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Diana (Numidia) was an ancient city, with an important Christian bishopric in Romano-Berber Africa, that actually remains a Latin Catholic titular see. It was located about 40 km northwest of Lambaesis, not far away from Cirta.〔(Detailed map of roman Numidia, showing the location of Diana Veteranorum )〕 Today in the area there it is the village Zana of modern Algeria. == History == Diana in Numidia was sometimes called ''Diana Veteranorum'' because it was founded in connection with the settling of Roman veterans in northern Africa under Roman emperor Trajan (98-117).〔Claude Lepelley: ''Rom und das Reich in der Hohen Kaiserzeit 44 v. - 260 n. Chr: Die Regionen des Reiches''. Walter de Gruyter 2001, ISBN 978-3-598-77449-2, p. 91 (German) ()〕 The Romans integrated an older Numidian settlement into their new city. It was called ''Respublica Dianensium'', according to Charles Smith Vereker. This respublica was pinpointed by Vereker in his travels to show the Romanization of the region in those centuries. Among the monuments discovered is the Forum, rectangular and paved with flagstones. On the N side at the intersection with the Cardo Maximus, there still stands a Triumphal Arch with three openings, built under Macrinus (A.D. 217). Around 161/162 AD during the governorship of ''D. Fonteius Frontinianus'' the city of Diana Veteranorum was granted the status of a municipium. In 164/165 AD the legate ''C. Maesius Picatianus'' issued the construction of a memorial arch for the emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus.〔Marietta Horster: ''Bauinschriften römischer Kaiser''. Franz Steiner Verlag 2001, ISBN 978-3-515-07951-8, p. 423 (German) ()〕 The city was rich and populated mainly by descendants of Roman veterans, according to historian Theodore Mommsen.〔Theodore Mommsen. "The Provinces of the Roman Empire". Section: Africa〕 He wrote that the city in the third century had nearly 5000 inhabitants and that under Septimius Severus was mostly Christian and fully latin speaking, but the surrounding area was partially latinised. There are epithaphs until 285 AD.〔(Diana Veteranorum (in French) )〕 During byzantine times it was built a new Christian church for the growing population of Christians: the city underwent significant changes and some of the Roman buildings were replaced by or reused for new constructions. A church was built on the Forum and the triumphal arch for Macrinus got integrated into a small fort. A Christian community with a bishopric existed since the middle of the third century, while the city probably changed name: in the Peutinger Table, a map of the Roman empire from the late 4th century, the city is called ''Ad Dianam''. With the Arab conquest in the late seventh century, the city was destroyed and disappeared. Only with French colonists was rebuilt a small village near the ruins in the late 1800s, that is now called ''Zana'' 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「Diana (Numidia)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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