Mauretania Sitifensis was a

Roman province The Roman provinces (Latin: ''provincia'', pl. ''provinciae'') were the administrative regions of Ancient Rome outside Roman Italy that were controlled by the Romans under the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire. Each province was rule ...

in Northwest Africa. The capital was

Setifis Sétifis (Arabic: سطيف; Berber: Sṭif), was a Romano town located in northeastern Algeria. It was the capital of the Roman province called ''Mauretania Sitifensis'', and it is today Setif in the Sétif Province (Algeria). History Sitifis ...

History

In the later division of the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Roman Republic, Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings aro ...

under the Emperor

Diocletian Diocletian (; la, Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus, grc, Διοκλητιανός, Diokletianós; c. 242/245 – 311/312), nicknamed ''Iovius'', was Roman emperor from 284 until his abdication in 305. He was born Gaius Valerius Diocles ...

, the eastern part of

Mauretania Caesariensis Mauretania Caesariensis (Latin for " Caesarean Mauretania") was a Roman province located in what is now Algeria in the Maghreb. The full name refers to its capital Caesarea Mauretaniae (modern Cherchell). The province had been part of the King ...

, from

Saldae Saldae was an important port city in the ancient Roman Empire, located at today's Béjaïa (in Kabylia, eastern Algeria). It was generally a crossroads between eastern and western segments of Northern Africa, from the time of Carthage to the end o ...

to the river Ampsaga, was split into a new province, and called Mauretania Sitifensis named after the inland town of

( Setif in modern

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

). At the time of

Constantine the Great Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to convert to Christianity. Born in Naissus, Dacia Mediterran ...

, Mauretania Sitifensis was assigned to the administrative Diocese of Africa, under the

Praetorian prefecture of Italy The praetorian prefecture of Italy ( la, Praefectura praetorio Italiae, in its full form (until 356) ) was one of four praetorian prefectures into which the Late Roman Empire was divided. It comprised the Italian peninsula, the Western Balkans ...

. The new province had a huge economic development in the 4th century, until the conquest by the

Vandals The Vandals were a Germanic peoples, Germanic people who first inhabited what is now southern Poland. They established Vandal Kingdom, Vandal kingdoms on the Iberian Peninsula, Mediterranean islands, and North Africa in the fifth century. The ...

. In this province, the Christian denomination known as

Donatism Donatism was a Christian sect leading to a schism in the Church, in the region of the Church of Carthage, from the fourth to the sixth centuries. Donatists argued that Christian clergy must be faultless for their ministry to be effective and ...

challenged the

Roman Church Holy Roman Church, Roman Church, Church of Rome or Church in Rome may refer to: * The Diocese of Rome or the Holy See * The Latin Church * Churches of Rome (buildings) In historical contexts ''Roman Church'' may also refer to: * The Catholic Chur ...

(which was the main local religion after Constantine), while Setifis was a center of

Mithraism Mithraism, also known as the Mithraic mysteries or the Cult of Mithras, was a Roman mystery religion centered on the god Mithras. Although inspired by Iranian worship of the Zoroastrian divinity ('' yazata'') Mithra, the Roman Mithras is li ...

. After the

fall of the Western Roman Empire The fall of the Western Roman Empire (also called the fall of the Roman Empire or the fall of Rome) was the loss of central political control in the Western Roman Empire, a process in which the Empire failed to enforce its rule, and its va ...

, certain areas of Mauretania Sitifensis were under Vandal and later

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

control, but most of the province (until 578 AD) was ruled by

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 (1913–19 ...

kingdoms like the Kingdom of Altava. Only the coastal area around Saldae and Setifis remained fully

Romanized Romanization or romanisation, in linguistics, is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and ...

. Byzantine emperor Maurice in 585 AD created the province of Mauretania Prima and erased the old Mauretania Sitifensis. Indeed, the emperor Maurice in that year created the office of "Exarch", which combined the supreme civil authority of a

praetorian prefect The praetorian prefect ( la, praefectus praetorio, el, ) was a high office in the Roman Empire. Originating as the commander of the Praetorian Guard, the office gradually acquired extensive legal and administrative functions, with its holders be ...

and the military authority of a ''

magister militum (Latin for "master of soldiers", plural ) was a top-level military command used in the later Roman Empire, dating from the reign of Constantine the Great. The term referred to the senior military officer (equivalent to a war theatre commander, ...

'', and enjoyed considerable autonomy from

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

. Two exarchates were established, one in aly,_with_seat_at_Ravenna_(hence_known_as_the_ aly,_with_seat_at_Ravenna_(hence_known_as_the_Exarchate_of_Ravenna">Ravenna.html"_;"title="aly,_with_seat_at_Ravenna">aly,_with_seat_at_Ravenna_(hence_known_as_the_Exarchate_of_Ravenna),_and_one_in_Africa,_based_at_Carthage_and_including_all_imperial_possessions_in_the_Western_Mediterranean._The_first_African_exarch_was_the_Patrician_(ancient_Rome)#Late_Roman_and_Byzantine_period.html" ;"title="Exarchate_of_Ravenna.html" ;"title="Ravenna.html" ;"title="aly, with seat at

aly,_with_seat_at_Ravenna_(hence_known_as_the_Exarchate_of_Ravenna">Ravenna.html"_;"title="aly,_with_seat_at_Ravenna">aly,_with_seat_at_Ravenna_(hence_known_as_the_Exarchate_of_Ravenna),_and_one_in_Africa,_based_at_Carthage_and_including_all_imperial_possessions_in_the_Western_Mediterranean._The_first_African_exarch_was_the_Patrician_(ancient_Rome)#Late_Roman_and_Byzantine_period">''Patricius''_ aly,_with_seat_at_Ravenna_(hence_known_as_the_Exarchate_of_Ravenna">Ravenna.html"_;"title="aly,_with_seat_at_Ravenna">aly,_with_seat_at_Ravenna_(hence_known_as_the_Exarchate_of_Ravenna),_and_one_in_Africa,_based_at_Carthage_and_including_all_imperial_possessions_in_the_Western_Mediterranean._The_first_African_exarch_was_the_Patrician_(ancient_Rome)#Late_Roman_and_Byzantine_period">''Patricius''_Gennadius_(magister_militum_Africae)">Gennadius_Gennadius_or_Gennadios_may_refer_to: _People *_Gennadius_of_Constantinople_(died_471),_Patriarch_of_Constantinople_from_458_to_471 *__Gennadius_of_Massilia_(5th_century)_Roman_historian,_best_known_for_his_work_''De_Viris_Illustribus'' *_Gennadius_(_...

:_he_was_appointed_as_''magister_militum''_praetorian_prefecture_of_Africa.html" ;"title="Gennadius_(magister_militum_Africae).html" "title="Ravenna">aly, with seat at Ravenna (hence known as the Exarchate of Ravenna">Ravenna.html" ;"title="aly, with seat at Ravenna">aly, with seat at Ravenna (hence known as the Exarchate of Ravenna), and one in Africa, based at Carthage and including all imperial possessions in the Western Mediterranean. The first African exarch was the Patrician (ancient Rome)#Late Roman and Byzantine period">''Patricius'' Gennadius (magister militum Africae)">Gennadius Gennadius or Gennadios may refer to: People * Gennadius of Constantinople (died 471), Patriarch of Constantinople from 458 to 471 * Gennadius of Massilia (5th century) Roman historian, best known for his work ''De Viris Illustribus'' * Gennadius ( ...

History

See also

Notes

Bibliography