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Civitas Popthensis, was an ancient Roman city, which ruins are located currently in "Henchir Kssiba" of the municipality of Ouled Moumen in Souk Ahras Province in modern Algeria. The word "civitas" -in latin from ''civis'' (English: city)- means that the city was a politically autonomous civic community organized in a territory around an urban center. == History == The history of the site goes back to the Punic and Numidian periods. The findings in the ruins of the ancient city testifies of a cultural diversity of the city influenced as well by Berbers, Carthaginians and mainly by Romans. The inscriptions that have been found are in three ancient languages, Latin, Libyan, and Punic. Epigraphy reflects particular local cults to Ba'al Hammon (equivalent to Roman Saturn) and Mercury. Initially the "Civitas Popthensis" was probably a big village at the centre of an opulent agricultural land with cereal, olive growing, as many presses and livestock have been found in and out of the city. Not far from major trade routes, the city organized the local exchanges between the people of the plain and those of the mountains. Civitas Popthensis was located at the foot of the "Alpes Numidicae" and near the present border between Tunisia and Algeria 〔(Detailed map showing the location of Civitas Popthensis )〕 Its period of maximum prosperity seems to be at the beginning of the 3rd century, under emperor Septimius Severus. From the area ruins and the evaluation of the flow of water, Julien Guey, a French archeologist, estimated the population of the agglomeration around 10,000 and 12,000 inhabitants. Civitas Popthensis had huge roman baths and probably a roman theater. Paul Monciaux found a Christian epitaph of the beginning on the fifth century, that shows the importance of Christianity in the city when was under the influence of Saint'Augustine.〔 Monciaux, Paul "Une inscription christienne d'Algerie". Persee〕 Christianity remained dominant until the arrival of the Arabs, who destroyed the city at the end of the seventh century. However the history of the city is still not explored; furthermore 80% of this legacy is still buried under the Earth: Serious excavations are needed to illuminate the past of this city. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Civitas Popthensis」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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