Utique (in Latin Utica) is an old ancient harbor city founded by the Phéniciens and located at the north of current the Tunisia.

Localization

Utique is located in the Gouvernorat of Bizerte and constitutes the greatest archeological site of this area. The delegation of Utique which shelters it locates at the south-east of the Gouvernorat. In the vicinity the village of Henchir Bou Chateur is. This territory is characterized, during the Antiquité, by the presence of the Mediterranean which arrived until the current ruins before the alluvia of the Medjerda does not insulate it inside the grounds.

Currently, the site is with 33 kilometers of Tunis and near 4 cities sheltering of other historic sites:

• Zhana: village located at 2 kilometers of the site and equipped with some important monuments
• Ghar El Melh: city located on a narrow ground ribbon between the mountain and the sea and accommodating several fortresses
• El Alia: city which shelters monuments of Andalusian style
• Metline: coastal town of Andalusian style

History

Utique is famous the like one of oldest cities of the Western Mediterranean. According to Pline Old the, Aristote and Velleius Paterculus, the city is founded in 1101 av. J. - C. This city-State is formed by commercial need: it is one of the essential commercial counters in the voyages between Tyr and Cadiz. This city whose anteriority (more than 3 centuries) compared to Carthage is allowed by several authors, had an independence with respect to Tyr, being satisfied to send every year to him a tribute of use. It is only at the 5th century that Utique falls under the Carthaginian domination. However, the archaeological excavations confirmed this anteriority, no archaeological vestige former to the 8th century could not be put at the day.

This city often changed camp during its history: it remains punic to fight the Greek Sicily then the Romans before lining up side of the latter at the time of the Third Punic War. When Carthage, its neighbor, falls to the hands from the Romains, it is rewarded for its fidelity and appears among the seven towns of institutions phenicians known as free and immunes . It is then set up in Capitale of the Roman province of Africa and receives a broad portion of the territory of Carthage. It will be displaced with the advantage of Carthage as of the advent of the Roman Empire.

Starting from 49 av. J. - C., it is taken in the storm of the civil war which opposes Césariens and Pompéiens and becomes the point of rallying of the partisans of Pumped. She sees Caton, in favor of Pumped, to give death in 46 av. J. - C., after the defeat of Thapsus, to escape César. The city receives municipal right under Auguste and takes the name of Municipum Julium Uticense . Lastly, it is then promoted with the row of Roman colony under Hadrian and becomes Colonia Iulia Aelia Hadriana Augusta Utica .

About the middle of the 3rd century, the presence of the Christianisme is attested in Utique by the participation of sound bishop, Aurélius, with the council of Carthage (256). In 252, a certain number of Martyr S are carried out there at a place named Massa Candida where a basilica will be later high. The city is taken by the Vandales, ordered by Genséric, in 439 and is taken again by the Byzantine in 534. She then knows the stranding of sound port which generates its progressive decline. The alluvia of Medjerda fill the gulf of Utique indeed and rejects the old port far from the sea so that the site is today with 10 kilometers of the shore.

Photographs

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