History · From Tangier to Cyrene
Roma Africana
844 years. Six provinces. 3,000 kilometres of coastline. From Volubilis in Morocco to Cyrene in Libya — the Roman empire in Africa.
Rome's presence in Africa lasted longer than any European colonial project by a factor of ten. From the destruction of Carthage in 146 BCE to the Arab conquest of 698 CE, Roman rule shaped the entire North African coast. At its peak, the region had over 3 million inhabitants in 500+ cities, produced a million tonnes of grain annually, and gave Rome an emperor (Septimius Severus), its greatest theologian (Augustine), and its only surviving complete novel (Apuleius' Golden Ass). The provinces stretched from the Atlantic coast of Morocco to the Greek cities of eastern Libya — a distance roughly equal to London to Baghdad.
844years
146 BCE – 698 CE
6provinces
Tangier to Cyrene
3M+
inhabitants at peak
1Mtonnes
grain exported annually
The Six Provinces
Hover a province to see its details. UNESCO World Heritage sites in bold. From Morocco (left) to Libya (right).
Province Data
Major Sites & Ruins
near Meknès, Morocco · Tingitana · 3rd c. BCE
Westernmost major Roman city. Mosaics. Oil presses. Garrison withdrawn 285 CE. Later capital of Idris I.
Chellah/Rabat, Morocco · Tingitana · Phoenician
Atlantic garrison colony. Maintained until 6th century.
Cherchell, Algeria · Caesariensis · 4th c. BCE
Provincial capital. Juba II's court — marriage of Punic, Greek, Roman culture.
Timgad, Algeria · Numidia · 100 CE (Trajan)
Built ex nihilo as military colony. Perfect grid plan. "Pompeii of Africa." 14 bathhouses.
Djémila, Algeria · Numidia · 1st c. CE
Mountain town, 900m altitude. Adapted Roman grid to terrain. Exceptional mosaics.
Annaba, Algeria · Numidia · Phoenician
Augustine's bishopric (396–430 CE). He died here during the Vandal siege.
Tunis, Tunisia · Proconsularis · ~814 BCE (Phoenician)
Destroyed 146 BCE, rebuilt by Caesar/Augustus. 300,000 pop. Capital of Africa. Antonine Baths — largest outside Rome.
Téboursouk, Tunisia · Proconsularis · 6th c. BCE
Best-preserved Roman small town in Africa. Capitol, theatre, baths. 75 hectares. 17 centuries of occupation.
El Jem, Tunisia · Proconsularis · Punic era
Amphitheatre: 35,000 capacity, 3rd largest in Roman world. Freestanding (not built into hillside). Built ~238 CE.
Al-Khums, Libya · Tripolitania · 7th c. BCE (Phoenician)
Birthplace of Septimius Severus. 3rd most important city in Africa. Severan forum: 305×183m. Buried by sand — perfectly preserved.
Sabratha, Libya · Tripolitania · 5th c. BCE
Theatre with 3-storey scaenae frons — most complete in Africa. Trade hub for ivory and wild animals.
Shahhat, Libya · Cyrenaica · 631 BCE (Greek)
Greek colony that became Roman. Temple of Zeus larger than Parthenon. Birthplace of Eratosthenes.
Timeline · Click to expand
814 BCE
Carthage founded
Punic Prelude
264–146 BCE
The Punic Wars (three wars)
Punic Prelude
146 BCE
Carthage destroyed — Africa Proconsularis created
Republic (146–27 BCE)
112–106 BCE
Jugurthine War
Republic (146–27 BCE)
46 BCE
Caesar creates Africa Nova
Republic (146–27 BCE)
25 BCE
Juba II — Rome's scholar-king
Early Empire (27 BCE–117 CE)
40 CE
Caligula murders Ptolemy of Mauretania
Early Empire (27 BCE–117 CE)
44 CE
Claudius creates Tingitana & Caesariensis
Early Empire (27 BCE–117 CE)
100 CE
Trajan founds Timgad
Early Empire (27 BCE–117 CE)
~100–200 CE
Golden age of Roman Africa
Peak (117–235 CE)
109 CE
Trajan grants Leptis Magna colonial status
Peak (117–235 CE)
193 CE
Septimius Severus — an African emperor
Peak (117–235 CE)
~155–240 CE
Apuleius, Tertullian, Cyprian
Peak (117–235 CE)
238 CE
El Djem amphitheatre built; Legio III disbanded
Crisis (235–285 CE)
285 CE
Rome withdraws garrison from Volubilis
Crisis (235–285 CE)
~293 CE
Diocletian's reforms — six African provinces
Late Empire (285–429 CE)
354 CE
Augustine born in Thagaste
Late Empire (285–429 CE)
363–365 CE
Austuriani devastate Tripolitania
Late Empire (285–429 CE)
429 CE
Vandals cross from Spain
Vandal Kingdom (429–534 CE)
430 CE
Siege of Hippo Regius — Augustine dies
Vandal Kingdom (429–534 CE)
439 CE
Vandals take Carthage
Vandal Kingdom (429–534 CE)
533 CE
Belisarius reconquers Africa
Byzantine (534–698 CE)
534 CE
Prefecture of Africa established
Byzantine (534–698 CE)
~591 CE
Exarchate of Africa
Byzantine (534–698 CE)
647 CE
First Arab raids into Africa
End (647–698 CE)
698 CE
Fall of Carthage — end of Roman Africa
End (647–698 CE)
Reading Notes
The Granary
Africa Proconsularis and Numidia together produced an estimated one million tonnes of grain annually. One quarter was exported to Rome. When the Vandals captured Carthage in 439, they didn't just take a city — they took Rome's food supply. By the 2nd century, olive oil had rivalled grain as the primary export. The olive presses at Volubilis are still visible. Rome ate because Africa grew.
The African Emperor
Septimius Severus spoke Latin with a Punic accent so thick his sister embarrassed him at court by not speaking Latin at all. He ruled the empire from 193 to 211 CE and turned his hometown of Leptis Magna into the third city of Africa. His forum was built with marble imported from Greece, Turkey, and Egypt. An African from Libya built the last great monuments of Rome.
The Two Sections
Roman Africa was always two things: a coastal strip of Romanised cities — Carthage, Leptis Magna, Volubilis — and a vast interior that remained Berber. Rome controlled the coast with 28,000 troops and a single legion (III Augusta). The Berbers accepted Roman roads, baths, and olive presses but never Roman identity. When the legion was disbanded in 238, the interior reverted. The map shows a continuous province. The reality was a thin line of Latin cities on a Berber continent.
The ruins at Volubilis face the ruins at Moulay Idris across a valley in Morocco. Roman columns on one hillside, Islamic minarets on the other. Between them, 800 years of occupation and 1,300 years of abandonment. The olive trees are the same ones. The stones were quarried from the same mountain. The only thing that changed was who claimed to own them.
Sources
Africa (Roman province): Wikipedia; Encyclopaedia Britannica “Africa — Roman territory.” Mauretania: Wikipedia; Britannica. Roman Africa: Wikipedia; Oxford Reference; World History Edu. Province dates and boundaries: UNRV.com; Omniatlas. Volubilis: UNESCO World Heritage; Wikipedia; African World Heritage Sites. Timgad: UNESCO World Heritage. Dougga: UNESCO World Heritage. Leptis Magna: Wikipedia; Britannica; World History Encyclopedia; EBSCO Research Starters. Tripolitania background: Haynes, “Cities in the Sand” (UChicago/Penelope). Roman colonies data (3M pop, 500+ cities): Wikipedia “Roman colonies in North Africa” (citing Gomez). Grain production (1M tonnes, 25% exported): UNRV; Oxford Reference. Military strength (28,000 troops): Wikipedia “Africa (Roman province).” Area estimates are editorial approximations. Province boundaries on the SVG map are schematic, not precise geographic projections.
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