Drawing on recent excavation and field surveys, the author reinterprets many aspects of the settlement history of this marginal arid zone that was once made prosperous.

List of Figures, List of Plates, Acknowledgement, Preface, Map of Tripolitana, principal sites, 1. Geography and Climate, 2. The Tribal Background, 3. History, Administration and the infrastructures of government, 4. The Army and Frontier Development, 5. The Archaeology of the Frontier (first-third centuries AD), 6. Cities, Towns and Villages, 7. Economy and Trade, 8. The Cultural Character of Tripolitania, 9. Late Roman Historical Summary, 10. Late Roman Frontier Arrangements, 11. Economy and Culture in Late Roman Tripolitania, 12. De-Romanization and Secession, Notes, Bibliography and Abbreviations.