Sanctuary of Apollo

Fanum Apollinis

SanctuaryCreta et Cyrenaica · Cyrene (Shahhat), LibyaBuilt 630 BCE · Destroyed 116 CE

Not standing in 117 CE

About

Two springs below the acropolis cliff marked, in myth, where Apollo carried off the nymph Cyrene and fathered the city's founder. Herodotus and Pindar both praised this water, and Greeks built their sacred quarter around it from the 7th century BCE. Jewish rebels burned the temple here in 115-116 CE during the Kitos War. By Trajan's death in August 117 CE the terraces stood scorched, though the spring still ran.

What happened here

A sanctuary is a precinct, not a building — an enclosed area with a boundary that matters legally. Inside it, rules apply: certain acts are forbidden, debtors and runaways may claim protection, and in some the birth or death of anyone is not permitted. Pilgrims arrive on foot, sometimes over days, and there is accommodation, water, and a market selling exactly what they need to offer. Priesthoods are local and hereditary or annual and political depending on the place. Treasuries hold the accumulated gifts of centuries, catalogued on stone. Festivals draw crowds from a whole region and bring games, contests and trade with them. Between festivals the place is quiet, staffed by a caretaker and visited by a trickle of travellers.

In ancient writing

Herodotus, Histories 4.158
Mentions the spring of Apollo at Cyrene.
Eusebius, Chronicle on the reign of Trajan
Names the temple of Apollo among those torn down by Jewish rebels at Cyrene.