 | |
  Barca Shown within Libya | |
| Alternative name | Latin:Antaeopolis[1] |
|---|---|
| Location | Libya |
| Region | Marj District |
| Coordinates | 32°29′54″N20°53′34″E / 32.498333°N 20.892778°E /32.498333; 20.892778 |
Barca (Latin), also known asBarke (Ancient Greek:Βάρκη,Bárkē),Barka,Barqa,Barqah (Arabic:برقة,Barqa), andBarce (Latin andItalian) was an ancient, medieval, and early modern city located at the site ofMarj in northeasternLibya. It remains aCatholic andOrthodoxtitular see.
.jpg)
Barca was situated at the site of the old town ofMarj, approximately 100 kilometers (60 mi) northeast ofBenghazi.[2] No remains of the ancient settlement are visible at Marj, but some of the finds made there during the Italiancolonial dominance of Libya (1913–41) are on display in the museum atTolmeita.
Barca appears to be originally a settlement of theLibyan tribeBarraci. Later, Greek settlers fromCyrene colonized it. Archaeological evidence shows that Greek presence at Barca dates back to the seventh century BC.[3] The city became a major economic centre due to its agricultural wealth.[2] Herodotus places the foundation of the city around 560 BC, when the brothers of kingArcesilaus II of Cyrene quarrelled with him and leftCyrene to found Barca. The Barcans and Libyans defeated Arcesilaus II at the Battle of Leuco and killed him around 550 BC.[4] Before 515 BC,Arcesilaus III of Cyrene was driven into exile and came to Barca, where he was assassinated. As a result, his motherPheretime called on theAchaemenid governor of Egypt,Aryandes, for help. He besieged and sacked Barca in 515 BC.[5][6] The Achaemenid king,Darius I, settled some of the Barcan captives in a village inBactria, which was still flourishing inHerodotus' time.[7][8] By the second half of the fifth century, Barca seems to have been the dominant city in the region.[9]
In 324 BC, a Spartan mercenary leader,Thibron, joined forces with Cyrenean and Barcan exiles on Crete and invaded Cyrenaica.[10] He was expelled, but returned in 322 BC.[11] Cyreneans appealed toPtolemy I who sent troops. Barca was absorbed into thePtolemaic empire along with the rest of Cyrenaica. It was quickly eclipsed by its old port, which now received the namePtolemais.[2] Its decline was significant enough that when thePentapolis, the league of the five most prominent cities of Cyrenaica, developed in the late Hellenistic period, Barca was not a member.[2] Although small, it remained inhabited during theRoman andByzantine periods.[2] It was part of the province ofCrete and Cyrenaica until 293, when it became part of the new province ofLibya Superior, which formed part of thePraetorian prefecture of the East after 337.
Barca was one of the first cities to be taken by theArabs in 643–644 during theIslamic conquest of North Africa. It originally served as the capital of theBarqah province of theCaliphate. The city's name, Arabized asBarqah, came to refer to the former state and province ofCyrenaica.[12][2] Barca remained a significant city in the tenth century under theFatimids andAl-Bakri reports that it was a wealthy city which exported wool, honey and fruit.[2] The attacks ofBanu Hilal in the 11th century led to a sharp decline and at some point it ceased to be inhabited.[2] When theOttoman Turks conquered the region in 1521, they used the Turkish form "Barka" for the province, but did not retain the city's status as its capital. The Ottomans used ancient ruins as building material for a castle at the site a little before 1852, when it was visited byJames Hamilton.[2] The castle was destroyed in the1963 Marj earthquake.[2]
Early Christianity was spread fromPalestine toCyrenaica, a center of theJewish community inAfrica, byMark of Cyrene andSimon of Cyrene.Synesius of Cyrene (370–414 AD), Bishop of Ptolemais, received his instruction at Alexandria in boththe Catechetical School and theMuseion, and he retained a great deal of reverence and affection for Hypatia, the last pagan Neoplatonist, whose classes he had attended. Synesius was raised to the episcopate byTheophilus, patriarch of Alexandria, in 410.
In accordance with a ruling of theCouncil of Nicaea in 325,Cyrenaica is recognized as ecclesiastically dependent on theSee of Alexandria. Pentapolis is therefore included in the titles used both bythe patriarch of the Coptic Church[13] and by theGreek Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria.[14]
Although it was often destroyed and then restored during the Roman period, becoming a mere borough, Barca was, nevertheless, the seat of abishopric. The bishops who participated in theFirst Council of Nicaea in 325 included theArianZopyros of Barca.[15] Zenobius signed the acts of theCouncil of Ephesus in 431[16] and Theodorus took part in theRobber Council of Ephesus in 449,[17] whose decisions were overthrown by theCouncil of Chalcedon in 451.[18][19][20][21]
The Metropolitan ofWestern Pentapolis held the most senior position inthe Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church after that of thePope of Alexandria. Since the demise of thateparchy as a major Archiepiscopal Metropolis in the days ofPope John VI of Alexandria, the position is held as atitular see attached to another diocese.
Also for theCatholic Church, Barca, no longer a residential bishopric, is today listed as a titular see.[22] Over the past century there have been 11 bishops of the Catholic titular See. The most recent has been Andraos Salama prior to his appointment as bishop of theCoptic Catholic Eparchy of Giza.[23]
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
