Diana Veteranorum, today a village called Ain Zana (Aïn Zana), 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 ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

- Berber city in

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

. It was located around 40 km northwest of

Lambaesis Lambaesis (Lambæsis), Lambaisis or Lambaesa (''Lambèse'' in colonial French), is a Roman archaeological site in Algeria, southeast of Batna and west of Timgad, located next to the modern village of Tazoult. The former bishopric is also a Lat ...

and 85 km southwest of

Cirta Cirta, also known by various other names in antiquity, was the ancient Berber and Roman settlement which later became Constantine, Algeria. Cirta was the capital city of the Berber kingdom of Numidia; its strategically important port city ...

History

Diana Veteranorum was founded in the connection with the settling of Roman veterans of the

Legio III Augusta ("Third Augustan Legion") was a legion of the Imperial Roman army. Its origin may have been the Republican 3rd Legion which served the general Pompey during his civil war against Gaius Julius Caesar (49–45 BC). It supported the general Oct ...

in northern Africa under the emperor

Trajan Trajan ( ; la, Caesar Nerva Traianus; 18 September 539/11 August 117) was Roman emperor from 98 to 117. Officially declared ''optimus princeps'' ("best ruler") by the senate, Trajan is remembered as a successful soldier-emperor who presi ...

(98-117). Originally probably only Roman

vicus In Ancient Rome, the Latin term (plural ) designated a village within a rural area () or the neighbourhood of a larger settlement. During the Republican era, the four of the city of Rome were subdivided into . In the 1st century BC, Augustus ...

with a police station and a community council (described as ''rest publica Dianensium'' in an early inscription). It was later promoted to a

municipium In ancient Rome, the Latin term (pl. ) 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 priv ...

, but there's some debate, when that actually happened. While it is established that Diana Veteranorum was a municipium latest by 162, a later discovered inscription suggests that it has been a municipium in 149 already and Jacques Gascou concludes from this inscription that the original promotion happened under Trajan even. Around 161/162 AD, during the governorship of ''D. Fonteius Frontinianus'' the city of Diana Veteranorum was granted the status of a

. In 164/165 AD the

legate Legate may refer to: *Legatus, a higher ranking general officer of the Roman army drawn from among the senatorial class :*Legatus Augusti pro praetore, a provincial governor in the Roman Imperial period *A member of a legation *A representative, ...

''C. Maesius Picatianus'' issued the construction of a memorial arch for the emperors

Marcus Aurelius Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (Latin: áːɾkus̠ auɾέːli.us̠ antɔ́ːni.us̠ English: ; 26 April 121 – 17 March 180) was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 AD and a Stoic philosopher. He was the last of the rulers known as the Five Good ...

and Lucius Verus. During these years, Diana Veteranorum saw various construction and renovation measures, however, it is not entirely clear which actual buildings were subject to them. In 217, a

triumphal arch A triumphal arch is a free-standing monumental structure in the shape of an archway with one or more arched passageways, often designed to span a road. In its simplest form a triumphal arch consists of two massive piers connected by an arch, cro ...

was erected for the emperor

Macrinus Marcus Opellius Macrinus (; – June 218) was Roman emperor from April 217 to June 218, reigning jointly with his young son Diadumenianus. As a member of the equestrian class, he became the first emperor who did not hail from the senatori ...

. A Christian community with a

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

existed since the middle of the third century. In the

Peutinger Table ' (Latin for "The Peutinger Map"), also referred to as Peutinger's Tabula or Peutinger Table, is an illustrated ' (ancient Roman road map) showing the layout of the '' cursus publicus'', the road network of the Roman Empire. The map is a 13th-ce ...

, a map of the Roman empire from the late 4th century, the city is called ''Ad Dianam''. Later, it came under the control of the

Byzantine Empire 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 ...

. During the Byzantine period, the city underwent significant changes, and some of the Roman buildings were replaced by or reused for new constructions. A church was built on the forum, and the triumphal arch for Macrinus was integrated into a small fort. In the second half of the 7th century, the city was captured by the expanding Arab empire.

Archeological site

Archeological excavations at the site have yielded a large paved rectangular forum and an aqueduct. In the southeastern area, there are also the remains of a temple that may have been dedicated to the goddess Diana. Two arches have been found, the larger one of which features three openings. An inscription on it indicates that it was erected for the emperor Macrinus in 217. A number of other inscriptions have also been discovered, and in the western part of the city several mausolea have been found. Three buildings from the

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 ...

period have been identified. A small fort (20.2 x 16. m) that had been attached to the arch of Macrinus, and a larger fort (61 x 53 m) about 100 m east of the original forum. Finally a Christian church (33 x 17.1m), that had been built on top of the forum.

Notes

Claude Lepelley Claude Lepelley (8 February 1934 – 31 January 2015
on DRACONTIUS) was a 20th-21st-century Fr ...

: ''Rom und das Reich in der Hohen Kaiserzeit 44 v. - 260 n. Chr: Die Regionen des Reiches''. Walter de Gruyter 2001, , p. 91 (German) ()

Marcel Le Glay Marcel Le Glay (7 May 1920, Arleux near Douai ( Nord) – 14 August 1992.) was a 20th-century French historian and archaeologist, specializing in ancient Rome. His work focused in particular on Roman religion and North Africa during Antiquity, espe ...

: ''Diana Veteranorum (Zana) Algeria''. In: ''The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical sites''. Princeton University Press, Princeton 1976
online copy

Werner Huß Werner Huß (born 8 September 1936 in Schwabmünchen) is a German ancient historian. Werner Huß received a doctorate in Roman Catholic theology in 1967 and his habilitation in ancient history in 1975 at Munich with the work ''Untersuchungen zur ...

: ''Diana Veteranorum''. In: ''Brill's New Pauly''.
online
Noël Duval: ''La «Basilique» de Zana (Diana Veteranorum): une nouvelle église à deux absides ou un monument à auges?''. In: ''Mélanges de l’École française de Rome'', 89, 1977, pp. 847-873
online at Persée
Marietta Horster: ''Bauinschriften römischer Kaiser''. Franz Steiner Verlag 2001, , p. 423-424 (German) () Roberta Marchionni: ''Eine neue Inschrift des D. Fonteius Frontinianus aus Diana Veteranorum''. Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik, Bd. 162, (2007), pp. 290-292 (German)
JSTOR
Walter E. Kaegi: ''Muslim Expansion and Byzantine Collapse in North Africa''. Campbridge University Press, 2010, , pp. 224, 231 ()

Bibliography

: ''Diana Veteranorum (Zana) Algeria''. In: ''The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical sites''. Princeton University Press, Princeton 1976
online copy
*

: ''Diana Veteranorum''. In: ''Brill's New Pauly''.
online
* Léon Renier: ''RUINES DE ZANA, L'ANCIENNE DIANA DE NUMIDIE''. Revue Archéologique, 9e Année, No. 1 (15 AVRIL AU 15 SEPTEMBRE 1852), pp. 38–45 (French)
JSTOR
*Anne-Marie Leydier-Bareil: ''Le Arcs de Triomphe dedies a Caracalla en Afrique Romaine''. PhD thesis (Universite Nancy 2), 2006, Vol. II, pp. 309–317 (French)
''online (pdf, pp. 64-72)''
* Noël Duval: ''La «Basilique» de Zana (Diana Veteranorum): une nouvelle église à deux absides ou un monument à auges?''. In: ''Mélanges de l’École française de Rome'', 89, 1977, pp. 847–873
online at Persée
*G. Camps: ''Diana Veteranorum''. In: Encyclopédie berbère, 15, 1995, 2295-2297 (French)
online copy
* Marietta Horster: ''Bauinschriften römischer Kaiser''. Franz Steiner Verlag 2001, , p. 423-424 (German) () *Roberta Marchionni: ''Eine neue Inschrift des D. Fonteius Frontinianus aus Diana Veteranorum''. Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik, Bd. 162, (2007), pp. 290–292 (German)
JSTOR

External links

more detailed picture of one of the ruins

History

Archeological site

Notes

Bibliography

External links

See also