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BARCA (mod. Merj)

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Originally appearing in Volume V03, Page 391 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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BARCA (mod. Merj) , an See also:ancient See also:city founded in the territory of See also:Cyrene in the See also:middle of the 6th See also:century B.C. Rising quickly to importance it became a See also:rival of the older city, and gave its name to the western See also:province of the latter's territory. The name as a provincial designation is still in occasional use, but is now applied to all the province of See also:Bengazi. Barca is said to have owed its origin to See also:Greek refugees flying from the tyranny of See also:Arcesilaus II. (see CYRENE), but it is certain that it was rather a Libyan than a Greek See also:town at all times. A See also:Persian force invited by the notorious Pheretima, See also:mother of Arcesilaus III., in revenge for Barcan support of a rival See also:faction, sacked it towards the See also:close of the 6th century and deported a number of its inhabitants to See also:Bactria. Under Ptolemaic See also:rule it began to decline, like Cyrene, and its See also:port Ptolemais (Tolmeita) took its See also:place: but after the Arab See also:conquest (A.D. 641) it became the See also:chief place of the See also:Cyrenaica for a See also:time and a See also:principal station on the See also:Kairawan road. Though now a See also:mere See also:village, Merj is still the chief centre of See also:administration inland, and has a fort and small See also:garrison. No ruins of earlier See also:period than the See also:late See also:Roman and See also:early Arab seem to be visible on the site. The latter lies, like Cyrene, about ten See also:miles from the See also:coast on the See also:crest of See also:Jebel Akhdar, here sunk to a See also:low down-See also:land.

It owed its early prosperity to its easy See also:

access to the See also:sea, and to the fact that natural conditions in Cyrenaica and the See also:Sahara behind it, tend to divert See also:trade to the See also:west of the district—a fact which is exemplified by the final survival of See also:Berenice (mod. Bengazi). Merj stands in a See also:rich but See also:ill-cultivated stretch of red See also:soil. (D. G.

End of Article: BARCA (mod. Merj)

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