cyrene

English - Turkish

Definition of cyrene in English Turkish dictionary

Related Terms

cyrenaica

Sirenayka

English - English

Definition of cyrene in English English dictionary

An Ancient Greek colony in North Africa near the coast of Mediterranean Sea in the Cyrenaica region of present-day Libya

Ancient city, North Africa. Located in modern-day Libya, it was founded 630 BC by a group of emigrants from the Aegean island of Thíra. Their leader, Battus, became the first king; his dynasty ruled until 440 BC. Under the aegis of Ptolemaic Egypt (from 323 BC), Cyrene became one of the great intellectual centres of the Classical world, boasting such scholars as Eratosthenes and Aristippus, founder of the Cyrenaics. Taken by the Romans in 96 BC, it later declined and, with the Arab conquest of AD 642, ceased to exist. Areas of the old city have been excavated, revealing impressive ruins

Related Terms

Cyrenaica

{i} historic area colonized by the ancient Greeks that occupied the eastern part of Libya bordering the Mediterranean Sea; Barca, ancient region in North Africa

Cyrenaica

or Cirenaica Northeastern region of present-day Libya. It was colonized by the Greeks ( 631 BC), who established five cities there. It became a Roman province in 67 BC. Arab armies conquered it in AD 642, as did the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century. Italy colonized it in the early 20th century, but Italian forces were expelled during World War II (1939-45). In 1963 it was incorporated into Libya

Cyrenaica

A Roman province on the North African coast, now part of Libya

Eratosthenes of Cyrene

born 276 BC, Cyrene, Libya died 194, Alexandria, Egypt Greek scientific writer, astronomer, and poet. He settled in Alexandria 255 BC and became director of its great library. He is the first person known to have calculated the Earth's circumference, though the exact length of the units (stadia) he used is uncertain. He also measured the tilt of Earth's axis with great accuracy, compiled a star catalog, worked out a calendar that included leap years, and tried to fix the dates of literary and political events since the siege of Troy

Hyphenation

Cy·re·ne

Etymology

() From Ancient Greek Κυρήνη (Kurēnē).