Punic and Latin came to North Africa via successive waves of colonialism. The indigenous ancient language is often presumed to be the ancestor of modern Tamazight, or Berber. But the link between them is not entirely secure, so when speaking of the ancient language the neutral term "Libyc" or "Libyan" (the Greek word for "African")... Continue Reading →
Hippo Regius has a fairly small collection of mosaics in comparison to other museums in North Africa, but the collection is nice. Here are a few highlights. For more, see the Flickr Album. Click the images below to zoom in. https://www.flickr.com/photos/184612901@N08/48827583567 Panorama of Hippo Regius. Whether it was intended to accurately reflect the city or... Continue Reading →
Overlooking the archaeological park of Hippo Regius is the modern Basilica of St. Augustine, begun in 1881, completed in 1900, and recently renovated by the Algerian government. The stones used to construct the church were imported from France, and so was a bone said to be part of Augustine's arm. It is sometimes advertised as... Continue Reading →
This map shows Hippo Regius (modern Annaba), Cirta (modern Constantine, the ancient capital of Numidia), Carthage (the capital of what Romans called Africa, roughly modern Tunisia), Rome, and Milan. Hippo Regius was located in the middle of a coastal plain with fairly easy travel along (or near) the shore for about 100 km to the... Continue Reading →
76 photos of stelae and inscriptions—Libyan/Berber, Punic, and Roman—from Hippo Regius are now available on Terrae Transmarinae's Flickr page. Take a look! Thousands of other photos from Roman Africa are on their way. https://www.flickr.com/photos/184612901@N08/48767363231/in/album-72157711004998337/
Measuring 76 x 43 m, the forum at Hippo Regius is one of the largest in North Africa. https://www.flickr.com/photos/184612901@N08/48767400656/in/album-72157711007684393/ Aristocrats commissioned the building of monuments and public works. They displayed their names prominently on what they paid for. A large inscription in the forum's paving names C. Paccius Africanus, patron of Hippo Regius and proconsul... Continue Reading →
Hippo Regius was an important coastal city in Numidia throughout antiquity. Under Roman rule, it was an invaluable port for exporting African grain to Rome. The harbor would therefore have had large imperial storehouses to preserve the grain until it could be shipped. Unfortunately, only a portion of the ancient city survives, and the ancient... Continue Reading →
Baptism (literally "a dipping [in water]") is a Christian initiation ritual. For a Christian, baptism is among the most important events in a person's life. In early African Christianity, there was real contention about who could (and could not) perform the ritual and who could (and could not) undergo it. For instance, did apostates (baptized... Continue Reading →
There were at least seven churches in Hippo Regius (modern Annaba, Algeria). Only a portion of the ancient city has been excavated, so we don't know which church this one is. But it faces west, like Augustine's, and has an adjoining house, like Augustine's. Even if it wasn't Augustine's church, he will have preached here... Continue Reading →
Nearly 200 images from the archaeological park of Hippo Regius (Annaba, Algeria) are now available on Flickr. Take a look! They roughly follow the chronological itinerary (the blue line) on the site map below, but in reverse. Full image descriptions will be added in due course. For orientation, the late 19th century Basilica of St.... Continue Reading →
Terrae Transmarinae 