Lambaesis

Lambèse / Tazoult

Algeria · Batna

Ancient cityIntermittent excavation
Approximate period81 CE — 700 CERoman Imperial period and Late Antiquity See on the map ↓

In brief

The city developed around the camp of the Third Augusta Legion and became the capital of Numidia during the Severan period. Excavations investigate the urban plan, houses and rich mosaic decoration.

What was found?

  • 1Mosaic of Phrixos and Helle

    The mosaic, found in the house bearing the same name, depicts Phrixos and Helle from Greek mythology. It shows that mythological subjects featured in the decoration of the city's houses.

  • 2Camp of the III. Augusta Legion

    The remains of the legionary camp are the principal evidence of Lambaesis's identity as a military center. The city became the legion's permanent headquarters.

  • 3Monumental public buildings of the upper city

    The monumental public buildings in the upper city document the urban amenities of the Numidian capital. Local limestone resources and agricultural wealth supported this construction.

What does it point to?

Lambaesis preserves traces of a provincial capital that developed around a military headquarters. Public buildings and mosaics show that, alongside its military function, it had a strong urban life and a developed decorative tradition.

What did it teach us?

  1. They made it possible to trace the legion's permanent settlement and the development of the provincial capital at the same site.
  2. They showed that mythological mosaics were part of residential culture in North Africa.
  3. They revealed that local building stone and agricultural resources supported monumental urban development.

Images

Lambesearc
Yelles · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Record

Culture
Roman
Team / historical
Amina-Aïcha Malek and Youcef Aibèche; CNRS-ENS and University of Sétif 2
Coordinates
35.4897°, 6.2574°

Sources

  1. people.unil.ch
  2. eveha-international.com
  3. chre.ashmus.ox.ac.uk

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