Zama, also known as Xama, is in what is now

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

and is best known for its connection with what is called the

Battle of Zama The Battle of Zama was fought in 202 BC near Zama, now in Tunisia, and marked the end of the Second Punic War. A Roman army led by Publius Cornelius Scipio, with crucial support from Numidian leader Masinissa, defeated the Carthaginian ar ...

in which on 19 October 202 BC,

Scipio Africanus Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus (, , ; 236/235–183 BC) was a Roman general and statesman, most notable as one of the main architects of Rome's victory against Carthage in the Second Punic War. Often regarded as one of the best military com ...

defeated

Hannibal Hannibal (; xpu, 𐤇𐤍𐤁𐤏𐤋, ''Ḥannibaʿl''; 247 – between 183 and 181 BC) was a Carthaginian general and statesman who commanded the forces of Carthage in their battle against the Roman Republic during the Second Puni ...

, which ended the

Second Punic War The Second Punic War (218 to 201 BC) was the second of three wars fought between Carthage and Rome, the two main powers of the western Mediterranean in the 3rd century BC. For 17 years the two states struggled for supremacy, primarily in Ital ...

with victory for the

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( la, Res publica Romana ) was a form of government of Rome and the era of the classical Roman civilization when it was run through public representation of the Roman people. Beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Kin ...

and broke the power of

Ancient Carthage Carthage () was a settlement in modern Tunisia that later became a city-state and then an empire. Founded by the Phoenicians in the ninth century BC, Carthage reached its height in the fourth century BC as one of the largest metropolises in t ...

Location of the battle

The battle did not in fact take place in the vicinity of Zama.

Polybius Polybius (; grc-gre, Πολύβιος, ; ) was a Greek historian of the Hellenistic period. He is noted for his work , which covered the period of 264–146 BC and the Punic Wars in detail. Polybius is important for his analysis of the mixed ...

states that Hannibal, after first camping at Zama, moved to another camp just before the battle; and

Livy Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Ancient Rome, Roman historian. He wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, titled , covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditiona ...

says that Scipio's camp, near which the battle took place, was at

Naraggara Naraggara was an ancient city in Africa Proconsularis located 33 kilometer northwest of modern-day El Kef, Tunisia. It is considered to be the modern-day town of Sakiet Sidi Youssef, also located in Tunisia. The name Naraggara, a Libyan inscription, ...

, present-day

Sakiet Sidi Youssef Sakiet Sidi Youssef ( aeb, ساقية سيدي يوسف) is a town and commune in the Kef Governorate, Tunisia, near the border with Algeria. As of 2014, it had a population of 6,335. History In Roman times, the town was known as Naraggara. Roma ...

on the border between Tunisia and

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

.Simon Hornblower, Antony Spawforth, Esther Eidinow (editors), ''Oxford Classical Dictionary''
(Oxford University Press 2012, )

Zama Regia

More than one town in what became the

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 ...

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

was called Zama. The Zama associated with the battle is likely to be the Zama Regia mentioned in

Sallust Gaius Sallustius Crispus, usually anglicised as Sallust (; 86 – ), was a Roman historian and politician from an Italian plebeian family. Probably born at Amiternum in the country of the Sabines, Sallust became during the 50s BC a partisan o ...

's account of the

Jugurthine War The Jugurthine War ( la, Bellum Iugurthinum; 112–106 BC) was an armed conflict between the Roman Republic and king Jugurtha of Numidia, a kingdom on the north African coast approximating to modern Algeria. Jugurtha was the nephew and adopted ...

as besieged unsuccessfully by

Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus (c. 155 BC – 91 BC) was an ancient Roman statesman and general, he was a leader of the Optimates, the conservative faction of the Roman Senate. He was a bitter political opponent of Gaius Marius. He was consul ...

. Later, Zama Regia was the capital of

Juba I of Numidia Juba I of Numidia ( lat, IVBA, xpu, ywbʿy; –46BC) was a king of Numidia (reigned 60–46 BC). He was the son and successor to Hiempsal II. Biography In 81 BC Hiempsal had been driven from his throne; soon afterwards, Pompey was sent to Afr ...

(60–46 BC) and so, in the view of the ''Oxford Classical Dictionary'', it was called Zama Regia (Royal Zama). Scullard prefers the suggestion that the town got the appellation "Regia" before the destruction of Carthage in 146 BC, indicating that it was not under Carthaginian control and belonged to the kingdom of Numidia.Howard Hayes Scullard, ''Scipio Africanus in the Second Punic War''
(Cambridge University Press Archive), p. 311 In 41 BC Zama Regia was captured by Titus Sextius, who, having previously been one of

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, and ...

legates A ''legatus'' (; anglicised as legate) was a high-ranking Roman military officer in the Roman Army, equivalent to a modern high-ranking general officer. Initially used to delegate power, the term became formalised under Augustus as the officer ...

in Gaul, was then governor of the

province of Africa Africa Proconsularis was a Roman province on the northern African coast that was established in 146 BC following the defeat of Carthage in the Third Punic War. It roughly comprised the territory of present-day Tunisia, the northeast of Algeria, ...

on behalf of the

Second Triumvirate The Second Triumvirate was an extraordinary commission and magistracy created for Mark Antony, Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, and Octavian to give them practically absolute power. It was formally constituted by law on 27 November 43 BC with a ...

. As a Roman town, Zama Regia is mentioned in an inscription found at Rome as "Colonia Aelia Hadriana Augusta Zama Regia", showing that under

Hadrian Hadrian (; la, Caesar Trâiānus Hadriānus ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. He was born in Italica (close to modern Santiponce in Spain), a Roman ''municipium'' founded by Italic settlers in Hispania B ...

(Publius Aelius Hadrianus Augustus), it had been granted the rank of colonia. Zama Regia is mentioned also in the

Tabula Peutingeriana ' (Latin Language, 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 m ...

Zama Maior and Zama Minor

Polybius used the Greek phrase Ζάμα Μείζων, corresponding to

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

Zama Maior, and implying the existence of a smaller town called Zama, a Zama Minor.

Bishopric

The town was in antiquity the

seat A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but also headquarters in a wider sense. Types of seat The following are examples of different kinds of seat: * Armchair (furniture), ...

of a Christian

bishopric In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

which survives today as a

titular see 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

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. A Bishop Dialogus of Zama Maior was at the

Council of Carthage (411) The Councils of Carthage were church synods held during the 3rd, 4th, and 5th centuries in the city of Carthage in Africa. The most important of these are described below. Synod of 251 In May 251 a synod, assembled under the presidency of Cyprian ...

, and a Bishop Marcellus of Zama Minor participated in the Synod of Carthage of AD 255.Siméon Vailhé, "Zama"
in ''Catholic Encyclopedia'' (New York 1912)

Barthélemy Adoukonou Barthélemy Adoukonou (born 24 August 1942) is a Beninese Catholic bishop. He is the Pontifical Council for Culture, Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Culture since his appointment by Pope Benedict XVI on 3 December 2009. He was previously ...

is the current

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 ca ...

. Both Zama are included in the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

's list of

s, which does not use the name "Zama Regia".

Localization

It is agreed that one Zama must have been at present-day Jama, 30 kilometres north of

Maktar Maktar or Makthar ( ar, مكثر), also known by other names during antiquity, is a town and archaeological site in Siliana Governorate, Tunisia. Maktar was founded by the Berber Numidians as a defense post against Carthaginian expansion. At th ...

, and a shorter distance west-northwest of

Siliana Siliana ( aeb, سليانة ') is a modern farming town in northern Tunisia. It is located at around , 130 km south-west of the capital Tunis. It is the capital of the Siliana Governorate. It is located 4 miles away from Jama where the Battl ...

.Tore Kjeilen, "Zama Minor"
/ref> An incomplete inscription found here mentions "Zama M...", interpreted by some as "Zama Maior", by others as "Zama Minor". Recent systematic excavation of Jama has discovered another incomplete inscription that appears to refer unambiguously to it as "Zama Regia".Ahmed Ferjaoui, "Localisation de ''Zama Regia'' à Jama"
in ''Comptes rendus des séances de l'Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres'', vol. 146 (2002), pp. 1003-1017 This seems to put paid to the views expressed by Scullard and others that Jama corresponds neither to Sallust's description of Zama Regia nor to the distances indicated in the Tabula Peutingeriana. It appears also to indicate that the towns called Zama were two, not three. Other sites taken into consideration are Sidi Abd el Djedidi, situated 40 kilometres east of Jama, and Sebaa Biar, the latter of which seems to fit Sallust's account better.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Catholic titular sees in Africa Former populated places in Tunisia Roman sites in Tunisia Phoenician colonies in Tunisia ca:Jama