Lepcis Magna , one of the greatest cities of North Africa and one of the most famous archaeological sites in the Mediterranean, was situated in the region (later province) of Tripolitania. Birthplace of the emperor Septimius Severus, the city has yielded many well-preserved monuments from its Roman past; but the extraordinary architecture and history of this city has never been examined in the context of the ancient region as a whole, encompassing north-west Libya and southern Tunisia.David Mattingly has filled this gap, presenting important new research on the pre-Roman tribal background, the urban centres, the military frontier and the regional economy. Drawing on recent excavation and field surveys, the author reinterprets many aspects of the settlement history of this marginal arid zone that was once made prosperous. Partly through large-scale olive cultivation, one of the least promising environments of the Mediterranean hosted, in Lepcis Magna , one of the wealthiest Roman provincial towns.Dr Mattingly also considers many wider themes in Roman provincial studies: Romanization, the military strategy on the frontiers, the economic links between provinces and the sources of elite wealth. The dramatic rise and premature decline of this region, over the 500 year period between Caesar's victory at Thapsus in 46 BC and the conquest of North Africa by the Vandals, make it one of the most unusual provincial histories of the Roman world.