Iulia Constantia Zilil (called later ''Arzeila'') was an ancient

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

Berber Berber or Berbers may refer to: Ethnic group * Berbers, an ethnic group native to Northern Africa * Berber languages, a family of Afro-Asiatic languages Places * Berber, Sudan, a town on the Nile People with the surname * Ady Berber (1913–196 ...

city in Dchar Jdid, located 40 km southwest of

Tangier Tangier ( ; , , ) is a city in northwestern Morocco, on the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The city is the capital city, capital of the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, as well as the Tangier-Assilah Prefecture of Moroc ...

and 13 km northeast of

Asilah Asilah () is a fortified town on the northwest tip of the Atlantic coast of Morocco, about south of Tangier. Its ramparts and gateworks remain fully intact. History The town's history dates back to 1500 B.C., when Phoenicians occupied a site ...

. It was one of the three colonias in

Mauretania Tingitana Mauretania Tingitana (Latin for "Tangerine Mauretania") was a Roman province, coinciding roughly with the northern part of present-day Morocco. The territory stretched from the northern peninsula opposite Gibraltar, to Sala Colonia (or Chellah ...

(in northern

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

) founded by emperor

Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

between 33 and 25 BC for veterans of the

battle of Actium The Battle of Actium was a naval battle fought between Octavian's maritime fleet, led by Marcus Agrippa, and the combined fleets of both Mark Antony and Cleopatra. The battle took place on 2 September 31 BC in the Ionian Sea, near the former R ...

History

Iulia Constantia Zilil was originally one of many western Berber towns in the province of Mauretania Tingitana. The old church is the only one found in Atlantic

, and was related to Christian adherence among Romanised Berbers. But evidences show that the city remained populated as a small fishing village until the Arab invasion in the early 8th century.

Notes

Sources

*Eliane Lenoir, "Fouilles de Dchar Jedid", 1977–1980, ''B.A.M.'',XIV, 1981–1982, p. 169-225. (Akerraz et alii). *Eliane Lenoir, "La ville romaine de Zilil du Ier av IVe siècle ap. J.-C., dans L'afrique romaine, Iersiècle av. J.-C - début Ve siècle ap. J.-C., colloque de la SOPHAU", ''Pallas'', 68, 2005, p. 65-76.

External links

Images of Zilil
in Manar al-Athar digital image resource archive {{Former cities in Morocco Archaeological sites in Morocco Geography of Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima Roman towns and cities in Morocco Coloniae (Roman) Mauretania Tingitana Phoenician colonies in Morocco Populated places established in the 1st century BC 5th-century disestablishments Roman towns and cities in Mauretania Tingitana

History

Notes

Sources

See also

External links