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Within the rapid development
of the the department of antiquities, and due to
the great archaeological discoveries, there was
a desperate need to introduce the discipline of
archaeology in the Libyan university.
The conference titled "Libya
in History" held in Benghazi from 16 to 23
March, 1968 recommended the establishment of
Archaeology Department in the University of
Benghazi.
The academic year 1970/1971
witnessed the birth of the said department.
The ultimate objective of
this department was to qualify
Libyan elements in this
field of study. It was the first department of
archaeology to be found in Libya.
The educational system
included a preliminary year of study followed by
three years of specialty. At the early stages,
the department was mainly concerned with
classical archaeology which was later extended
to cover other areas such as Islamic arts and
architecture and pre-historical archaeology.
Arab and non Arab staff
members have been engaged in teaching at the
department since its establishment to date.
Libyan qualified from the
department and finished their postgraduate
studies abroad had joined the department as
staff members.
Throughout four years of
study certain specialized courses have been
prescribed. These courses include prehistoric
archaeology, ancient Arab civilizations, Greek,
roman and Byzantine archaeology, as well as
ancient languages. Methods of excavations,
techniques of drawing, post-excavation skills,
and refurbishment have been implemented.
Therefore, all archeological areas inquiry were
satisfied.
Priority is also given to
the particular aspects in support to the
theoretical side. In this connection, the
students are required to carry out field studies
supervised and conducted by staff members i.e.
scientific visits to archaeological sites and
museums and participating in Tocra site
excavations.
The department comprises an
maintenance laboratory to renovate each piece
found, it also comprehends a special library
located next to the laboratory, as well as an
audio-visual teaching halls.
In collaboration with the
department of antiquities and foreign
missions, the staff and personnel of department
take part in excavations carried out in Libya
every now and again.
For the last few years, the
department has started a post-graduate program
leading to the award of M.A and PhD.
By the academic year
2005/2006, the B.A university degree holders
mounted to 630 graduates.
Translated By: Dr. Fuaad Hamdi Bentaher
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