SABRATA
SABRATA (
Σαβράτα,
Ptol. 4.3.41;
Plin. Nat. 5.4. s. 5;
Solin. 37; Itin. Anton.; Peut. Tab.;
Σαβαραθά, Procop.
de Aed. 6.4;
Σαβράθα,
Stadiasm. § § 99, 100), a Phoenician town (
Sil. Ital. 3.256) on the coast of N. Africa between the Syrtes.
The name, which is Phoenician and occurs on coins (Movers,
Die Phöniz. vol. ii. p. 491), received the Graecised form ABROTONUM; for although Pliny (
l.c.) distinguishes the two towns they are undoubtedly the same places.
It became afterwards a Roman colonia, and was the birthplace of Flavia Domitilla, the first wife of Vespasian, and mother of Titus and Domitian. (Sueton.
Vespas. 3). Justinian fortified it (Procop.
l.c.), and it remained during the middle ages one of the most frequented markets upon this coast, to which the natives of central Africa brought their grain (comp. Ibn Abd-el-Hakem,
Journal Asiatique, 1844, vol. ii. p. 358). Barth (
Wanderungen, p. 277) has given an account of the extensive ruins of Sabrata, which he found to the W. of
Tripoli, at
Tripoli Vecchio, or
Soâra-esch-Schurkîa, lat. 32° 49′, long. 12° 26′. (Smyth,
Mediterranean, p. 456.)
[
E.B.J]
