| Provincia Mauretania Sitifensis | |
|---|---|
| Province of theRoman Empire | |
| AD 293–AD 585 | |
 The province of Mauretania Sitifensis within the Roman Empire in AD 400 | |
| Capital | Setifis |
| Historical era | Late antiquity |
• Established | AD 293 |
• Byzantine creation of "Mauretania Prima" | AD 585 |
| Today part of | Algeria |
Mauretania Sitifensis was aRoman province inNorthwest Africa. The capital wasSetifis.[1]
In the later division of theRoman Empire under the EmperorDiocletian, the eastern part ofMauretania Caesariensis, fromSaldae to the river Ampsaga, was split into a new province, and called Mauretania Sitifensis named after the inland town ofSetifis (Setif in modernAlgeria).[2]
At the time ofConstantine the Great, Mauretania Sitifensis was assigned to the administrativeDiocese of Africa, under thePraetorian prefecture of Italy. The new province had a huge economic development in the 4th century, until the conquest by theVandals. In this province, the Christian denomination known asDonatism challenged theRoman Church (which was the main local religion after Constantine), while Setifis was a center ofMithraism.[3]
After thefall of the Western Roman Empire, certain areas of Mauretania Sitifensis were under Vandal and laterByzantine control, but most of the province (until 578 AD) was ruled byBerber kingdoms like theKingdom of Altava. Only the coastal area around Saldae and Setifis remained fullyRomanized.
Byzantine emperorMaurice in 585 AD created the province of Mauretania Prima and erased the old Mauretania Sitifensis. Indeed, the emperor Maurice in that year created the office of "Exarch", which combined the supreme civil authority of apraetorian prefect and the military authority of amagister militum, and enjoyed considerable autonomy fromConstantinople. Two exarchates were established, one in Italy, with its seat atRavenna (hence known as theExarchate of Ravenna), and one in Africa, based at Carthage and including all imperial possessions in the Western Mediterranean. The first African exarch was thePatriciusGennadius: he was appointed asmagister militumAfricae in 578 AD, and quickly defeated the Romano-Moorish kingdom ofGarmul inMauretania extending the territory of the Mauretania Sitifensis. Among the provincial changes done by emperor Maurice, Mauretania Caesariensis and Mauretania Sitifensis were re-merged as a province of Mauretania Prima.
Mauretania Sitifensis initially had an area of 17800 square miles and had a good agriculture (cereals, etc..), that was exported through the port ofSaldae.[4] But under Byzantine control the province was reduced to only the coastal section, with one third of the original area.
Ancient episcopal sees of the late Roman province ofMauretania Sitifensis, listed in theAnnuario Pontificio astitular sees:[5]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)| International | |
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| Geographic | |
