Lambesis

Lambesis was founded by the Roman military of the Third Roman Legion between approximately 123 and 129. n e., during the reign of the Roman emperor Hadrian. However, other evidence suggests that the city was founded during the Punic Wars.

For some time, Lambesis was the capital of the newly formed province of Numidia . The city was mainly inhabited by Romanized Berbers and partially Roman colonists with their descendants. Latin was an official language and was widely used even by Berbers.

During the reign of Septimius Severus, Numidia became a separate province and was governed by the imperial procurator. After the reforms of Diocletian, Numidia was divided into two provinces: the northern became Numidia Cirtensis, with a center in Cirta, and the southern one - Numidia Militiana or “Military Numidia”, with its capital in Lambesis. It housed the Roman Legion.

Subsequently, Emperor Constantine the Great united the two provinces into one with the center in the city of Cirt, which is now called Constantine in his honor.

After the capture by vandals in 428 AD e. the city is slowly fading away. Desertification also contributed to this.

The Byzantines occupied Lambesis and the surrounding area in the VI century. In 683, the city was conquered by the Arabs. Subsequently, what was left of the city was called Bar el Moluc.

The ruins of the Roman city, and especially the Roman camp, despite the fact that they survived vandalism and destruction, are considered one of the most interesting ruins in North Africa.

The ruins of the city consist of a triumphal arch in honor of the emperor Septimius Severus, a temple, a Roman aqueduct, the remains of an amphitheater and a large number of masonry of private houses. To the north and east there are large cemeteries on which stone gravestones remained in their original form. The cemetery was also located to the west of the city, but the stones were destroyed during the construction of the modern village.

From the temple of Asclepius there was only one pillar. Although in the middle of the XIX century its facade was not yet destroyed. The temple in honor of Jupiter, Juno and Minerva now represents a portico with eight columns.

Also, many covered buildings were discovered here, one of which was an arsenal. Thousands of shells were discovered in it. To the southeast of the city are the remains of bathhouses. A museum has been set up in Tazult to store antiquities found in the surrounding area.

Two kilometers south of Lambesis are the ruins of the ancient cities of Markun and Verekund, where you can see the remains of two triumphal arches.

• S. Gsell, Les Monuments antiques de l'Algerie (Paris, 1901) and L'Algérie dans l'antiquité (Algiers, 1903);
• L. Renier, Inscriptions romaines de l'Algérie (Paris, 1855);
• Gustav Wilmann, Die rm. Lagerstadt Afrikas ”, in Commentationes Phil. in honoreni Th. Mommseni (Berlin, 1877);
• Sir L. Playfair, Travels in the Footsteps of Bruce (London, 1877);
• A. Graham, Roman Africa (London, 1902).
• Lambessa // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.