| Africa | |
|---|---|
Goddess of Fertility and Fortune | |
 | |
| Other names | Ifri, Ifru, Dea Patria (goddess of the homeland) |
| Venerated in | Africa Preconsularis,Numidia |
| Affiliation | Numitheism,Roman Pantheon |
| Major cult centre | Thimugadi,Algeria[1] |
| Abode | North Africa, Caves |
| Gender | Female |
| Temple | |
| Genealogy | |
| Offspring | FourSeasons |
| Equivalents | |
| Greek | Demeter,Gaia |
| Roman | Ceres,Terra |
In ancientRoman religion,Africa, (Latin:Dea Africa) was a goddess and thepersonification ofAfrica in the early centuries of thecommon era.[5][6] She was originally aNorth Africanfertility and abundance deity worshipped by theBerbers and the tribe of Ifri.[7][8][9] Her iconography typically included an elephant-mask headdress, acornucopia, a military standard, and a lion.[10]
To theRomans, "Africa" was only their imperialprovince, roughly equating to modern north-eastAlgeria,Tunisia and coastalLibya.[11] Therefore, the goddess was not givensub-Saharan African characteristics; she was thought of as Berber.[12][5] After her image was revived in theRenaissance, she was reduced to a personification of Africa with no divine pretensions.[13][14]
Afri was aLatin name used to refer to the inhabitants of what was then known asNorth Africa, located west of theNile river, and in its widest sense referring to all lands south of theMediterranean, also known asAncient Libya.[15] This name seems to have originally referred to a native Libyan tribe, the ancestors of the modernBerbers.[16]
Africa was also known from theBerber wordifri (pluralifran) meaning "cave"[17][18] The same word[18] may have been found in the name of theBanu Ifran fromAlgeria andTripolitania, a Berber tribe originally fromYafran (also known asIfrane) in northwesternLibya.[19]
To the Romans, the distinction between worshipped goddesses and personified figures that served iconographic functions was elastic, with Africa appearing to have functioned in both roles. In hisNatural History,Pliny the Elder wrote: "in Africa nemo destinat aliquid nisi praefatus Africam", which scholars translate as "no one in Africa does anything without first calling on Africa".[20] This has been used as proof of her importance, in some cases interpreted as a proof for aNorth African goddess-centric cult. Other writers have also interpreted the female personification of Africa to be a goddess (Dea), although she would have undoubtedly been a minor deity.[21]
Africa was one of a number of "province personifications," which includedBritannia,Hispania,Macedonia, and a number of Greek-speaking provinces. Africa was one of the earliest to appear, and may have originated with the publicity aroundPompey the Great's African triumph in 80 BC; coins with both Pompey and Africa shown have been discovered.[22]
Some scholars have questioned whether the personified Africa was ever considered a goddess by the Romans or North Africans. Neither Pliny nor any writer thereafter ever described her asDea, nor is there anepigraphical inscription containingDea Africa. In contrast, other Roman goddesses carry the prefixDea in texts and inscriptions. Since Romans already had their own goddesses of fertility and abundance, there was potentially no need for a competing goddess in the same role.[23]
Africa was portrayed on coins, carved stones, andmosaics inRoman Africa.[4][24][25] In Timgad, she was the main goddess of the great sanctuary of theAqua Septimiana Felix, where she was worshipped asDea Patria (goddess of the homeland).[26] A sanctuary found inTimgad (Thamugadi inBerber) inAlgeria features goddess Africa's iconography.[27]
The elephant headdress is seen first on coins depictingAlexander the Great, commemorating his invasion of India, including the (possibly fake) "Porus medallions" issued during his lifetime and the coinage ofPtolemy I ofEgypt issued from 319 to 294 BC.[28] It may have had resonances withPharaonic ideology.[28] The image was later adopted on coinage ofAgathocles of Syracuse minted around 304 BC, following his African Expedition.[29] Subsequently it is seen on coinage of King Ibaras ofNumidia, a kingdom that Pompey defeated in 1st century BCE, so very likely picked up from there by Pompey's image-makers.[22]
_by_Jan_Boeckhorst.jpg)
During theRenaissance, thepersonification of Africa was revived; by the17th century, she was usually depicted with a dark complexion, curly hair, and a broad nose, in addition to her Roman attributes.[30] She was a necessary part of images of theFour Continents, which were popular in several media.
Etymology: The Latin designation (Africa) originally meant the land of the Afri, an indigenous tribe of present-day northern Tunisia, often confused with the Carthaginians, but Livy clearly distinguishes the Afri from the Carthaginians:- "Hasdrubal placed the Carthaginians on the right wing and the Afri on the left"- "the Carthaginians and the African veterans"- "the Carthaginians had Afri and Numidians as mercenaries"- "the horsemen of the Libyphoenicians, a Carthaginian tribe mixed with Afri
Africa. From the name of an ancient tribe in Tunisia, theAfri (adjective:Afer). The name is still extant today asIfira andIfri-n-Dellal in Greater Kabylia (Algeria). A Berber tribe was calledBeni-Ifren in the Middle Ages andIfurace was the name of a Tripolitan people in the 6th century. The name is from the Berber languageifri 'cave'. Troglodytism was frequent in northern Africa and still occurs today in southern Tunisia. Herodote wrote that the Garamantes, a North African people, used to live in caves. The Ancient Greek calledtroglodytēs an African people who lived in caves.Africa was coined by the Romans and'Ifriqiyeh' is the arabized Latin name. (Most details from Decret & Fantar, 1981).
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