Timgad

Timgad
UNESCO world heritage
Timgad ruins
National territory:	Algeria
Type:	Culture
Criteria :	(ii) (iii) (iv)
Surface:	90.54 ha
Reference No .:	194
UNESCO region :	Arabic states
History of enrollment
Enrollment:	1982  ( session 6 )

Thamugadi among other Roman cities in Africa

The Arch of Trajan on a postcard of the late 19th century

Timgad ( Arabic تيمقاد) is the current name of the Roman city of Thamugadi , the remains of which are located about 40 kilometers east of Batna in Algeria . In the north and east of the ancient city lies the modern town of Timgad.

The site was founded in 1982 to UNESCO - World Heritage declared because here the typical structure of Roman towns founded is still readily apparent in other cities of the Roman origin is no longer visible by later superstructure.

history

Thamugadi was established in 100 under the Roman Emperor Trajan by Lucius Munatius Gallus , the legate of Legio III Augusta , as a military colony in a previously unpopulated location. The Colonia Marciana Traiana Thamugadi, as it was called by its full name, was located in the Roman province of Africa proconsularis ( Numidia from 198 AD ) and has the typical square shape and square division of Roman fortified military camps . The city soon lost its military importance to the Lambaesis camp located a day's march further west and developed further as a veterans' settlement and trading town. In the late 4th and early 5th century Thamugadi was an important seat of the heretical movement of Donatism , which was based on migratory harvesters, and a bishopric that in the 7th century with the Islamic expansion went down. The settlement of the city ended at that time. Today's titular bishopric Thamugadi of the Roman Catholic Church goes back to the bishopric .

In the 6th century, after the city was recaptured from the Vandals, the Byzantines built a fort south of the city.

In modern times, Timgad was rediscovered in 1765 by the English traveler James Bruce . The first French excavations were conducted by the architect Albert Ballu between 1880 and 1883 . From 1903 the epigraphist René Cagnat joined them. In keeping with the times, digging was carried out very quickly, as a stratigraphic investigation was not yet the focus of interest, rather the aim was to expose monumental architecture in a short time. Numerous inscription finds could be used for the interpretation of the findings.

description

City map of Timgad

Timgad is located in the north of the Aurès Mountains, which in Roman times consisted of conifers and evergreen forest. At that time there was a road connection to the Lambaesis military camp in the west and via Theveste to Carthage in the east. There were trade routes towards the Sahara to the south across the Aurès massif. The surrounding hills were fertile land, like all of Numidia, which came to be known as the granary of Rome. The city obtained a large part of its needs for barley , figs and olives from this North African province.

The square city complex, about 350 meters long, was secured with walls that were interrupted on three sides by city gates. According to the typical layout of a Roman city , two columned streets formed the main axes in a cross shape: the cardo running from north to south meets the west-east running decumanus in the center near the forum . The city map was divided into 132 square blocks ( insulae ). In between there are streets about five meters wide, under which the sewer system is laid. The insulae contained about 400 houses of various sizes, including shops and taverns . Timgad had numerous public facilities and buildings: the forum with the Curia , the assembly hall , temples, 14 public baths , a library and a theater with 4,000 seats. An aqueduct brought water into the city from a spring five kilometers away.

Towards the end of the 2nd or the beginning of the 3rd century, a three-sided arch of honor was erected at the western entrance to the city , which today is (incorrectly) called Trajan's Arch of Timgad . As the city grew, residential areas and public facilities were created outside the walled square. There are two marketplaces in front of the Arch of Trajan, the Capitol in the southwest and other baths and temples in the area.

Forum

Public latrine at the forum

At the confluence of the Cardo coming from the north into the Decumanus, a few steps lead up to the forum. It is roughly square with a side length of 60 meters. On the east side is the basilica , the hall for city assemblies and jurisdiction. Opposite are the building of the magistrate ( curia ) and a temple . Shops or workrooms ( tabernae ) follow along the north side towards the Decumanus . The adjoining public toilet was luxuriously furnished with dolphin-adorned borders between the seats.

As a closed space, the forum was free of through traffic and was surrounded by colonnades on all sides . Numerous pedestals with inscriptions still testify to former statues of honor for emperors and deserving citizens of the city, which were erected on the square.

theatre

Timgad Roman Theater

To the south of the forum the semicircle (cavea) of the theater is inserted into a slope. With a diameter of 63 meters, it had about 4000 spectator seats. Only the bottom four to eight rows of seats were partially preserved. Most of the stone blocks in the rows of seats were used to build the Byzantine fortress in the 6th century . Soon after the excavation, Albert Ballu had the blocks recovered from the rubble put back in the theater. The cavea has been restored for modern use, so that up to 18 rows of seats can now be used. Three rows of 75 centimeter high pillars formed the substructure of the stage floor, nothing of the structure of the stage house and the rear of the stage has survived.

Markets

Eastern Market Hall ( Macellum )

Several marketplaces and halls have been identified in Timgad. Their functions and names of the donors are handed down through inscriptions. The Sertius market in the west in front of the Arch of Trajan was financed at the beginning of the 3rd century by Plotius Faustus Sertius and his wife Valentina, whose house was found in the south of the city. Next to the Sertius market was the fabric and clothing market, the forum vestitiarum adiutricianum . A textile industry based on sheep's wool and goat hair from the nomad herds from the Aurès mountains is suspected by Andrew Wilson in Timgad. Its assumptions also corroborate the findings of fulling and dyeing works in the north-east quarter of the city.

Another macellum was on the Decumanus east of the forum. This market hall ended with two apse-like curves to the south, each offering space for five shops. In between a fountain offered refreshment. The two apsidal courtyards with herringbone paving and water channel were surrounded by porticoes.

Capitol

Timgad Capitol

The Capitol was built in the 2nd century in the southwest outside the first city complex. A temple for the Capitoline Triassic stood on a raised platform measuring 90 × 65 meters , as was customary in every large provincial town. The temple itself took up just under a quarter of the area with 53 × 23 meters, giving the building an impressive presentation. A wide flight of stairs led up on the narrow side to the vestibule and the three-sided colonnade. The cella was divided into three parts according to the three worshiped gods: Jupiter , Juno and Minerva . Two columns of Corinthian order have been put up again from the temple front today .

Library

Model of the library

Thamugadi also had a public library . It was located on the Cardo and was donated by a Marcus Julius Quintianus Rogatianus to his hometown, as the inscription found in three fragments shows:

Ex liberalitate M (arci) Iuli Quintiani Flavi Rotatiani
c (larissimae) m (emoriae) v (iri) quam testamento suo rei publicae
coloniae Thamugadensium patriae suae le-
gavit opus bibliothecae ex HS CCCC mil (ibus) num (mum)
curante re publica perfectum est

(Translation: Through the generosity of the unforgettable Marcus Julius Quintianus Rogatianus, who in his will gave his hometown, the community of the Thamugadi colony, 400,000 sesterces, this library was built for the good of the community.)

Byzantine fortress

After the vandal war in which Thamugadi was destroyed, Emperor Justinian had a massive fortress built by his general Solomon about 400 meters south of the city in 539. A lot of material was used for the meter-thick walls and the ruins of Thamugadi were used. The fortification forms a rectangle of 110 × 70 meters with strong towers protruding outwards at all four corners and in the middle of the sides.

museum

In the north of the excavation area, a small museum shows selected finds such as statues, ceramics, glass and small finds. One focus is on the mosaics of Timgad. Construction of the museum began during the excavations in order to be able to shelter the mosaics.

Grave slab with food relief

Some of the mosaics are characterized by a baroque opulence that during the time of the Severi (third end 2./Anfang century) had developed in the region. For example, ornamental acanthus leaves and fantasy plants entwine in a broad frame around a Venus with sea creatures.

A long row of grave steles is placed in front of the museum. Some are connected to a base plate that bears reliefs of plates and plates with food. There are also several wells in which fresh food or libations could be placed.

festival

Timgad is also known in Algeria for an annual music festival. Dance and music groups from Algeria and neighboring Arab states perform there. Initially, the theater of the ruins was used for the event. The large number of visitors has, however, in the past led to damage to the ruins and as a result of repeated threats by UNESCO to revoke its status as a World Heritage Site. For this reason, a modern theater was built next to the ruined city.

people

• Optatus of Thamugadi , 388 to 398 Donatist bishop of Thamugadi

literature

• Émile Boeswillwald , Albert Ballu , René Cagnat : Timgad, une cité africaine sous l'Empire romain. Paris 1905 (basic excavation report) ( digitized ).
• Heinrich Holtzinger : Timgad and the Roman provincial architecture in North Africa (= Die Baukunst. Series 3, Issue 1). Spemann, Berlin 1906 (outdated) ( digitized ).
• Albert Ballu: Les ruines de Timgad, antique Thamugadi. Sept années de découvertes (1903–1910). Neurdein, Paris 1911 ( digitized version ).
• Jean Lassus: La forteresse byzantine de Thamugadi. Edition du Center National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris 1981, ISBN 2-222-02676-8 .
• Christian Witschel : The development of the Timgad society in the 2nd to 4th century AD. In: Klio . Volume 77, 1995, pp. 266-331.
• Andrew Wilson: Timgad and Textile Production. In: David Mattingly , John Salmon (Eds.): Economies beyond Agriculture in the Classical World. Routledge, London, New York 2001, pp. 271-296.
• Werner Huss : Thamugadi. In: The New Pauly (DNP). Volume 12/1, Metzler, Stuttgart 2002, ISBN 3-476-01482-7 , column 240.

Web links

Commons : Timgad  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Entry on the UNESCO World Heritage Center website ( English and French ).
• Video about Timgad, length: 17:13, recorded on: October 14, 2006
• Profile pictures and old aerial photographs
• Aerial photos before 1962

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Donald Langmead, Christine Garnaut: Encyclopedia of Architectural and Engineering Feats . Santa Barbara (California) 2001, p. 342 ISBN 1-57607-112-X google-books
2. ↑ Heinrich Holtzinger: Timgad and the Roman provincial architecture in North Africa (= The architecture. Series 3, Issue 1). Spemann, Berlin 1906, pp. 8-14.
3. ^ Albert Ballu: Les ruines de Timgad, antique Thamugadi. Sept années de découvertes (1903–1910) . P. 17 (digitized version)
4. ↑ Heinrich Holtzinger: Timgad and the Roman provincial architecture in North Africa (= . The architecture series 3, Issue 1) Spemann, Berlin 1906, pp 19-20
5. ^ Andrew Wilson: Timgad and textile production. In: David J. Mattingly , John Salmon (Eds.): Economies Beyond Agriculture in the Classical World. Routledge, New York 2001 (partial view on google books)
6. ↑ Floor plan of the east market
7. ↑ Entries on images and floor plan of the Capitol in the Arachne archaeological database
8. ↑ AE 1908, 00012
9. ↑ Ballu (1911) Vol. 3, p. 178
10. ^ Katherine MD Dunbabin: Mosaics of the Greek and Roman World. University Press Dambridge 1999, ISBN 978-0-521-00230-1 , pp. 125-126 (partial view in google books) .

Coordinates: 35 ° 29 '  N , 6 ° 28'  E