Utica () was an ancient Phoenician and Carthaginian city located near the outflow of the

Medjerda River The Medjerda River ( ar, وادي مجردة), the classical Bagrada, is a river in North Africa flowing from northeast Algeria through Tunisia before emptying into the Gulf of Tunis and Lake of Tunis. With a length of , it is the longest river ...

into the Mediterranean, between

Carthage Carthage was the capital city of Ancient Carthage, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classi ...

in the south and

Hippo Diarrhytus Bizerte or Bizerta ( ar, بنزرت, translit=Binzart , it, Biserta, french: link=no, Bizérte) the classical Hippo, is a city of Bizerte Governorate in Tunisia. It is the northernmost city in Africa, located 65 km (40mil) north of the cap ...

(present-day

Bizerte Bizerte or Bizerta ( ar, بنزرت, translit=Binzart , it, Biserta, french: link=no, Bizérte) the classical Hippo, is a city of Bizerte Governorate in Tunisia. It is the northernmost city in Africa, located 65 km (40mil) north of the cap ...

) in the north. It is traditionally considered to be the first colony to have been founded by the

Phoenicia Phoenicia () was an ancient thalassocratic civilization originating in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily located in modern Lebanon. The territory of the Phoenician city-states extended and shrank throughout their his ...

ns in North Africa. After Carthage's loss to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

in the

Punic Wars The Punic Wars were a series of wars between 264 and 146BC fought between Rome and Carthage. Three conflicts between these states took place on both land and sea across the western Mediterranean region and involved a total of forty-three ye ...

, Utica was an important

Roman colony A Roman (plural ) was originally a Roman outpost established in conquered territory to secure it. Eventually, however, the term came to denote the highest status of a Roman city. It is also the origin of the modern term '' colony''. Character ...

for seven centuries. Today, Utica no longer exists, and its remains are located in

Bizerte Governorate Bizerte Governorate ( ar, ولاية بنزرت ' ) is the northernmost of the 24 governorates of Tunisia. It is in northern Tunisia, approximately rectangular and having a long north coast. It covers an area of 3,750 km² including two lar ...

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

– not on the coast where it once lay, but further inland because deforestation and agriculture upriver led to massive erosion and the Medjerda River silted over its original mouth."Utica (Utique) Tunisia"
''The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites. Stillwell'', Richard, Macdonald, William L. and McAllister, Marian Holland. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1976. 5 May 2007.

Name

Utica () is an unusual latinization of the

Punic The Punic people, or western Phoenicians, were a Semitic people in the Western Mediterranean who migrated from Tyre, Phoenicia to North Africa during the Early Iron Age. In modern scholarship, the term ''Punic'' – the Latin equivalent of t ...

name () or (). These derived from Phoenician ''ˁAtiq'' (), cognate with

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

''ˁatiqah'' () and

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

''ˁatiq'' (, seen in the title of God, "

Ancient of Days Ancient of Days ( Aramaic: , ''ʿatīq yōmīn''; Ancient Greek: , ''palaiòs hēmerôn''; Latin: ) is a name for God in the Book of Daniel. The title "Ancient of Days" has been used as a source of inspiration in art and music, denoting the ...

"). These all mean "Old" and contrast the settlement with the later colony

, whose own name literally meant "New Town". The latinization is a little unusual in that the Latin U more often transcribed the letter W (i.e., waw) in Punic names. The Greeks called it Ἰτύκη.

History

Phoenician colony

Utica was founded as a port located on the trade route leading from

to the

Straits of Gibraltar The Strait of Gibraltar ( ar, مضيق جبل طارق, Maḍīq Jabal Ṭāriq; es, Estrecho de Gibraltar, Archaism, Archaic: Pillars of Hercules), also known as the Straits of Gibraltar, is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to ...

and the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

, facilitating trade in commodities like tin.Aubet, Maria Eugenia. ''The Phoenicians and the West, Politics, Colonies, and Trade.'' Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001. The exact founding date of Utica is a matter of controversy. Several classical authors date its foundation to around 1100BC. The archaeological evidence, however, suggests a foundation no earlier than the eighth centuryBC. The inland settlement used Rusucmona ("Cape

Eshmun Eshmun (or Eshmoun, less accurately Esmun or Esmoun; phn, 𐤀𐤔𐤌𐤍 '; akk, 𒅀𒋢𒈬𒉡 ''Yasumunu'') was a Phoenician god of healing and the tutelary god of Sidon. History This god was known at least from the Iron Age period at ...

") on Cape Farina to the northeast as its chief port, although continued silting has rendered the present-day settlement at Ghar el-Melh a small farming community. Although Carthage was later founded about 40 km from Utica, records suggest "that until 540BC Utica was still maintaining political and economic autonomy in relation to its powerful Carthaginian neighbor".

Carthaginian rule

By the fourth century BC, Utica came under Punic control, but continued to exist as a privileged ally of Carthage. Soon, commercial rivalry created problems between Carthage and Utica. This relationship between Carthage and Utica began to disintegrate after the

First Punic War The First Punic War (264–241 BC) was the first of Punic Wars, three wars fought between Roman Republic, Rome and Ancient Carthage, Carthage, the two main powers of the western Mediterranean in the early 3rd century BC. For 23 years ...

, with the outbreak of rebellion among mercenaries who had not received compensation for their service to Carthage. Originally, Utica refused to participate in this rebellion, so that the

Libu The Libu ( egy, rbw; also transcribed Rebu, Lebu, Lbou, Libou) were an Ancient Libyan tribe of Berber origin, from which the name ''Libya'' derives. Early history Their occupation of Ancient Libya is first attested in Egyptian language texts ...

forces led by Spendius and Matho laid siege to Utica and nearby Hippocritae.Polybius
"The Histories." Book 1
Loeb Classical Library. Vol I. 2 May 2007 The Carthaginian generals Hanno and Hamilcar then came to Utica's defense, managing to raise the siege, but "the severest blow of all… was the defection of Hippacritae and Utica, the only two cities in Libya which had…bravely faced the present war…indeed they never had on any occasion given the least sign of hostility to Carthage." Eventually, the forces of Carthage proved victorious, forcing Utica and Hippacritae to surrender after a short siege.

Roman rule

Utica again defied Carthage in the

Third Punic War The Third Punic War (149–146 BC) was the third and last of the Punic Wars fought between Carthage and Rome. The war was fought entirely within Carthaginian territory, in modern northern Tunisia. When the Second Punic War ended in 201 ...

, when it surrendered to Rome shortly before the breakout of war in 150 BC. After its victory, Rome rewarded Utica by granting it an expanse of territory stretching from Carthage to

Hippo The hippopotamus ( ; : hippopotamuses or hippopotami; ''Hippopotamus amphibius''), also called the hippo, common hippopotamus, or river hippopotamus, is a large semiaquatic mammal native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of only two extant ...

.Walbank, F. W., Astin, A. E., Frederiksen, M. W., and Ogilvie R. M., eds. ''Rome and the Mediterranean to 133 BC.'' Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989. Vol. VIII of ''The Cambridge Ancient History''. As a result of the war, Rome created a new province of

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 ...

, and Utica became its capital, which meant that the governor's residence was there along with a small garrison. Over the following decades Utica also attracted Roman citizens who settled there to do business. Tunis Utique Musée

During the

Roman Civil War This is a list of civil wars and organized civil disorder, revolts and rebellions in ancient Rome (Roman Kingdom, Roman Republic, and Roman Empire) until the fall of the Western Roman Empire (753 BCE – 476 CE). For the Eastern Roman Empire or B ...

between the supporters of

Pompey Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (; 29 September 106 BC – 28 September 48 BC), known in English as Pompey or Pompey the Great, was a leading Roman general and statesman. He played a significant role in the transformation of ...

and

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, an ...

, the Battle of Utica (49 BC) was fought between Julius Caesar's general Gaius Scribonius Curio and Pompeian legionaries commanded by Publius Attius Varus supported by Numidian cavalry and foot soldiers]. Curio defeated the Pompeians and Numidians and drove Varus back into the town of Utica, but then withdrew. Later at the

Battle of Thapsus A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and for ...

in 46 BC the remaining Pompeians, including

Cato the Younger Marcus Porcius Cato "Uticensis" ("of Utica"; ; 95 BC – April 46 BC), also known as Cato the Younger ( la, Cato Minor), was an influential conservative Roman senator during the late Republic. His conservative principles were focused on the ...

, fled to Utica after being defeated. Caesar pursued them to Utica, meeting no resistance from the inhabitants. Cato, who was the leader of the Pompeians, ensured the escape of his fellow senators and anyone else who desired to leave, then committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and ...

, unwilling to accept the clemency of Caesar. Displaying their fondness for Cato, "the people of Utica...called Cato their saviour and benefactor... And this they continued to do even when word was brought that Caesar was approaching. They decked his body in splendid fashion, gave it an illustrious escort, and buried it near the sea, where a statue of him now stands, sword in hand". After his death, Cato was given the name of Uticensis, due to the place of his death as well as to his public glorification and burial by the citizens of Utica. Utica obtained the formal status of 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 ...

in 36 BC and its inhabitants became members of the Quirina tribe. The city was chosen by the Romans as the place where the governor of their new Africa Province was resident, but the silting of the port (because of the

) damaged the importance of Utica. During the reign of

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...

, however, the seat of provincial government was moved to a since rebuilt Carthage, although Utica did not lose its status as one of the foremost cities in the province. When

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 ...

was emperor, Utica requested to become a full Roman colony, but this request was not granted until

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 the customary suc ...

, a native of the Province of Africa, took the throne. The city and all the area east of the ''Fossatum Africae'' was nearly fully

romanised 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 ...

by the time of

. According to historian

Theodore Mommsen Christian Matthias Theodor Mommsen (; 30 November 1817 – 1 November 1903) was a German classical scholar, historian, jurist, journalist, politician and archaeologist. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest classicists of the 19th centur ...

, all the inhabitants of Utica spoke

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, 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 ...

and practised

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global popula ...

in the fourth and early fifth century. The Peutinger Map from around this time shows the town.

Destruction

In 439 AD, 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 ...

captured Utica. In 534 AD, the Byzantines captured it once more. "Excavations at the site have yielded two Punic cemeteries and Roman ruins, including baths and a villa with mosaics".

Diocese of Utica

Roman Utica was a Christian city with an important

diocese 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 associ ...

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 ...

. Indeed, there are more than a dozen bishops documented in Utica. The first, Aurelius, intervened at the council held at Carthage in 256 AD by St. Cyprian to discuss the question of the "lapsi". Maurus, the second bishop, was accused of apostasy during the

Diocletianic Persecution The Diocletianic or Great Persecution was the last and most severe persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire. In 303, the emperors Diocletian, Maximian, Galerius, and Constantius issued a series of edicts rescinding Christians' legal rig ...

of 303. The third, Victorius, took part in the Council of Arles in 314 AD along with Cecilianus of Carthage; he is mentioned in the ''Roman Martyrology'' on 23 August. Then the fourth, Quietus, assisted at the

Council of Carthage (349) 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 Cypria ...

proclaimed by Gratus. At the Conference of Carthage (411) which saw gathered together the bishops of

Nicene Christianity The original Nicene Creed (; grc-gre, Σύμβολον τῆς Νικαίας; la, Symbolum Nicaenum) was first adopted at the First Council of Nicaea in 325. In 381, it was amended at the First Council of Constantinople. The amended form is ...

and of heretical

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 ...

Victorius II took part for the Church and Gedudus for the Donatists. The historian Morcelli added the bishop Gallonianus, present at the Council of Carthage (419), who, according to J. Mesnage, instead belonged to the Diocese of Utina. Then the Bishop Florentius, who intervened at the Synod of Carthage (484), was met by the Vandal king

Huneric Huneric, Hunneric or Honeric (died December 23, 484) was King of the (North African) Vandal Kingdom (477–484) and the oldest son of Gaiseric. He abandoned the imperial politics of his father and concentrated mainly on internal affairs. He was m ...

, after which he was exiled. Faustinianus participated at the

Council of Carthage (525) 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 ...

. He was followed by the bishop Giunilius, an ecclesiastical writer, who dedicated his works to

Primasius of Hadrumetum Primasius (died around 560) was bishop of Hadrumetum and primate of Byzacena, in Africa. One of the participants in the Three Chapters Controversy, his commentary on the Book of Revelation is of interest to modern scholars for its use of the lost co ...

. In the seventh century was the bishop Flavianus, who assisted at the

Council of Carthage (646) 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 ...

against

Monothelitism Monothelitism, or monotheletism (from el, μονοθελητισμός, monothelētismós, doctrine of one will), is a theological doctrine in Christianity, that holds Christ as having only one will. The doctrine is thus contrary to dyothe ...

; and Potentinus, who was exiled in Spain and intervened at the

Council of Toledo (684) The Fourteenth Council of Toledo first met in Toledo, Spain, on 14 November 684 under Visigothic King Erwig. It was called in response to a letter from Pope Leo II directing the king, a Count Simplicius, and the recently deceased Quiricus, metropo ...

. With the Arab conquest, Utica was destroyed and disappeared even as an independent diocese. Only during the early

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...

Utica was again a diocese, when the

Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its prede ...

conquered the region for some decades and Pedro del Campo was named bishop of the recreated Diocese of Utica in 1516 AD.

Ruins

The site of the ruins of Utica is set on a low hill, composed of several Roman villas. Their walls still preserve decorative floor

mosaic A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...

s. To the northwest of these villas is a

necropolis, with Punic sarcophagi below the Roman level. Currently, the site is located about 30 km from

Tunis ''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois , population_note = , population_urban = , population_metro = 2658816 , population_density_km2 = , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 ...

and 30 km from

and near cities with four other historical sites: * Zhana: village two kilometers from the site and has some important monuments; * Ghar El Melh : city located on a narrow strip of land between the mountains and the sea and welcoming several fortresses; * El Alia : city which houses monuments

Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a "historical nationality". The ...

n style; * Metline : coastal town of Andalucian style. The

House of the Cascade The House of the Cascade is a Roman-era building located in Utica, Tunisia. It is typical of most of the Roman houses excavated to date in North Africa in that it looks inwards to a central courtyard around which the majority of the rooms are arra ...

at Utica is typical of most Roman houses excavated in North Africa.

Notable people

* Dionysius of Utica was an ancient Greek writer from Utica.Athenaeus, Deipnosophists, §14.59
/ref>

Gallery

File:Tunis Utique Colonnes.JPG, Utica columns File:Tombe punique.jpg,

Tomb File:Tunis Utique Ecurie.JPG, House Insula 1, Archaeological site of Utica, Tunisia File:Tunis Utique Maison.JPG, House Insula 2, Archaeological site of Utica, Tunisia File:Plan of Utica (1862).jpg, Plan of Utica, Tunisia (1862) File:Tunis Utique Fontaine.JPG, Fountain in the form of turtle File:Ruines du site d'Utique, 2013.png, the ruins of Utica File:TUNISIE UTIQUE 03.JPG, Utica columns 3 File:Tunis Utique Necropole.JPG,

necropolis File:Utica1.jpg, Archaeological site of Utica, Tunisia File:Utique fontaine tortue.jpg, Fountain in the form of turtle 3

References

Citations

Bibliography

* Chelbi, Fethi. Roland Paskoff et Pol Trousset, �
La baie d'Utique et son évolution depuis l'Antiquité : une réévaluation géoarchéologique
», ''Antiquités africaines'', vol. 31, 1995, pp. 7–51 * Chelbi, Fethi. ''Utique la splendide'', éd. Agence nationale du patrimoine, Tunis, 1996 * Cintas, Pierre. « Nouvelles recherches à Utique », ''Karthago''. number 5, 1954, pp. 86–155 * Colozier, Étiennette. « Quelques monuments inédits d'Utique », ''Mélanges d'archéologie et d'histoire'', vol. 64, numéro64, 1952, pp. 67–86

* . * Hatto Gross, Walter. ''Utica''. In: Der Kleine Pauly (KlP). Band 5, Stuttgart 1975, Sp. 1081 f. * Lézine, Alexandre. ''Carthage-Utique. Études d'architecture et d'urbanisme'', éd. CNRS, Paris, 1968 * Paskoff, Roland et al., « L'ancienne baie d'Utique : du témoignage des textes à celui des images satellitaires », ''Mappemonde'', numéro1/1992, pp. 30–34

* Ville, G. « La maison de la mosaïque de la chasse à Utique », ''Karthago'', numéro11, 1961–1962, pp. 17–76

External links

*
Utica (in Italian)
{{Phoenician cities and colonies navbox Populated places established in the 8th century BC Populated places disestablished in the 7th century Phoenician colonies in Tunisia Roman towns and cities in Tunisia Carthage Ancient Berber cities Catholic titular sees in Africa Ancient Greek geography of North Africa