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British Institute for Libyan and Northern African Studies

The British Institute for Libyan and Northern African Studies is a British academic body, sponsored by the British Academy, which since 1969 has fostered and developed links between British and Libyan scholars in a wide range of fields including the natural sciences, linguistics, archaeology, history and geography. It publishes a journal, detailed reports on its field projects, and a popular series of travel books. It also runs a regular lecture series in London on a wide range of topics relating to Libyan culture and heritage, which are open to the public.

The Society publishes detailed reports on its field projects as part of a monograph series. In addition, Silphium Press is the popular imprint of The Society for Libyan Studies, dedicated to works of more general interest on Libya. Found only in Cyrenaican Libya, it was appreciated throughout the Mediterranean world from the seventh century BC to the first century AD when it became extinct, probably through overexploitation. Their logo is inspired by images on the coins of Cyrene.

Tripolitania in the Roman Empire and beyond Cover
Format: Paperback
Pages: 240
ISBN: 9781915808103
Pub Date: 15 Jan 2025
Imprint: British Institute for Libyan and Northen African Studies
Description:
This book provides an up-to-date account of the archaeology, history, economy, urbanism, art, and architecture of the North African region of Tripolitania during antiquity. The essays by international scholars outline current research and the most recent developments in the archaeology of this territory. The strong interdisciplinary character of the texts reflects the expertise of the different authors – from studies of the landscape and urban development, to funerary practices, architecture, military operations and food supply.
Résistance et dévotion Cover
Format: Paperback
Pages: 200
ISBN: 9781915808035
Pub Date: 31 Dec 2023
Imprint: British Institute for Libyan and Northen African Studies
Series: British Institute for Libyan and Northern African Studies Monograph
Description:
A volume presents a detailed study of the memory of ancient mosques in Djerba, with a well-illustrated corpus of 48 buildings to build the history of the Ibadites and their struggle for the preservation of their identity. The main source is Rasā’il d’al-Ḥīlātī (m. 1099/1688-1689), which demonstrates the importance of piety and study to these people.
Ancient Olive Presses and Oil Production Cover
Format: Paperback
Pages: 176
ISBN: 9781915808004
Pub Date: 25 Oct 2022
Imprint: British Institute for Libyan and Northen African Studies
Description:
This masterly study presents the first comprehensive overview of olive oil production in Cyrenaica, North-East Libya, during the mid to late Roman period. The evidence collected by the author overturns previous assumptions about the small-scale of this industry and convincingly demonstrates its economic importance in both urban and rural settings. The typology and characteristics of Cyrenaican pressing elements and gazetteer of sites confirm this work as an essential reference volume for studies of ancient production and open up questions about the Cyrenaica’s role in producing olive oil for local, regional and Mediterranean markets.
Camel Tracks Cover
Format: Paperback
Pages: 300
ISBN: 9781914268014
Pub Date: 28 Dec 2021
Imprint: Society for Libyan Studies
Description:
Camels, one of creation's most remarkable animals, are celebrated through this fascinating historical study of their place in the modern imperial era. Goudie's wide-ranging research into the exploration and use of camels reveals dramatic stories and personalities, with an impressive geographical coverage. Descriptions of their biology, value and benefits, travellers' stories then link them to their historical context.
Building the Countryside Cover
Format: Paperback
Pages: 250
ISBN: 9781900971775
Pub Date: 10 Dec 2021
Imprint: Society for Libyan Studies
Illustrations: 100
Description:
This volume brings together data collected from both previously published surveys and new data collected using satellite imagery on the architecture and construction of over 2,400 rural structures in nine different regions of Tripolitania and dating between the 1st c. BC and the 7th c. AD.
Desert Drivers Cover
Format: Paperback
Pages: 96
ISBN: 9781900971973
Pub Date: 15 Dec 2020
Imprint: Society for Libyan Studies
Description:
A new volume in the Society for Studies series Short North African Histories, this book brings togeher the best stories of intrepid desert drivers in the early 20th century, crossing the vast and sometimes dangerous expances of the Sahara. The exploration of the Sahara - a huge swathe of terrain, the size of India - by motor car is one of the untold chapters in the story of 20th century exploration. This revised version of the successful title Wheels Across the Desert, looks at the intrepid drivers who crossed the desert in the early 20th century - bothmilitary and civilian.
Light Car Patrols 1916-19 Cover
Format: Paperback
Pages: 288
ISBN: 9781900971966
Pub Date: 15 Dec 2020
Imprint: Silphium Press
Description:
Captain Claud Williams’ memoir tells, first-hand, what it was like to be a Light Car Patrol commander during the First World War, while Russell McGuirk’s commentary provides the historical background to the formation of the Patrols and follows their activities from the British raid on Siwa Oasis to desert exploration and survey work and the Kufra Reconnaissance Scheme. Lavishly illustrated with original photographs from Light Car officers, this combined memoir and history provides a fascinating and informative picture of an unsung hero of the desert – the Model T Ford.
Rural Settlement and Economic Activity Cover
Format: Paperback
Pages: 216
ISBN: 9781900971294
Pub Date: 31 Aug 2020
Imprint: Society for Libyan Studies
Description:
Rural Settlement and Economic Activity is a key new addition to literature on the rural economy of Tripolitania during Antiquity. The chapters explore the geography and climate of the area and present the results of the author’s archaeological survey. Settlement types and their constructions are examined, followed by a detailed analysis of olive oil presses and their production capacity.
An Engraved Landscape Cover An Engraved Landscape Cover
Format: 
Hardback Paperback
Pages: 310
ISBN: 9781900971515
Pub Date: 02 May 2019
Imprint: Society for Libyan Studies
Series: Society for Libyan Studies Monograph
Pages: 310
ISBN: 9781900971492
Pub Date: 30 Apr 2021
Imprint: Society for Libyan Studies
Description:
An Engraved Landscape is a contextual analysis of a substantial new corpus of engravings from the Wadi al-Ajal, situated in the Central Saharan region of south west Libya. The wadi is renowned as the heartland of the Garamantian civilization, which emerged from local mobile Pastoral communities in the 1st millennium BC, and dominated trans-Saharan trade and politics for over a thousand years. Extensive archaeological and palaeoenvironmental investigations in recent years have provided detailed insight into the later prehistory and protohistory of the wadi and surrounding areas.
An Engraved Landscape Cover An Engraved Landscape Cover
Format: 
Hardback Paperback
Pages: 582
ISBN: 9781900971522
Pub Date: 02 May 2019
Imprint: Society for Libyan Studies
Series: Society for Libyan Studies Monograph
Pages: 582
ISBN: 9781900971508
Pub Date: 30 Apr 2021
Imprint: Society for Libyan Studies
Description:
An Engraved Landscape is a contextual analysis of a substantial new corpus of engravings from the Wadi al-Ajal, situated in the Central Saharan region of south west Libya. The wadi is renowned as the heartland of the Garamantian civilization, which emerged from local mobile Pastoral communities in the 1st millennium BC, and dominated trans-Saharan trade and politics for over a thousand years. Extensive archaeological and palaeoenvironmental investigations in recent years have provided detailed insight into the later prehistory and protohistory of the wadi and surrounding areas.
An Engraved Landscape - Volumes 1 and 2 Cover

An Engraved Landscape - Volumes 1 and 2

The rock carvings of the Wadi al-Ajal, South West Libya
Format: 
Hardback Paperback
Pages: 920
ISBN: 9781900971539
Pub Date: 02 May 2019
Imprint: Society for Libyan Studies
Series: Society for Libyan Studies Monograph
Pages: 920
ISBN: 9781900971379
Pub Date: 28 Jun 2021
Imprint: Society for Libyan Studies
Description:
The Sahara contains one of the most extensive and enigmatic collections of rock art in the world. An Engraved Landscape represents the main report on the rock art of the Wadi al-Ajal, south west Libya. Based on extensive fieldwork directed by the author between 2004 and 2009, and funded by the British Academy and Society for Libyan Studies, this monograph presents and synthesises a rich corpus of new engravings from an area of central importance in the cultural development of the Sahara.
Classical Antiquities of Algeria Cover
Format: Paperback
Pages: 328
ISBN: 9781900971546
Pub Date: 30 Mar 2019
Imprint: Society for Libyan Studies
Description:
Algeria is a large country, rich in visual remains of its long and complex history. The monuments of the Roman period are particularly impressive. This is partly because they are well-preserved, but also because the French, who colonised the region in the nineteenth century and ruled it until 1962, carried out extensive excavations and restorations.
De Africa Romaque Cover
Format: Paperback
Pages: 250
ISBN: 9781900971331
Pub Date: 01 Dec 2016
Imprint: Society for Libyan Studies
Description:
When the Roman Empire progressively expanded its influence over the North African continent, it encountered a very heterogeneous mix of peoples with a long and diverse history. This collection of papers from the conference De Africa Romaque: Merging Cultures Across North Africa (Leicester, 2013), explores the mutual relationships between North African societies and Rome within this context. Moving away from traditional narratives of dominance and resistance, the discussions focus on bringing the local peoples of North Africa and their varied cultural features back into the fore.
Great Desert Explorers Cover
Format: Hardback
Pages: 352
ISBN: 9781900971454
Pub Date: 01 Dec 2016
Imprint: Society for Libyan Studies
Description:
Desert exploration, like climbing Everest or polar expeditions, is not for the faint-hearted, and many of the vivid tales within this fascinating biographical history end in tragedy. However, the informative and absorbing descriptions of the extraordinary journeys, challenges and achievements of these intrepid figures, are captivating. They risked their lives variously for good old fashioned epic adventure, solitude, fame, the answer to mythical questions and some were even spies.
Les mosquées ibadites du djebel Nafūsa Cover
Format: Paperback
Pages: 228
ISBN: 9781900971416
Pub Date: 30 Jun 2016
Imprint: Society for Libyan Studies
Series: Society for Libyan Studies Monograph
Description:
The mosques of the Djebel Nafūsa, little known and under threat, personify the continuity of traditions and faith of the Ibadites, who have retained their grip over the centuries on this rugged landscape, despite their many trials and tribulations. This book is the result of a mission carried out in 2010 with the photographer Axel Derriks and examines twenty or so mosques, bringing to light their architectural features and linking them to medieval Ibadite texts.
Operation Idris Cover
Format: Paperback
Pages: 248
ISBN: 9781900971256
Pub Date: 08 May 2015
Imprint: Silphium Press
Description:
Operation Idris provides the unofficial story behind the British Administration’s cultivation of Sayyid Mohammed Idris as the figurehead for their project of indirect rule in Cyrenaica.
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