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Cirta

Coordinates:36°22′03″N6°36′43″E/ 36.36750°N 6.61194°E/36.36750; 6.61194
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Not to be confused withSirte.
Cirta
Detail ofTriumph ofNeptuneandAmphitrite(c. 315-325), a vast Roman mosaic from Cirta. Now in theLouvre
Cirta is located in Algeria
Cirta
Shown within Algeria
LocationAlgeria
RegionConstantine Province
Coordinates36°22′03″N6°36′43″E/ 36.3675°N 6.611944°E/36.3675; 6.611944

Cirta,also known byvarious other namesinantiquity,was the ancientBerber,PunicandRomansettlement which later becameConstantine,Algeria.

Cirta was the capital city of theBerberkingdom ofNumidia;its strategically important port city wasRussicada.Although Numidia was a key ally of the ancientRoman Republicduring thePunic Wars(264–146BC), Cirta was subject to Roman invasions during the 2nd and 1st centuriesBC. Eventually it fell under Roman dominion during the time ofJulius Caesar.Cirta was then repopulated with Roman colonists by Caesar andAugustusand was surrounded by the autonomous territory of a "Confederation of Four Free Roman cities" (withChullu,Russicada,andMilevum),[1]ruled initially byPublius Sittius.The city was destroyed in the beginning of the 4thcentury and was rebuilt by the Roman emperorConstantine the Great,who gave his name to the newly constructed city,Constantine.TheVandalsdamaged Cirta, but EmperorJustinian Ireconquered and improved the Roman city. It declined in importance after theMuslim invasions,but a small community continued at the site for several centuries. Its ruins are now an archaeological site.

A number of significant archaeological finds have been found in the area, including a large corpus ofPunic inscriptions,known as theCirta steles.

Names[edit]

Further information:Maghreb placename etymology
A coin from Cirta, bearing the Neo-Punic legendkrṭn

The town'sPunicnamekrṭn[2][3](𐤊𐤓𐤈𐤍,probably pronounced "Kirthan",[4]with ahard, breathy/tʰ/sound) is probablynotthe Punic word meaning "town", which was written with a Q (i.e.,qoph) rather than a K (kaph).[5]Instead, it is likely a Punic transcription of an existingBerberplacename.[4]This was laterLatinizedas Cirta. UnderJulius Caesar,the Sittian settlement was known asRespublica IIIIColoniarum Cirtensium;[6]Plinyalso knew it asCirta Sittianorum( "Cirta of the Sittians" ).[7]UnderAugustus,in 27 or 30BC, its official name wasColonia Julia Juvenalis Honoris et Virtutis Cirta;[8]this was sometimes reduced toCirta Julia( "JulianCirta "),[9]'Colonia Cirtaor simplyCirta.[8]This name was rendered asAncient Greek:Κίρτα,romanized:Kírtaby the historiansDiodorus Siculus,Polybius,Appian,Cassius Dio,andProcopiusand by the geographersPtolemyandStrabo.[10]

After its refounding asConstantina(Latin:Civitas Constantina Cirtensium) byConstantine the Greatafter AD312, Cirta became known asConstantine.[11]Following itsMuslim conquest,it was known asQusantina.

History[edit]

Cirta in Roman times was protected to the south and west by the Roman limes, theFossatum Africae
Cirta on the map of RomanNumidia[12]

Numidian Kingdom[edit]

Cirta was the capital of theBerberkingdom ofNumidia,an important political, economic, and military site west of themercantile empirerun by thePhoeniciansettlement ofCarthageto its east.

During thesecond of Rome's wars against Carthage,the 203BCBattle of Cirtawas a decisive victory forScipio Africanus.The kingdom remained an independent Roman ally following the destruction of Carthage in theThird Punic War,but Roman commercial influence and political involvement grew.[13]

WhenKing Micipsadied in 118BC, a civil war broke out between the king's natural sonAdherbaland his adoptive sonJugurtha.Adherbal appealed for Roman help and asenatorialcommission brokered a seemingly successful division of the kingdom between the two heirs. Jugurtha followed this mediation, however, by besieging Cirta and killing both Adherbal and the Romans who defended him. Rome then prosecuted theJugurthine Waragainst his reunited Numidian state[13]to assert their hegemony over the region[citation needed]and to secure the protection of itscitizensabroad.

As Cirta rebuilt in the 1st centuryBC, its population was quite diverse: nativeNumidiansalongsideCarthaginianrefugees and Greek, Roman, and Italian merchants, bankers,[14]settlers, and army veterans.[15]This expatriate community made it an important business hub of Rome's African holdings, even while it remained technically outside the lands of theRoman Republic.[14]

Roman Empire[edit]

Cirta fell under direct Roman rule in 46BC, followingJulius Caesar's conquest of North Africa.[16]P. Sittius Nucerinuswas chosen by Caesar toromanizethe locals.[17]His men, the "Sittians" (Sittiani), wereCampanianlegionaries who controlled Cirta's lands on Rome's behalf.[6]

Together with the colonies atRusicade,Milevum,andChullu,their Cirta formed an autonomous territory within"New Africa":theConfederatio Cirtense.Its magistrates and municipal assembly were those of the confederation. Cirta administered fortifications (castella) in the High Plains and at the north end of the colonies: Castellum Mastarense, Elephantum,Tidditanorum,Cletianis,Thibilis,Sigus, and others.

In 27 and 26BC,[17]the area's administration was restructured underAugustus,who split Cirta intocommunities(Latin:pagi) separating the Numidians from the Sittiani and other newly settled Romans.[18]

With the expansion of theRoman limes,this colony at Cirta was at the center of the most Romanized area ofRoman Africa.It was protected by theFossatum Africaestretching fromSitifisandIcosium(present-day Algiers) toCapsaon theGulf of Gabès.Robin Danielestimates that by the end of the 2nd century, Cirta had nearly 50,000 inhabitants.[19]

Cirta in 303 AD was the administrative capital of the newly createdNumidia Cirtense,a small province -named from Cirta- made by emperorDiocletianin Roman Numidia in the last years of the third century.[20]Numidia was divided in two: Numidia Cirtensis (or Cirtense), with capital at Cirta, and Numidia Militiana ( "Military Numidia" ), with capital at the legionary base ofLambaesis.

The newly created province was enlarged in 310 AD by the emperor Constantine.

Christianityarrived early on: while little remains of African Christianity before AD200, records ofChristians martyredat Cirta existed by the mid-3rd century.[21]It became the chief town of an ecclesiastical district.[clarification needed]Around 305, theFirst Council of Cirtawas held to elect a new bishop, accidentally precipitating theDonatistmovement. After the dissolution of its confederation of colonies in the 4th century, Cirta recovered its role as a capital when it headed the territory ofNumidia Cirtensiscreated underDiocletian:however, after some decades, EmperorConstantine the Greatreunited the two provinces created in 303 (Cirtensis & Militiana) in a single one, administered from Cirta, which was renamedConstantina(modern Constantine).

Indeed, the city was destroyed after a siege byRufius Volusianus,thepraefectus praetorioof theaugustusMaxentius;Maxentius's forces defeated the imperial claimantDomitius Alexanderin 310.[11]Constantine the Greatrebuilt under his own name after 312 and his own victory over Maxentius in theBattle of the Milvian Bridge.[11]Constantine made Constantina the capital of all Roman Numidia.[22]In 320 the bishop of Cirta was accused of having handed over (Latin:traditio) Christian texts to the authorities during theDiocletianic Persecution,which had begun in 303 in Cirta.[23]The bishop Silvanus was aDonatistand was prosecuted in December 320 byDomitius Zenophilus,theconsularisandproconsulofAfrica;the records of the proceedings (commentarii) are preserved in the Latin:Gesta apud Zenophilum,lit. 'Deeds of Zenophilus', a text collected in theOptatan Appendix.[23][11][24]A cave for the practice ofMithraismalso existed in the 4th century.[11]

In 412, Cirta was host to theSecond Council of Cirta,overseen byStAugustine.According toMommsen,Cirta was fullyLatin-speaking andChristianby the time theVandalsarrived in AD430.[25]

Under the emperorJustinian I,the city walls were reinforced and the city was named capital of its region with a resident commander (dux). Cirta was part of theByzantine Africafrom 534 to 697.

Islamic conquest[edit]

Further information:Islamic conquest of the MaghrebandConstantine, Algeria

During theMuslim conquest of the Maghreb,Constantine was unsuccessfully defended by the Berber queenKahina.[citation needed]Although many Roman, Byzantine, and Vandal cities were destroyed during the expansion of theCaliphate,Constantine survived in reduced form[26]with a small Christian community as late as the 10thcentury. The town's further development is detailed under the articleConstantine.

Bishops[edit]

The bishopric of Cirta was venerable and prominent in the African church. Several of its bishops are known:

  • Paulus fl. 303-305 (Catholic)[27]
  • Siluanus 303–320.[28][29]
  • Petilianus 354-422 (Donatist)[30]
  • Profutrus 391-397 (Catholic)
  • Fortunatus 401-425 (Catholic), attendee of the council of 411[31]
  • Delphinus 411 (Catholic)
  • Honoratus Antonius fl. 437 (Catholic)
  • Victor 484 (Catholic)

Today the town of Constantine is again the seat of adiocese.[32]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Citations[edit]

  1. ^Map of the 'Confederatio Cirtense'
  2. ^Ghaki (2015),p. 67.
  3. ^Head & al. (1911),p. 886.
  4. ^ab"Cirta",Encyclopedie Berbère.(in French)
  5. ^Mazard,[who?]Corpus, n° 523-529.
  6. ^abJacques Heurgon,"Les origines campaniennes de la Confédération cirtéenne"; François Bertrandy, "L'État de P. Sittius et la région de Cirta – Constantine (Algérie), Ier siècle avant J.-C. – Ier siècle après J.-C.", inL'Information historique,1990, pp. 69-73.
  7. ^Pliny,Natural History,Book V, sect. 22.
  8. ^abLOUIS, RENÉ. “A LA RECHERCHE DE ‘CIRTA REGIA’ CAPITALE DES ROIS NUMIDES.” Hommes Et Mondes, vol. 10, no. 39, 1949, pp. 276–287. JSTOR, jstor.org/stable/44207191. Accessed 19 Feb. 2020.
  9. ^Joseph Bingham,Origines Ecclesiasticae,Volume 3 p11.
  10. ^"Κίρτα - Cirta/Constantine, major city of Numidia, modern Constantine, Algeria".ToposText (topostext.org).Retrieved2020-05-13.
  11. ^abcdeBockmann, Ralf (2018), Nicholson, Oliver (ed.),"Cirta",The Oxford Dictionary of Late Antiquity,Oxford University Press,doi:10.1093/acref/9780198662778.001.0001,ISBN978-0-19-866277-8,retrieved2020-05-13
  12. ^Atlas Antiquus,H. Kiepert, 1869.
  13. ^abThe Cambridge Ancient History.2nd ed., vol. 9, p. 29
  14. ^abThe Cambridge Ancient History.2nd ed., vol. 9, p. 638
  15. ^The Cambridge Ancient History.2nd ed., vol. 9, p. 28 London: Cambridge University Press, 1970.
  16. ^Roman History,Cassius Dio, vol. 43, ch. 9
  17. ^abClassical Gazetteer,page 321ArchivedMarch 11, 2006, at theWayback Machine
  18. ^The Cambridge Ancient History.2nd ed., vol. 10, p. 607
  19. ^Robin Daniel,History of Christianity in Roman Africa
  20. ^[J. kuijck "Africa in late antiquity"; Radboud University. Nijmeden, 2016 (Map of Numidia Cirtensis p.9)
  21. ^The Cambridge Ancient History.2nd ed., vol. 12, p. 585, 645
  22. ^"General View, Constantine, Algeria".World Digital Library.1899.Retrieved2013-09-25.
  23. ^abLunn-Rockliffe, Sophie (2018), Nicholson, Oliver (ed.),"Optatan Appendix",The Oxford Dictionary of Late Antiquity,Oxford University Press,doi:10.1093/acref/9780198662778.001.0001,ISBN978-0-19-866277-8,retrieved2020-05-13
  24. ^Corcoran, Simon (2018), Nicholson, Oliver (ed.),"Zenophilus, Domitius",The Oxford Dictionary of Late Antiquity,Oxford University Press,doi:10.1093/acref/9780198662778.001.0001,ISBN978-0-19-866277-8,retrieved2020-05-13
  25. ^Theodore Mommsen.The Provinces of the Roman EmpireSection:Africa
  26. ^ "CIRTA (Constantine) Algeria".The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites.Retrieved2015-04-12.
  27. ^Wace, Henry,Dictionary of Christian Biography and Literature(Delmarva Publications, Inc., 1911).
  28. ^Wace, Henry,Dictionary of Christian Biography and Literature(Delmarva Publications, Inc., 1911).
  29. ^Maureen A. Tilley,The Bible in Christian North Africa: The Donatist World(Fortress Press, 1997) p79.
  30. ^Wace, Henry,Dictionary of Christian Biography and Literature(Delmarva Publications, Inc., 1911).
  31. ^Saint Augustine,Letters,Volume 2 (83–130) (The Fathers of the Church, Volume 18)letter 115.
  32. ^Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Diocese of Constantine (Cirta)".Catholic Encyclopedia.New York: Robert Appleton Company.

Bibliography[edit]

  • Head, Barclay; et al. (1911),"Numidia",Historia Numorum(2nd ed.), Oxford: Clarendon Press, pp. 884–887.
  • Ghaki, Mansour (2015),"Toponymie et Onomastique Libyques: L'Apport de l'Écriture Punique/Néopunique"(PDF),La Lingua nella Vita e la Vita della Lingua: Itinerari e Percorsi degli Studi Berberi,Studi Africanistici: Quaderni di Studi Berberi e Libico-Berberi, Naples: Unior, pp. 65–71,ISBN978-88-6719-125-3,ISSN2283-5636,archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2020-04-28,retrieved2018-11-02.(in French)
  • Heurgon, Jacques.Les origines campaniennes de la Confédération cirtéennein "Libyca" magazine, 5, 1957 (pp. 7–27)
  • Laffi, Umberto.Colonie e municipi nello Stato romanoEd. di Storia e Letteratura. Roma, 2007ISBN8884983509
  • Mommsen, Theodore.The Provinces of the Roman EmpireSection: Roman Africa. (Leipzig 1865; London 1866; London: Macmillan 1909; reprint New York 1996) Barnes & Noble. New York, 1996
  • Smyth Vereker, Charles.Scenes in the Sunny South: Including the Atlas Mountains and the Oases of the Sahara in Algeria.Volume 2. Publisher Longmans, Green, and Company. University of Wisconsin. Madison,1871 (Roman Cirta)
  • Chisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911)."Cirta".Encyclopædia Britannica(11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

36°22′03″N6°36′43″E/ 36.36750°N 6.61194°E/36.36750; 6.61194

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