Ptolemais
Half Day

Situated between the Mediterranean and the steep slopes of the Cyrenaican plateau, Ptolemais was the rich port of ancient Barce. You approach the site via a bumpy main street of the once Italian village of Tolmeita.

Behind the museum the site spreads south, a vast shared bed with partly re-erected monuments: a Roman palace, a Byzantine basilica, a fine gateway and a gymnasium, under which lies a dank network of water cisterns.

Starting with the museum, you visit the central area first, including the Palace of the Columns, and then the Gymnasium. The most impressive construction work here is underground, for beneath the paving of the gymnasium are great vaulted chambers, eight running north-south and nine running east-west.

These are generally held to have been cisterns.

After clambering out of the cisterns, we take a look at the semi-circular mini-theatre close by. This was the Odeon, the former town council chambers. After the Odeon, we head towards the Western Basilica, a 6th century AD construction. It is a solid, austere building with tree parallel naves. We then make our way back to the entrance of the site for the return journey to the ship.

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