and ends by his being murdered at Barca — The town is besieged by Aryandes, Satrap of Egypt, and taken by treachery — Brutal revenge of Pheretime on the inhabitants — Extinction of the dynasty — Condition of the new republic, and alliance with Alexander the Great — Becomes subject to Egypt — The names of the towns are changed — The last king of the Egyptian dynasty, Apion, leaves the country to the Romans by his testament, which is afterwards reduced by them to a province — Insurrection of the Jews, and a great massacre of the Romans and Cyrenæans — Sufferings of the population from the attacks of the Libyan barbarians, and by the ravages of locusts, plagues, and earthquakes — The Persian Chosroes overthrows the remains of the Greek colonies, which are finally overrun by the Arabs — Peculiar manner in which the boundary-line was fixed between Carthage and Cyrene — Eminent philosophers who lived at Cyrene — Description of the country and its former products — Recent history of the country. — Page 1.

CHAPTER II.

PREPARATIONS FOR THE EXPEDITION.

Reasons which led to the expedition being undertaken — Peculiar difficulties from the nature of the country — Equipment, with assistance of the Foreign Office and other authorities in England to carry it out — List of the outfit. — Page 7.

CHAPTER III.

TRIPOLI.

Leave Malta in the gunboat Boxer, and arrive at Tripoli — The Meshia — Position of the Castle and the Pacha’s harem — Visit to the artillery and cavalry barracks — Unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the Turkish government by Ghomer during the late Russian war — Notice of Tripoli, by John Ogilby. — Page 10.

CHAPTER IV.

BENGHAZI.

Leave Tripoli, and arrive at Benghazi — Adopt it as our base of operations — The wretched state of the town, and the plague of flies — The Castle and the principal buildings — Make friends with the Arab shiekhs, and engage an Arab of Cyrene as an attendant — Buy two horses and other necessaries for the journey — Manner in which auctions are conducted — Camels procured, with the assistance of the Kaimacam — Visit the ancient Necropolis and the river Lethe — The unsafe state of the harbour — The loss of a brig off the entrance of it — The distance where fresh water is procured. — Page 13.

CHAPTER V.

JOURNEY BETWEEN BENGHAZI AND CYRENE.

Leave Benghazi — Rainy and stormy weather — Arrive at Gŭsr Merdj, and hospitality of the Mudir — Description of the Plain and Castle — Resume our journey through a beautiful country, abounding in game — Encamp at Gŭsr Biligadem — Arrive at Cyrene, and select a tomb near the Fountain of Apollo for our residence — Our workmen try to desert at Merdj. — Page 18.

CHAPTER VI.

CYRENE.

The native name of Cyrene — The position of the ruins, with the configuration of the country — The Fountain of Apollo — General description of the Necropolis — A detailed account of the different kinds of tombs — The present aspect of the city — The ancient roads to Apollonia and along the Wady Bil Ghadir — Picturesque grandeur of the Wady Mûchgûn. — Page 25.

CHAPTER VII.

COMMENCEMENT OF THE EXCAVATIONS.

Visit from Mohammed El Adouly — Commence the excavations at two tombs in the Wady Bil Ghadir — These not proving successful, remove the men to a temple near the southern gate of the city — Discover the statue of Bacchus — The novel mode of removing it — Subsequent excavations in a building adjoining a theatre, and afterwards in the Temple of Apollo — Discover the colossal statue of Apollo; supposed statue of Hadrian; head of Minerva; the portrait-head of Cnæus Cornelius Lentulus Marcellinus, with its pedestal and inscription; a bronze portrait-head; Jupiter Ammon; a group representing the nymph Cyrene strangling a lion; Diana Venatrix — Description of the temple. — Page 38.

CHAPTER VIII.

EMBARKATION OF THE STATUES ON BOARD THE ASSURANCE.

Examination of the country between Cyrene and the coast — Arrival of H.M.S. Assurance — Obliged to anchor off Ras El Hilal, on account of the weather — The next day steams to Marsa Sousah, and disembarks the waggons and stores — Several camels collected to take the stores up to Cyrene — Trouble with the Arabs before they start — The waggons are obliged to be taken to pieces, and carried up the Augubah on men’s shoulders — Difficulties of taking the waggons across the country and the descent of the Augubah — They are successively taken to the beach, embarked on board the Assurance, and the vessel leaves for Malta. — Page 44.

CHAPTER IX.

DEALINGS WITH THE ARABS.

The position of the Zauyah — Threatening messages sent from the Achwani and their shiekh, “Sidi Mustapha” — The Arabs attempt to prevent our passing, and a number of our stores stolen by them — Appeal to the Mudir of Ghegheb for assistance, and the way it was given — The two culprits are apprehended with great formality, and quietly allowed to escape a few days afterwards — The Mudir is dismissed for his conduct — Osman Aga, the Bash-Cavass, is sent to our assistance — Our reputation as doctors, and the curious application of the fair sex for keteebus — The wandering habits and mode of life of the Bedouins — Forms of salutation — Habit of swearing — Universal use of firearms. — Page 48.

CHAPTER X.

VISIT TO THE OTHER TOWNS OF THE PENTAPOLIS.

The ruins of Apollonia and its harbour — Visit Imghurnis, and on our second visit badly received by the Arabs — Excursion to Derna — Pass the ruins of Gabiout Younes, Tirt, Lamloudeh, and Beit Thamr on our way — Reside with M. de Fremeaux, the Vice-Consul — Visited on our arrival by the Mudir and Kologhassi — The beauty of the little town of Derna — Its luxurious gardens and abundance of water — The anchorage of Sousah Hamema — Longer journey to Teuchira and Ptolemais — Pass by Gŭsr Biligadem, Libiar Il Gharib, and Merdj — The present state of Teuchira — Arrival at Ptolemais — The great gateway in the western wall still standing, and a number of enormous reservoirs in the centre of the city — Large tomb to the westward of it — Miss the road on our return to Merdj — Hospitably received there again by the Mudir — Return to Cyrene — Serious disturbance between the Arabs of the Haasa tribe and the Mudir of Ghegheb — The castle attacked during the night, the shiekhs liberated, and a number of men killed — They appeal to us for assistance — The waterworks at Safsaf. — Page 57.

CHAPTER XI.

CONTINUATION OF THE EXCAVATIONS.

The large temple near the Stadium — A few inscriptions found in it, but all the sculpture wantonly destroyed — Visit of H.M.S. Scourge, bringing Mr. W. Denison, a carpenter sent by the British Museum — Celebration of the festival of the Melood — Proceed to Derna in the Scourge, and return by land — Smith visits Benghazi to obtain workmen and money — One of the negroes stolen by the Arabs — The smaller temple near the Stadium — Statue of Minerva — The immediate neighbourhood of the Temple of Apollo — Several inscriptions, statues, and heads of different sizes discovered here — A seated Egyptian figure, colossal female statue, nude statue of Bacchus, &c. — A palace, in which were found the torso of a Roman emperor in armour, a large female draped statue, busts of Antoninus Pius, Marcus Aurelius, a female bust, three heads, and three inscriptions — Make a road down the Augubah, and improve the road between Cyrene and the coast — The Temple of Venus — Large quantity of sculpture found in it: Venus Euploia, and another Venus with Cupid by her side seated on a dolphin, Pan, Aristæus, three female busts with curious head-dresses, heads of Minerva and Perseus, and a slab of marble in relief of Cyrene strangling a lion. — Page 71.

CHAPTER XII.

FINAL EMBARKATION.

Arrival of H.M.S. Melpomene — A large party of men are landed from the ship, and start for Cyrene with three waggons — Serious disturbance with the Arabs — The means taken to preserve peace — All the sculptures are successively embarked — We finally leave Cyrene, and arrive at Malta. — Page 78.

CONCLUSION.

APPENDICES.

No. I. (contributed by Dr. C. Schroff). — The Thapsia Garganica — Difference between the properties of this plant and the Silphium of the Ancients. — Page 87.

No. II. — Description of the Sculptures found at Cyrene. — Page 91.

No. III. — List of Sculptures found on various sites at Cyrene. — Page 99.

No. IV. — Inscriptions discovered or found at Cyrene. — Page 109.