Apollonia (Cyrenaica)
Eastern port of Apollonia | |
| Alternative name | Sozusa |
|---|---|
| Location | Marsa Susa, Jabal al Akhdar, Libya |
| Coordinates | 32°54′07″N 21°58′11″E / 32.90194°N 21.96972°E |
| Type | Settlement |
| History | |
| Founded | 7th century BC |
| Abandoned | 7th century AD |
| Site notes | |
| Public access | yes |
Apollonia (Greek: Ἀπολλωνία) in Cyrenaica (modern Libya) was founded by Greek colonists and became a significant commercial centre in the southern Mediterranean. It served as the harbour of Cyrene, 20 km (12 mi) to the southwest.
Apollonia became autonomous from Cyrene at latest by the time the area came within the power of Rome, when it was one of the five cities of the Libyan Pentapolis, growing in power until, in the 6th century AD, it became the capital of the Roman province of Libya Superior or Libya Pentapolitana. The city became known as Sozusa, which explains the modern name of Marsa Susa or Susa, which grew up long after the cessation of urban life in the ancient city after the Arab occupation of AD 643.
Sozusa was an episcopal see and is included in the Catholic Church's list of titular sees.