 | |
  Lambaesis Shown within Algeria | |
| Alternative name | Lambaesa (Lambese) |
|---|---|
| Location | Tazoult,Batna Province, Algeria |
| Coordinates | 35°29′20″N06°15′21″E / 35.48889°N 6.25583°E /35.48889; 6.25583 |
| Type | Settlement |
| History | |
| Periods | Roman Empire |
| Site notes | |
| Condition | In ruins |
Lambaesis (Lambæsis),Lambaisis orLambaesa (Lambèse incolonial French), is aRoman archaeological site inAlgeria, 11 km (7 mi) southeast ofBatna and 27 km (17 mi) west ofTimgad, located next to the modern village ofTazoult.[1] The former bishopric is also aLatin Catholictitular bishopric.
Lambaesa was founded by the Roman military. The camp of the thirdlegion (Legio IIIAugusta), to which it owes its origin, appears to have been established between AD 123–129, in the time ofRoman emperorHadrian, whose address to his soldiers was found inscribed on apillar in a second camp to the west of the great camp still extant.[2] However, other evidence suggests it was formed during thePunic Wars.[citation needed]
The town is built 622 m above sea level in the plain and on the spurs of the Djebel Asker[3]
By AD 166 mention is made of thedecurions of avicus, 10curiae of which are known by name; and thevicus became amunicipium probably at the time when it was made the capital of the newly founded province ofNumidia.[2] Lambaesis was populated mainly by Romanized Berbers and by some Roman colonists with their descendants: Latin was the official and commonly used language (even if local Berbers spoke their own language mixed with Latinisms).
III Augusta was disbanded byGordian III and the legionaries dispersed among the North African provinces. But the legion was restored in the AD 250s byValerianus andGallienus and from then on the legion was known as Augusta Restituta. Its final departure did not take place until after AD 392 (the town soon afterwards declined).
Indeed, underSeptimius Severus (AD 193 ), Numidia was separated fromAfrica Vetus, and governed by an imperialprocurator. Under the new organization of the empire byDiocletian, Numidia was divided in two provinces: the north becameNumidia Cirtensis, with capital atCirta, while the south, which included theAurès Mountains and was threatened by raids, becameNumidia Militiana, "Military Numidia", with capital at the legionary base of Lambaesis.
Subsequently, however, EmperorConstantine the Great reunited the two provinces in a single one, administered from Cirta, which was now renamedConstantina (modernConstantine, Algeria) in his honour. Its governor was raised to the rank ofconsularis in AD 320, and the province remained one of the seven provinces of thediocese of Africa until the invasion of theVandals in AD 428, which began its slow decay, accompanied bydesertification. The province remained under Vandal rule, but was effectively limited to the coastal areas by Berber raids. It was restored to Roman rule after theVandalic War, when it became part of the newpraetorian prefecture of Africa.
The Byzantines occupied Lambaesis and vicinity from the sixth century but around AD 683 the Arabs conquered the area, naming what remained of the cityBar-el-Molouk in the 10th century.
Lambaesis was an episcopal see during late Ancient times as part of theRoman province ofNumidia.[4] For such an important town, its bishopric is surprisingly absent from the historical record. Lambaesis did not send a representative to theCouncil of Nicaea[5] norChalcedon[6] and is not mentioned by LeQuinn .[7]
SaintCyprian mentions ahereticbishop of Lambaesis who was condemned by a localsynod of bishops around the year 240.[8][9]
The extinct diocese was nominally restored as atitular bishopric. Initially revived as Lambaisis, it was renamed Lambaesis in 1925.
It has had the following incumbents, of the lowest (episcopal) rank :
The remains of the Roman town, and more especially of the Roman camp, in spite of wanton vandalism, are among the most interesting ruins in northern Africa.[10]
The ruins are situated on the lower terraces of theAures Mountains, and consist oftriumphal arches (one toSeptimius Severus, another toCommodus),temples,aqueducts, vestiges of anamphitheatre,baths and an immense quantity of masonry belonging to private houses. To the north and east lie extensivecemeteries with the stones standing in their original alignments; to the west is a similar area, from which, however, the stones have been largely removed for building the modern village.[10]
Of the temple ofAesculapius only one column is standing, though in the middle of the 19th century its façade was entire. The capitol ortemple dedicated toJupiter,Juno andMinerva, which has been cleared of debris, has aportico with eightcolumns. On level ground about two-thirds of a mile from the centre of the ancient town stands the camp, its site now partly occupied by the penitentiary and its gardens. It measures 1,640 feet (500 m) by 1,476 feet (450 m), and in the middle rise the ruins of a building commonly called, but incorrectly, thepraetorium. This noble building, which dates from 268, is 92 feet (28 m) long by 66 feet (20 m) broad and 49 feet (15 m) high; its southern façade has a splendidperistyle half the height of the wall, consisting of a front row of massiveIonic columns and an engaged row of Corinthian pilasters.[10]
Behind this building (which was roofed), is a large court giving access to other buildings, one being thearsenal. In it have been found many thousands ofprojectiles. To the southeast are the remains of the baths. The ruins of both city and camp have yielded manyinscriptions (Renier edited 1500, and there are 4185 inCIL viii); and, though a very large proportion areepitaphs of the barest kind, the more important pieces supply an outline of the history of the place.[10]
Over 2500 inscriptions relating to the camp have been deciphered. In a museum in the village are objects of antiquity discovered in the vicinity.[11] In addition to inscriptions and statues, there are some fine mosaics found in 1905 near the arch ofSeptimius Severus. The statues include those ofAesculapius andHygieia, taken from the temple of Aesculapius.[12]
About 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Lambessa are the ruins of Markuna, the ancientVerecunda, including two triumphal arches.[2]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Lambessa".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 16 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 109–110.
Romano-Berber cities in Roman North Africa | ||
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