Lixus (ancient city)

Lixus ( phön.: Lks ) was a Phoenician and Roman city and commercial establishment in the north-west of Morocco.

Location

The ancient ruins of Lixus is situated on a hill about 3 kilometers inland is the opposite of today's city of Larache. At the foot of the hill were formerly the mouth of the Oued Loukos and the ancient port. The road N 1 to Tangier runs directly past the Garumbecken.

History

Phoenician

According to tradition, Lixus may have been founded in the 11th or 12th century BC by the Phoenicians, but could the traditional founding date in 1180 are archaeologically confirmed BC. The earliest finds can be dated to the late 9th BC or early 8th century. The trade of Phoenicia should have used about the same time as in Gades. Later, the city came under Carthaginian influence. She was a trading post of the Phoenicians and Carthaginians for the erzreiche hinterland, a spur of the Atlas, of great importance. Where gold, copper, iron and lead were recovered.

Numidians

The remains of several monumental buildings of Lixus may date from the time of Numiderkönigs Juba II, who ruled the kingdom of Mauritania to the time of Christ. There are, however, received only sparse remains. In the year 40 AD, his son and successor, Ptolemy II, was murdered on the orders of the Emperor Caligula in Rome.

Roman

In the Roman Empire Lixus was one of the jobs created by Emperor Claudius in 42 province of Mauretania Tingitana. It experienced by trade and ship transport of grain, olives and especially of garum, a Roman times popular salty fish sauce, an economic boom and was richly endowed with buildings - a theater / amphitheater was built next to the temple, thermal baths, forum and other public buildings and private villas (some with mosaic floors ). During the late antique period of crisis about a 2 meter high wall was pulled through the city - possibly an attempt at separation of Roman and indigenous population. Lixus was abandoned in the 4th century by the Romans.

Excavations

During a long and repeatedly interrupted excavation campaign in the years 1949 to about 1970, the center was - that is, about 20 % of the former total - the ancient city area studied. Some mosaic finds from the Roman period were brought to the Archaeological Museum of Tetouan. The side cheek of a throne seat with the - possibly derived from Phoenician times - a sphinx representation can be seen in the Archaeological Museum of Rabat.

Importance

After Volubilis Lixus is the most important ancient site in Morocco. Nevertheless, a visit to the ruins is of interest only to specialists. A look at the - located at the foot of the hill, close to the ancient port - Garumbecken as well as the remains of the theater / amphitheater and the foundations of a small apsidal building that one has considered a late antique church or even as early mosque, are usually sufficient.

The ancient site of Lixus was set in 1995 on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Legend

Even in ancient Lixus was equated with the place, the golden apples of steel on the Hercules from the garden of the Hesperides.