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Basic GeographyFact: Libya is situated in northern Africa, bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, and the Sahara desert to the south. Most of the country consists of barren rocky and sandy desert with mountain ranges. The coastal plain is often marshy. The north-west region, once known as Tripolitania, rises from the narrow coastal plain in a series of steps until it reaches the Jafara Plain and the Jabal Nafusah Plateau. Land here rises to between 2,000 and 3,000 feet above sea level. In the north-eastern region, once known as the province of Cyrenaica, the land rises from the coastal plain to the Green Mountains (Jabal al Akhdar) to a height of just under 3,000 feet.Fiction: The kingdom of Syrtica is located on the north-western shores of Cheopia. It is one of the three 'pharonic' upper kingdoms. Its current ruler, Pharaoh Raydragar-shu is an aged widower of the Phutite people. The terrain is much more mountainous than historic Libya, and much richer in mineral wealth. I have also included some fun cultural material from more westerly regions. ClimateLibya's desert regions contain several oases where underground water resources are tapped by means of shallow wells. Wadi Ki'am, Libya's only permanently-flowing river, is less than 2 miles long. All other wadis run dry during the hot weather, but flash floods are common during the rainy season.The Wadi Derna in Cyrenaica contains flowing water for a large part of the year, and provides water for irrigation of the surrounding land. In consequence, this is a comparatively fertile area. The spectacular gorge which runs through the Green Mountains in the north-east is formed by the waterless Wadi Al-Kuf. In lower Syrtica a scorching wind, known as the ghibli, blows from the Sahara along the coast at the time of the spring solstice. This causes a sharp drop in humidity and a dramatic rises in temperature. Flora: The flora in the greater part of Syrtica is Saharan, the date-palm being the characteristic tree, and sparse scatterings 
of salt bush and grasses such as alfalfa and esparto making up most
of the balance. The gumyielding acacia, the tamarisk, sapan, mastic
and pistachio are found in the wadis, and ski (wormwood) grows in
clusters on the stony plateaus. Along the coast, the flora is more
Mediterranean. In these regions the laurel, myrtle and other
evergreens are fairly common, and the oak, cypress, pine, carob and
other trees occur, notably the olive, found also in the oases. Other
fruit trees are the almond, fig, pomegranate, quince and apricot.
Fauna: The larger wild animals are scarcely represented in Syrtica. Some wild boar, the hyena, fox and jackal in the deserts. The mouflon, gazelle, hares, rabbits and marmots are among the commoner animals. The characteristic animal is the camel, found only in the domesticated state. Horses and cattle are bred, but the horses are not numerous; goats and a fat-tailed variety of sheep are kept in large numbers. Bird life consists of carrion-eaters such as the vulture, birds of prey such as the eagle and hawk, the ostrich, hoopoes, wood pigeons and doves. Reptiles include the horned viper and the gecko. Other snakes as well as scorpions are present in desert areas. Bees are numerous and honey forms an article of export. The area is thought to have been home to a much richer variety of wildlife in past ages. This is borne out by many wall and cave paintings, which show elephants, leopards and wolves, none of which can be found in Syrtica today. The Egypt Bestiary is a cool reference to the main animals of egypt. |
CulturesCollectively, the people of Syrtica are known as Syrticans or Berbers. Just as often, people are associated instead with their city of residence. So, a Syrtican of any race might be called an Oean, a Cyrenian, and soforth. Though historically, some of the following cultures did not flourish at the same time, I have included them as points of interest.
Phutites: Phut, one of Noah’s grandsons, is credited by the
Hebrews with founding Libya. There are three ancient references to the
land of Phut in the Old Testament. By Daniel’s day, the name had been
changed to Libya (Daniel 11:43). Josephus says, ‘Phut also was the
founder of Libia [sic], and called the inhabitants Phutites, from
himself’. In Cheopian Syrtica, the Phutites are a
race of short stocky men (dwarves), who live in the mountains and
govern the surrounding lands. They are the only Cheopian culture who
sport full beards (not those whimpy litte goatees), but many (especially
the clergy) still shave their heads. The phutites are an ancient race
known to revere Ptah. They are very good at working stone and mining
metals and gems. Phutites are well known for their beautiful stone
carvings, some of which are so lifelike that their magicians can be
infuse them with a lifeforce. The Phutites dwell mainly in the
mountainous region of Tripolitanea in the Jebel Welad Hassan, the Jebel
es-Suda (Black Mountains), the Jebel Morai-Yeh, and other ranges.
Hesperians: Historically, the first empire in this area, known
as the Gorgon or Hesperian Amazons, was comprised of Lybian women
warriors. Their greatest queen, Myrene, conquered and held parts of
Syria, Egypt, Phygia and several Mediterranean islands, including the
island of Lesbos. She was said to have lead an army of over 30,000
women on horseback. After she died the Amazons deserted their colonies
and returned to Libia. In Cheopian Syrtica, Myrene
is alive and well. Her people (mostly humans) dwell on the Barca
plateau (Cyrenaica) - the rocky lands of northern Syrtica that border
Nubia and Himyar. They acknowledge fealty to the Phutite pharaohs, but
keep to their own ways and are sometimes a law unto themselves. Amazigh: The Greek called them Libyans, Romans referred to them as Africans, Numidians and Moors; the Arabs would dub them Berbers. The Amazigh have lived in North Africa since the earliest recorded 
time. References to them date from about 3000 B.C. and occur frequently
in ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Roman sources. For many centuries the
Amazigh inhabited the coast of North Africa from Egypt to the High Atlas
mountains of today's Morocco. They continue age-old occupations in
rural areas, growing grains, fruits and vegetables and herding sheep and
goats, often seasonally following the herds. Berber rugs, a product of
their sheep, are world famous. Today, Amazigh villages are scattered
across the High Atlas Mountains, an area of red dust.
The villages of the Berber tribes punctuate the dust with green
profusion. Walnut and chestnut trees shade the paths in and out of the
villages, each terrace of land carries a patchwork of blown barley or
vegetables. The grazing stock are shaded by the spreading branches of
olive, almond, fig and pomegranates. Amazigh
villages are peppered throughout the eastern valleys and hills of
Syrtica bordering the Bedouin lands. The Amazigh are of human stock and
are thought to be descended from the Libyan amazons. Phoenician Presence: We've all heard tales of the great Carthaginian Empire that encompassed much of Northern Africa and fought against Rome in the Punic wars. Where the simple Berber farmers became fierce Numidian light cavalry and javelin casters led by the legendary Hanibal. But such majesty has not (yet) come to be. Carthage began as a small colony of Phoenician traders sponsored by Tyre. This is the Carthage of Cheopia - just a trading enclave of the Kina'hna and a regular port of call for their ships. There is a similar rival colony with a much nicer port sponsored by Sidon at Oea, known today as Tripoli. Some Libya and Berber Links: Photo Gallery Early History Photos Scenes Cultural Tidbits:
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Some Select Syrtican Cities
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StonecunningHere are some resource links on various types of stone carving or mining in the ancient world. Also, ASMOSIA makes a nice search word - Association for the Study of Marble and Other Stones Used in Antiquity (ASMOSIA).
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