tribal confederation · Egypt, North Africa and Sudan

Marmaridae

300 BCE – 400 CE (approx.)

The Libyan peoples of Marmarica, the arid coastland between Egypt and Cyrenaica, known from Greek and Roman writers.

Origins

Marmarica, the stretch of coast and desert between the Nile Delta and Cyrenaica, was home to Libyan pastoral groups whom Greek and Roman writers called the Marmaridae from the Hellenistic period. They were probably descendants of earlier peoples such as the Libu and lived by herding, small-scale farming and oasis trade.

Rule and society

They were organised in clans and tribes rather than a single state. They traded with the coastal towns such as Paraetonium and served as guides and auxiliaries. Under Roman rule they were tributaries of the Roman Empire, but they raided settled lands when they could; Roman commanders, including Publius Sulpicius Quirinius under Augustus, campaigned against them.

Decline and legacy

By the late Roman period the name Marmaridae faded as new groups, such as the Austuriani and the Laguatan, dominated the Libyan desert. Their descendants were absorbed into the Berber and later Arab tribes of the region.

Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.

Connections (1)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Marmaridae. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/marmaridae
MLA
“Marmaridae.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/marmaridae. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Marmaridae.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/marmaridae.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Marmaridae’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/marmaridae (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻