Rougga is a town in southernTunisia located inSfax Governorate, on theOued er Rouggawadi. Rougga is theBerber name of the town, which is known asRaqqa inArabic.[1] The town is located on the site of the AncientRoman African city and former bishopricBararus, which remains a Latin Catholictitular see.
A veteran of this city is mentioned in a list of soldiers from Nicopolis, a Roman garrison suburb ofAlexandria, Egypt, recruited in Africa province.[2]
The city was devastated by an earthquake in 365[3] after which theforum appears to have been abandoned.[4]
The 6th century was a time of great affluence for the town, with a goldensolidicoin hoard testifying to this wealth. The town appears on the RomanTabula Peutingeriana road map.[5] By the 7th century there is evidence of fortified housing,[6] thoughpottery remains indicate a continuance of occupation to the10th century, well after theMuslim conquest of the Maghreb.[7] The Roman town was sacked byIbn Sa'd in 647 AD.[8][9] ABerber population moved in following theIslamic conquest and used the Roman building materials for other settlements.[10]
The city was also theseat of an ancientbishopric, like manysuffragan of the Metropolitan ofCarthage, in the papal sway, and like most also destined to fade, presumably at the advent of Islam.
Its only historically documented bishop,Iulianus Vararitanus (or Bararitanus), was found on the lists of bishops in Byzacena province having attended in 484[11] theCouncil of Carthage called byArian kingHuneric of theVandal Kingdom, after which most Catholic bishops (including him?) were exiles, unlike their schismaticDonatist colleagues.
The diocese was nominally restored in 1933 astitular bishopric ofBararus (Latin) / Bararo (Curiate Italian) /Baraitan(us) (Latin adjective).
It was vacant since decades, having had the following incumbents, so far of the fitting Episcopal (lowest) rank:
Rougga is the site of Henchir-Ronga, which comprises numerous ruins of theRoman era.[12][13][14] including theBararus Amphitheatre.[15][16] The layout of the Roman town "is organized around aforum[17] dominated by twotemples.... also two large semi circular Cisterns, anamphitheater set in an abandoned quarry, atheater with extensive outbuildings, and a paved domus [house] with remarkable mosaics."[18]
The amphitheater is in modern Tunisia located at35°12′43″N10°47′28″E / 35.211842°N 10.791201°E /35.211842; 10.791201 (Bararus).
The theater is located on the opposite bank of thewadi from Bararus and is roughly oval in shape.[19] The theater of Bararus is in bad condition,[20] though a stage of 29½ by 30 meters is still discernible.[21] The overall size of the arena was 98 by 73.5 meters with seating on a radial barrel vaulting. The Arena walls were only 3 meters high and lacked a parapet. It was estimated that the arena could seat 12,100 spectators.[22] The arena may have been unfinished.
The underground cisterns are very large[23] and were excavated by the French in the 20th century.
Several inscriptions were found in the town, including one recording that thecuratorRepublicae performed duties in the three cities ofThysdrus,Thaenae and Bararus.[24]