LIXUS

ancient site located north of the modern seaport of Larache, Morocco, on the right bank of the Oued Loukkos (Lucus River). Originally settled by Phoenicians during the 7th century BC, it gradually grew in importance, later coming under Carthaginian domination. After the destruction of Carthage, Lixus fell to Roman control and was made an imperial colony, reaching its zenith during the reign of the emperor Claudius I (AD 4154). Some ancient Greek writers located at Lixus the mythological garden of the Hesperides, the keepers of the golden apples.