Auzia was a

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 ...

colonia in present-day

Sour El-Ghozlane Sour El-Ghizlane (or Souk El Ghoziane) is a town and commune in Algeria's central-northern, just-landlocked Bouïra Province. According to the 1998 census it has a population of 42,179. History Pre Historic A prehistoric tool (biface) testify ...

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

. The area was located around 150 km south-east of

Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...

, in the ancient province of

Mauretania Caesariensis Mauretania Caesariensis (Latin for "Caesarea, Numidia, Caesarean Mauretania") was a Roman province located in present-day Algeria. The full name refers to its capital Caesarea, Numidia, Caesarea Mauretaniae (modern Cherchell). The province had ...

History

Auzia probably took the name from the Berber pagan god "Auzius", because under

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 ...

a Roman

castrum ''Castra'' () is a Latin language, Latin term used during the Roman Republic and Roman Empire for a military 'camp', and ''castrum'' () for a 'Fortification, fort'. Either could refer to a building or plot of land, used as a fortified milita ...

was founded near a small Berber village with that name The city constituted of a castrum (fort) and a vicus (small city): Auzia achieved autonomous status as

municipium In ancient Rome, the Latin term (: ) referred to a town or city. Etymologically, the was a social contract among ('duty holders'), or citizens of the town. The duties () were a communal obligation assumed by the in exchange for the privileges ...

in the second century and later was renamed ''Colonia Septima Aurelia Auziense'' by emperor

Septimius Severus Lucius Septimius Severus (; ; 11 April 145 – 4 February 211) was Roman emperor from 193 to 211. He was born in Leptis Magna (present-day Al-Khums, Libya) in the Roman province of Africa. As a young man he advanced through cursus honorum, the ...

. As a Roman colonia, its people received full status of Roman citizenship rights.

Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historians by modern scholars. Tacitus’ two major historical works, ''Annals'' ( ...

wrote about a "Castellum Auziense", as the headquarters of the Roman garrison commander in

's central

limes Limes may refer to: * ''Limes'' (Roman Empire), a border marker and defense system of the Roman Empire * ''Limes'' (Italian magazine), an Italian geopolitical magazine * ''Limes'' (Romanian magazine), a Romanian literary and political quarterly ma ...

(border fortifications). According to the historian Richard Lawless, Auzia was a vicus that achieved independent status from the castrum (fort) garrison and had a ''

forum Forum or The Forum may refer to: Common uses *Forum (legal), designated space for public expression in the United States *Forum (Roman), open public space within a Roman city **Roman Forum, most famous example * Internet forum, discussion board ...

'' (market square) and an important pagan temple, later converted into a Christian church. The Roman settlement (probably with nearly 4,000 inhabitants around 200 AD) was surrounded by farms.Lawless, R. ''Mauretania Caesartiensis: anarcheological and geographical survey'' Section: The Roman Civilian Sites. p.122-195 Auzia had even a theater and a small "circus" for chariot races, created around 227 AD according to epigraphic evidence Auzia achieved prosperity mainly because it was at the center of some roads in Roman Africa: from Auzia there were roads toward the Mediterranean sea (

Caesarea Caesarea, a city name derived from the Roman title " Caesar", was the name of numerous cities and locations in the Roman Empire: Places In the Levant * Caesarea Maritima, also known as "Caesarea Palaestinae", an ancient Roman city near the modern ...

) and the Saharan interior with the Atlas mountains. In 290 AD, however, the Bavares tribe attacked Auzia and the city suffered huge destruction.

Vandals The Vandals were a Germanic people who were first reported in the written records as inhabitants of what is now Poland, during the period of the Roman Empire. Much later, in the fifth century, a group of Vandals led by kings established Vand ...

and

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

troops occupied temporarily the city. It was reduced to a small village when Arabs conquered the region at the end of the seventh century.

Archaeology

According to the sources, the French had undertaken several excavations in the ruins of Auzia without ever revealing the slightest historical fact to scientific research because of the policy of francization which was aimed at erasing all trace of civilization old or present on the territory Algerian. In addition, the reconstruction of Auzia would have destroyed several historical sites in the time of the Duke of Aumale. All the large-scale excavations were carried out secretly by the French authorities, who forbade access to the sites to the Arabs, which means that they wanted to hide all the increasingly numerous A civilization fundamentally different from that of the Roman Empire. The French administrative decision prompts the workers with a confidential note to destroy all objects and funeral inscriptions found in the site of the temple of Apollo, completely destroyed to build the civil hospital there - a truth conveyed through history by Algerians who participated in the construction of the city of Aumale. At the same time, Auzia was not occupied by inhabitants, it was about Roman ruins that the French choose for the construction of the city of Aumale. The inhabitants of the region, mostly from the tribes of Ouled Driss, Ouled Faârha and Ouled Khalouf who occupied the Dirah Mountains, organized themselves and succeeded in uniting all the tribes to oppose the French troops and then to be forced into negotiations.

Urban design

The study of the urbanism of the

ruins Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...

reveals that the town of Auzia was fenced by a long wall of quarry stone, supposedly removed from the quarry located as the departmental road connecting Sour-El-Ghozlane - Ain-Bessem. A wall 75 cm wide and 6.7 km long surrounding the city. The total area of Auzia is 920 hectares. Inside, the Romans built a large military barracks at the entrance of Bab-El-Gurt (currently). There were several cohorts, commanded by a tribune militum, a squadron of Moorish vexillaries (light and mobile troops recruited from the provinces), supported in force by a cavalry corps (led by three decurions and a Præfectus equitum. Which was important for the Roman Empire and had a regional military district in charge of surveillance and intervention at the scale of the Tirinadi (Berrouaghia) region in the Djurdjura and Biban Mountains. (Djouab), the second in Afoul (Chalalat el-Adhoura) and the third in the mountains of Jebel Lakhdar in Achir (The ruins located 4 km from Ain-Boucif reveal the existence of this bastion advanced).

Population

The total area of Roman construction in the city of Auzia, a space of more than 720 hectares, reveals that the city was populated by a population of more than 12 000 to 13 000 inhabitants, that it would be the largest Roman city of Central Algeria, more important than Tipaza. But this figure could be increased in view of its status as a large military barracks. In addition, the shape of the city reveals a common principle of construction rules, based on the keys of modern urbanism namely the four functions: habitat, work, leisure and circulation. This quality of modern city that can be made of Auzia, attracted the inhabitants of all the tribes, which had resulted in a galloping demography which prompted the Roman authorities to found another city in the region, first to defend Auzia Repeated attacks by the Moors in a protected place, like a fortified enclosure. This was the origin of the foundation of CASTELLUM AUZIENS.

Former and Titular bishopric

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

was present in the Auzia area during the third century. It achieved the status of

episcopal see An episcopal see is the area of a bishop's ecclesiastical jurisdiction. Phrases concerning actions occurring within or outside an episcopal see are indicative of the geographical significance of the term, making it synonymous with ''diocese'' ...

. It was one of the many

suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Catholic Church, a suffragan bishop leads a diocese within an ecclesiastical province other than the principal diocese, the metropolitan archdiocese; the diocese led ...

s of the metropolitan Archbishopric of Mauretania Caesariensis, the capital of the Late

Roman province The Roman provinces (, pl. ) 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 ruled by a Roman appointed as Roman g ...

of Mauretania Caesariensis, and faded like most. The ancient diocese of Auzia was nominally revived in 1594 as a Latin Catholic

titular bishopric A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbish ...

of the lowest (episcopal) rank. It had many incumbents - all episcopal - until its suppression in 1913. * Jean Daffis (1594.01.19 – 1597.11.10) * Jean de Bertier (1602.02.25 – 1602.08.31) * Antoine de Coues (1604.03.15 – 1616) *

Bishop-elect A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...

Alphonse d’Elbène (1608.02.04 – 1608.02.08) * Henri Clausse de Fleury (1608.04.28 – 1624.09.18) * Philibert du Sault (1618.07.23 – 1623.05.25) *

Pedro Luis Manso Zuñiga Pedro Luis Manso Zuñiga (died 16 December 1669) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Burgos, Auxiliary Bishop of Burgos (1648–1669).Paris Foreign Missions Society The Society of Foreign Missions of Paris (, , MEP) is a Catholic Missionary order, missionary organization. It is not a religious institute, but an organization of secular clergy, secular priests and Laity, lay persons dedicated to missionary wo ...

M.E.P. (1679.11.25 – 1714.08.09) * Lorenzo Taranco Mujaurrieta (1736.02.27 – 1745.03.08) * Peter Creagh (1745.04.12 – 1747) * Vincenzo Sangermano,

Barnabites The Barnabites (), officially named as the Clerics Regular of Saint Paul (), are a religious order of clerics regular founded in 1530 in the Catholic Church. They are associated with the Angelic Sisters of Saint Paul and the members of the Ba ...

(B.) (1792.02.14 – ?) * John MacLaughlin (1837.02.21 – 1840.08.18) * Vincenzo Bufi Bocci (1838.02.15 – 1850.07.21) * Giovanni Battista Arnaldi (1852.03.18 – 1853.03.07) (later Archbishop * Vitale Galli (1875.07.05 – 1876.01.11) * Antonio Piterà (1877.03.20 – 1913.05.10) It was restored in 1933, and since was nearly continuously filled, again all incumbents of episcopal rank: * Francis Hong Yong-ho (홍용호 프란치스코) (1944.03.24 – 1962.03.10) * Francisco Xavier Gillmore Stock (1962.09.04 – 1990.05.27) * Markijan Trofimiak (1991.01.16 – 1998.03.25) * Ludwig Schick (1998.05.20 – 2002.06.28) (later Archbishop) * Dominique Marie Jean Denis You ((2002.12.11 – 2006.02.08) * Yaroslav Pryriz,

Redemptorists The Redemptorists, officially named the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (), abbreviated CSsR, is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men (priests and brothers). It was founded by Alphonsus Liguori at Scala ...

(C.SS.R.) (2006.03.02 – 2010.04.21) * F. Richard Spencer (2010.05.22 – ...),

Auxiliary Bishop An auxiliary bishop is a bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop in meeting the pastoral and administrative needs of the diocese. Auxiliary bishops can also be titular bishops of sees that no longer exist as territorial jurisdictions. ...

of the

Military Ordinariate of United States of America The Archdiocese for the Military Services, U.S.A. (AMS), officially the Military Ordinariate of United States of America, is a Latin Church jurisdiction of the Catholic Church for people serving in the United States Armed Forces and their depend ...

(USA).

Notes

Bibliography

* Lawless, R. ''Mauretania Caesartiensis: anarcheological and geographical survey''. Durham University. Durham, 196
Auzia
* Smith Reid, James. ''The Municipalities of the Roman Empire'' The University of Michigan Press. Chicago, 1913.

Sources and external links

{{Romano-Berber cities in Roman Africa Catholic titular sees in Africa Archaeological sites in Algeria Roman towns and cities in Mauretania Caesariensis Populated places established in the 2nd century