Leptis Magna is one of the best preserved cities of antiquity, it is one of three famous cities in the Tripoli region ( Greek "Tripolis" means "three cities" ).

The other two cities are Oea ( now known as Tripoli ), and Sabratha. Known as such ( Magna meaning The Great ), to distinguish it from another city of the same name near Carthage known as Leptis Minor.

Leptis Magna was founded by the Phoencian merchants around 1st millennium B.C, using it as a trading station and occasional habour.Leptis rose to its peak of prosperity under the rule of the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus( 193-211 A.D Libyan born ).

This prosperity continued during the rule of the Severan Dynasty until 235 A.D. The assassination of Alexander Severus ( 222-235 A.D ), left the Roman Empire in a state of confusion for some fifty years until the accession of the Emperor Diocletian ( 284-305 A.D ), He and his successor Constantine (307-337A.D) both worked hard to prevent the collapse of the empire.

In 469 A.D the Byzantine Emperor Leo succeeded in crushing the Vandal King Genseric and the great commander Belisarius reclaimed North Africa in 534 A.D for the Byzantine Empire and remained under their rule until 643-644 A.D when it was ended by the Islamic Arabic conquest.