Leptis Magna
 | |
  Shown within Libya | |
| Alternative name | Lepcis Magna, Neapolis, Lpqy |
|---|---|
| Location | Khoms, Libya |
| Region | Tripolitania |
| Coordinates | 32°38′21″N 14°17′26″E / 32.63917°N 14.29056°ECoordinates: 32°38′21″N 14°17′26″E / 32.63917°N 14.29056°E |
| Type | Settlement |
| History | |
| Founded | 7th c. BC |
| Abandoned | 7th c. AD |
| Periods | Iron Age to Byzantine |
| Cultures | Carthaginian Roman |
| Official name | Archaeological Site of Leptis Magna |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | i, ii, iii |
| Designated | 1982 (6th session) |
| Reference no. | 183 |
| State Party | Libya |
| Region | North Africa |
Leptis or Lepcis Magna, also known by other names in antiquity, was a prominent city of the Carthaginian Empire and Roman Libya at the mouth of the Wadi Lebda in the Mediterranean.
Originally a 7th-century BC Phoenician foundation, it was greatly expanded under Roman Emperor Septimius Severus (r. 193–211), who was born in the city. The 3rd Augustan Legion was stationed here to defend the city against Berber incursions. After the legion's dissolution under Gordian III in 238, the city was increasingly open to raids in the later part of the 3rd century. Diocletian reinstated the city as provincial capital, and it grew again in prosperity until it fell to the Vandals in 439. It was reincorporated into the Eastern Empire in 533 but continued to be plagued by Berber raids and never recovered its former importance. It fell to the Muslim invasion in c. 647 and was subsequently abandoned.
Its ruins are within present-day Khoms, Libya, 130 km (81 mi) east of Tripoli. They are among the best-preserved Roman sites in the Mediterranean.