Berenice, Cyrenaica Berenice, Cyrenaica Berenice, was an ancient Greek and Roman era city near Benghazi in today's Libya, named after Berenice II of Egypt. The city was located on a raised piece of land in what is now the Eastern Benghazi suburb of "Sebkha Es-Selmani" (Es-Selmani Marsh). Founded as a Greek Colony, the city became Roman when Cyrenaica became a Roman province by being bequeathed to Rome by Ptolemy Apion on his death in 96 BC. At first, the Romans gave Berenice and the other cities of the Pentapolis their freedom. By 78 BC however, Cyrenaica was formally organised as one administrative
Names of the Greeks used by the Romans. Some toponyms, especially an ancient city "Hellas" in southern Thessaly, and the Greek tradition seem to indicate that the name "Hellenes" was Pre-Dorian itself and that the homeland of the "Graikoi", who were later called "Hellenes", was in central Greece. The Greek tradition mentions an earlier deluge of Ogyges in the region of Boeotia which was occupied by the Minyans a group of autochthonous or Proto-Greek speaking people. The region was called Graïke in ancient times probably after the old city of Graea (Γραῖα "Graîa", from Proto-Greek "grau-j-", "old lady") on the coast. Homer refers to