Is there any info on how far into the Sahara the Romans conquered, exactly?
Bit of a funny question, and depends on what you count as conquered. The Garamantians were subdued at one point by Septimius Severus, which is a good chunk inland.
I know there was the one exploratory expedition where they reached the other side. (Or was that Carthage?)
I mean, yes. I should probably specify I mean a regular tribute relation - to my definition, a one time gift to impress the goofy pale people doesn’t count, but it doesn’t have to be a proper colonia or to have actually lost a war, either. Although it’s an interesting question what the most southern colonia was - probably along the Nile, right? It doesn’t look like they founded anything outside of oases, but the status was given to existing settlements too.
Yes, I actually think I read that one, and was thinking of Festus. I wouldn’t say most of these “reached the other side”.
Near the Sahara, at least, none south of the Atlas Mountains it would seem, which makes sense. I’m actually not sure if there were any literal coloniae in Egypt due to its… unique provincial position as a personal holding of the Emperor. I know Aswan was major and pretty far south though.
Egypt, looks like! Roman Egypt roughly had the same borders as modern Egypt, with Cyrenaica being on the border with Libya, and modern-day Libya being, well, Libya, and Africa Proconsularis.
Bit of a funny question, and depends on what you count as conquered. The Garamantians were subdued at one point by Septimius Severus, which is a good chunk inland.
There’s actually an excellent wiki article on just that
I mean, yes. I should probably specify I mean a regular tribute relation - to my definition, a one time gift to impress the goofy pale people doesn’t count, but it doesn’t have to be a proper colonia or to have actually lost a war, either. Although it’s an interesting question what the most southern colonia was - probably along the Nile, right? It doesn’t look like they founded anything outside of oases, but the status was given to existing settlements too.
Yes, I actually think I read that one, and was thinking of Festus. I wouldn’t say most of these “reached the other side”.
Near the Sahara, at least, none south of the Atlas Mountains it would seem, which makes sense. I’m actually not sure if there were any literal coloniae in Egypt due to its… unique provincial position as a personal holding of the Emperor. I know Aswan was major and pretty far south though.
I turned up that they did some serious construction in Farafra. Would that have been considered Libya, or Egypt?
Egypt, looks like! Roman Egypt roughly had the same borders as modern Egypt, with Cyrenaica being on the border with Libya, and modern-day Libya being, well, Libya, and Africa Proconsularis.