Barca ( Greek: Βάρκη ) is an ancient city in North Africa ( Cyrenaica ). Located near the modern Libyan city of El Marge . Subsequently, from the name of the city came the Arabic name of the entire region of Cyrenaica - Barka ( Arabic. برقة ).
| Ancient city | |
| Barge | |
|---|---|
| Greek Βάρκη | |
| Region | El marge |
| Based | mid VI century BC e. |
| Modern location |  Libya |
Content
History
According to Herodotus , the city was founded by the brothers of King Cyrene ( Greek colony in North Africa) Arkesilaus II , who, having quarreled with him, left Cyrene and decided to settle in a new place [1] . Historians date this event to the middle of the VI century BC. e., called 560, 554 or 540 years BC. e. Probably, by this time there already existed a settlement of local tribes, known as good riders and horse breeders . During the founding of the city, the brothers incited the Libyans to rebel against Cyrene. With the suppression of the uprising, the Kirens suffered a severe defeat, and Arkesilaus II fell ill and soon died. In the future, Barka apparently retained independence from Cyrena, because, talking about the grandson of Arkesilay II Arkesilay III , Herodotus reports that this ruler was married to his cousin, daughter of Tsar Barka Alazir. After the Persians conquered Egypt in 525 BC. e. Barca and Cyrena voluntarily recognized the power of the Persian king and began to pay tribute to him, while maintaining self-government.
Soon Arkesilaus III, during the uprising of his subjects, fled to his father-in-law, but would have been killed along with him by the Barqueians and some Kiren exiles . Mother Arkesilos III Feretima went to Egypt and turned to the Persian satrap Ariand for help. The latter sent a significant army and navy to Libya ; the siege of Barki lasted 9 months, but despite repeated attacks and undermining, the Persians could not capture the city. Finally, Barka was captured by cunning (about 510 BC), and Feretima brutally dealt with the murderers of her son and their wives [2] . Most of the remaining inhabitants were enslaved and settled by the Persians in Bactria [3] .
In the Hellenistic period, the importance of the city began to fall after the founding of a small settlement, which served as the port of Barki, on the site of a new city - Ptolemaida . According to the “Pseudo-Skilak Periplus , ” Barki harbor was located in500 stages from Cyrene and 620 stages from the Hesperides , and the city itself stood in 100 stages from the sea in a straight line through the gorge, while the distance along the road was much greater. Ptolemaida pulled over a large part of the population of Barki. Strabo [4] and Pliny the Elder [5] generally speak of Barca and Ptolemaida as a single settlement, but Stefan of Byzantium separates them, placing Barca among the cities remote from the sea [6] . During the late Roman Empire, Barca became the center of the diocese , and after the Arab conquest , it probably played an important role as a transit point for caravan trade on the way from Egypt to the western provinces of North Africa. Archaeological sites that have survived to our time are insignificant and relate mainly to the Arab period in the history of Barki.
Barca and Christianity
Early Christianity infiltrated the Libyan Pentapolis from Egypt . In accordance with the decision of the Council of Nicaea (325) Cyrenaica was made dependent on the diocese of Alexandria . Therefore, the Pentapolis is included in the title of both the patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church and the patriarch of Alexandria . Although Barka was repeatedly destroyed and experienced periods of decline, it nonetheless consisted of the residence of a bishop . So, at the Nicene Council, Barku was represented by the Arian bishop Zopir , Zinovy signed the acts of Ephesus Cathedral , and Theodore took part in the Second Ephesian ("robber") cathedral [7] .
The Metropolitan of the Western Pentapolis held the highest position in the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church after the Pope of Alexandria. After the reign of Pope John VI this diocese became titular . Barka is also the titular diocese of the Roman Catholic Church [8] .
Notes
- ↑ Herodotus. History, IV, 160.
- ↑ Herodotus. History, IV, 200-202.
- ↑ Herodotus. History, IV, 204.
- ↑ Strabo. Geography, XVII, 20.
- ↑ Pliny the Elder. Natural History, V, 5.
- ↑ Stephen of Byzantium. Ethnicity, IV, 4, 11.
- ↑ Petit, Louis (1913), " Barca ", in Herbermann, Charles, Catholic Encyclopedia , New York: Robert Appleton Company
- ↑ Barca . (Titular See ) . The Hierarchy of the Catholic Church . Date of treatment January 7, 2019.
Literature
- Barka // The Real Dictionary of Classical Antiquities / ed. F. Lubker ; Edited by members of the Society of Classical Philology and Pedagogy F. Gelbke , L. Georgievsky , F. Zelinsky , V. Kansky , M. Kutorgi and P. Nikitin . - SPb. , 1885.
- Barka, city // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.
- Barka, city // Great Soviet Encyclopedia : [in 66 vols.] / Ch. ed. O. Yu. Schmidt . - 1st ed. - M .: Soviet Encyclopedia , 1926-1947.
- Smith, William. Barca . Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854 ) . Perseus Digital Library . Date of treatment January 7, 2019.