Ancient Libya was the region west of the
Nile Valley generally corresponding to modern
Northwest Africa. Climate changes affected the locations of the settlements.
In the Greek period the Berbers were known as Libyans. [1] Their lands were called Libya, and extended from modern Morocco to the western borders of Ancient Egypt. Modern Egypt contains the Siwa Oasis, historically part of Libya, where the Berber Siwi language is still spoken.
The name Libya appears in Ancient Egyptian, Phoenician, Greek, Hebrew, Latin, Arabic, and the modern European languages.[2]
The Ancient Egyptians mentioned many Libyan tribes. The most well-known and important tribes—on the basis of the Egyptian archaeological sources—were the Tjehenu, the Tamahu, the Libu (or Ribu), and the Meshwesh.
