Thignica was a town in 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 Proconsularis 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 ...

. It served as a

Latin Catholic , native_name_lang = la , image = San Giovanni in Laterano - Rome.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , alt = Façade of the Archbasilica of St. John in Lateran , caption = Archbasilica of Saint Joh ...

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 ...

The town

Thignica's stone ruins are called Aïn Tounga, located southwest of

Testour Testour ( ar, تستور ') is a small town located in the north of Tunisia. The town is perched on the hills of Medjerda Valley, south-west of Medjez-el-Bab, the crossroads between Tunis, Béja, and the north of Tunisia. It was known during th ...

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

. They are very extensive and cover the summit and slopes of a series of hills. One inscription calls the town "Civitas Thignicensis" (the city of Thignica) and states that it was divided into three parts, another that it became 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 privi ...

at the beginning of the 3rd century under the name of "municipium Septimium Aurelium Antoninianum Herculeum Frugiferum Thignica". Towards the centre of the ruins is a

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 ...

fortress A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

trapezoid A quadrilateral with at least one pair of parallel sides is called a trapezoid () in American and Canadian English. In British and other forms of English, it is called a trapezium (). A trapezoid is necessarily a Convex polygon, convex quadri ...

al in shape, flanked by five square towers. Here an inscription makes mention of the

proconsul A proconsul was an official of ancient Rome who acted on behalf of a consul. A proconsul was typically a former consul. The term is also used in recent history for officials with delegated authority. In the Roman Republic, military command, or ' ...

Domitius Zenophilus Domitius Zenofilus (or Zenophilus; 320–333 AD) was a Roman senator who had an illustrious political career under the Emperor Constantine I, Constantine. He governed many provinces and held the Roman consul, consulate in 333. Life and career Zen ...

(326-32), famous in the annals of Christian Africa. Among the other ruins are a small triumphal arch, a temple, a Christian church, the remains of the enclosure, etc., as well as an

amphitheatre An amphitheatre (British English) or amphitheater (American English; both ) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ...

. File:Ain tounga2.jpg, Byzantine fortress file:Aiintounga 01.JPG, Aïn Tounga File:Aiintounga 11.JPG , Roman thermae file:Vue du grand temple de ain tounga.jpg, Roman-era temple File:Édifice demi circulaire de ain tounga 2.jpg, Roman theater file:Aïn Tounga MBh14.jpg, Street in Aïn Tounga

The bishopric

Despite the splendour and importance of this town we know only one bishop, Aufidius, who assisted at the

Conference 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 ...

, where he had a

Donatist 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 t ...

rival.

References

{{Authority control Catholic titular sees in Africa