The site of Zana is in Algérie in the Wilaya of Batna halfway between Ain Djasser and the town of Batna. They are the ruins of the city of Diana Veteranorum in Numidie. Important a inscription was found there and publish in 1956, it acts of the course of Valerius Maximianus, general of Marc Aurèle. Remain two today triumphal arches as well as the remainders of a temple and forum. This site is with the abandonment today. On the spot, nothing protects the ruins or the flagstones which strew the ground.

History of the ancient city

Diana Veteranorum is located in the province of Numidie, with 40 kilometers in the North-West of the camp legionary of Lambèse, garrison of the third legion Auguste, with 85 kilometers in the south-west of Cirta, the large city of Numidie and with forty kilometers in the east of the customs station of Zaraï which controlled the passage with the Maurétanie Césarienne. As one can guess it starting from his Latin name ( Diana Veteranorum ) the Roman agglomeration was in the beginning a village where veterans settled, perhaps as of the time flavienne, in connection probably with an indigenous establishment. With the simple departure Vicus, the agglomeration quickly became rather large and could undoubtedly receive the statute of Municipe as of the reign of Trajan, in any case before the reign of Antonin the Piles. Diana was on a road junction, which conferred a considerable importance to him economic regional and probably explains the speed of its development, within the framework of strong connections with the military garrison of Lambèse: towards 185 the let us décurions city cotisèrent themselves to honor the legate with the legion Valerius Maximianus, which was also the owner of some of notable of the city.

As in other parts of Numidie the area of Diana Veteranorum undoubtedly was strongly touched by the Donatisme. It is indeed not far from Zana, in a locality named Nova Petra that certain Marculus died under suspect conditions on November 29th 347. For its co-religionists donatists, it had been carried out by the catholics who would have thrown it in the vacuum. For the latter, it had committed suicide in a ritual way. Martyrdom donatist of known Marculus a long veneration at the donatists and his passion was evoked in 411 with the conference of Carthage. One also found in Ksar el-Kelb a memoria of the relics of Marculus.

At the time Byzantine a fort was built near the forum.

References

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