Hadrumète

Hadrumète or Hadrumetum is one of the principal harbor cities of the Roman Africa on the coasts of old the province of Byzacène in Africa proconsulaire. It is with the site of the current town of Sousse.

Origin and statute

The ancient sources make mention under various names of it, in romanized or hellenized forms, like Hadrumès , Hadrumètos , Adrimetum , Adrumtetum or Adrymetum . Like Carthage or Utique, it would be, to follow Salluste of it ( Guerre of Jugurtha , 19) a foundation phenician thrives established by Tyriens. She becomes one of the principal punic counters. The steles of sound Tophet dedicated to Ba' Al Hammon testifies some.

According to Stéphan Gsell, the city is besieged by Agathoclès of Syracuse in 310 av. J. - C. and, in 202 - 203 av. J. - C., Scipion the African made there the preparations of the Bataille of Zama. A time related to Carthage, she enjoys with the Roman conquest a relative autonomy and figure among the seven civitates liberae Roman Africa. She obtains under Trajan the honorary title of colony.

Economic life

Its port, consisted an interior artificial basin, already seems to have expressed a certain activity at the time Carthaginian. Its privileged littoral site, the richness of its back-country and its place of regional capital in Byzacène make an opulent city of it. It counts from 20 to 30.000 inhabitants with his apogee. The city is known for its production of Amphore S of the type sahélien, reflection of its economic dynamism. Its Commerce is with the hands of notable buildings and merchants Italy NS.

Cultural life, artistic and religious

The Roman influence appeared very early and with a large variety, in particular in the artistic field. It is thus a good illustration of art romano-African qualified by Gilbert-Charles Picard of “African baroque”. Two fields testify some, the funerary Poésie and the art of the mosaic . The most famous mosaic of Hadrumète is surely that known as of Virgile, representing the poet surrounded by two Muses. Other feature which illustrates the romanisation of the population of Hadrumète, funerary poetry is known to us by the epitaph of Lucius Ummidus Liberalis (composed by his/her brother).

The catacombs of Hadrumète, in particular those known as of “Good Pasteur” and “Hermes”, count more than 15.000 burials dating from the II {{E}} with the IV {{E}} centuries. The niches show characteristics specific to the Tombe S paléochrétiennes like the representations of the Good Pasteur, the Colombe and the Poisson.

References

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