Lepcis Magna had much in common with Roman cities in Northern Africa - former colonies, built on the coast next to a river, and a blend of Roman and local cultures. So it would have continued until the late 2nd century, when Septimius Severus, a local lad who made it big, became the Rome’s newest emperor.

Guest: Dr Niccolò Mugnai (Assistant Professor at the Institute of Classical Archaeology at the University of Tübingen, Germany)