Thamusida
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Thamusida was an ancient port city on the Oued Sebou (ancient name Subur ) near the Atlantic coast of Morocco .
location
The about 15 ha, the ruins of Thamusida is located on a bend of the Oued Sebou about 15 km (driving distance) northeast of the present-day city Kenitra in the Region Rabat-Sale-Kénitra . In ancient times, Thamusida was roughly halfway between the Roman cities of Sala Colonia (today's Chellah near Rabat ) and Banasa .
history
Similar to other coastal cities like Asilah or Lixus , Thamusida probably also has a Phoenician-Carthaginian origin; the old name was probably tmd't (?????) . Under Emperor Augustus (ruled from 31 BC to 14 AD), the Roman influence was clearly noticeable in northern Africa. Shortly before his official accession to power, Emperor Claudius (r. 41–54) had Ptolemy, the young ruler of the ancient kingdom of Morocco, murdered in Rome. In 42 he divided the kingdom into two imperial provinces: Mauretania Tingitana (capital Tingis / Tangier ) and Mauretania Caesariensis (capital Caesarea / Cherchel). Both provinces were previously considered to be the “granaries of Rome” and were therefore of great economic and thus also political importance for the Roman Empire .
Grain and other products such as garum were filled into amphorae , loaded onto sailing ships and transported across the Strait of Gibraltar through the western Mediterranean to Ostia . Anchorages and loading areas, protected from wind and swell, were often located in the estuary areas of the rivers. The North African provinces experienced a heyday under the Flavier emperors Vespasian , Titus and Domitian (69–96) and under Trajan (r. 98–117) and Hadrian (r. 117-138). The city was fortified under Marcus Aurelius (ruled 161–180); under Commodus (r. 180-192) or Septimius Severus (r. 193-211) this work was continued and a cohort (approx. 150 soldiers) was stationed. Reused grave stelae etc. were found in the defensive walls .
The country fell to the Vandals in the fifth century , and later to various Berber tribes who, however, neither operated seafaring nor knew a city culture. Like other Roman cities, Thamusida gradually disintegrated and was only rediscovered in 1884 by the French diplomat and antiquarian Charles-Joseph Tissot . Excavations mainly took place in the 1950s and 1960s.
Excavation site
The excavation site covers an area of approx. 15 hectares, which also includes the port facilities. Only a few stones of private houses or public buildings are precisely carved; Most of the house walls etc. consist of broken stones and field stones that were later plastered and that were often carried along by Italy as ship ballast . The roofs have all disappeared for nearly 1,700 years; only a few fragments of roof tiles ( tegulae ) were found, but no mosaics .
literature
- Jean-Pierre Callu and others: Thamusida. Mélanges d'archéologie et d'histoire. École Française de Rome, vol. 43, 1966.
Web links
Coordinates: 34 ° 20 ′ 15 ″ N , 6 ° 29 ′ 20 ″ W.