The Greatest Roman Cities In Africa

The Roman Republic and Empire were home to some of the most amazing cities of the ancient world. Many of these urban centers were in North Africa. Consider Carthage, which, after it was rebuilt following the Punic Wars, became the administrative center of Roman Africa. Alexandria, while not established by the Romans, was also economically and culturally important. These are just two of the African cities that helped shape Ancient Rome.

Ruins of the legendary ancient Carthage in Tunisia. Image credit: Andrzej Lisowski Travel / Shutterstock.com. Carthage didn’t start as a Roman city. In fact, during the 200s and 100s BCE, the Carthaginian Empire was perhaps the Roman Republic’s biggest enemy. The fighting ended with the Third Punic War (149 to 146 BCE), in which Carthage was essentially razed to the ground. However, the Romans recognized its importance. As a major Mediterranean port, Carthage opened new trade routes and helped control other Roman territories like Sicily.

The archaeological complex with the remains of the Roman Theatre in Carthage, Tunisia. Julius Caesar was the first Roman leader who planned to rebuild the city, but he was assassinated before he could do so. Augustus, his successor and Rome’s first emperor, revitalized the plan. Beginning in the early 20s BCE, he began building a new city over the old Punic settlement. Roman streets, forums, temples, baths, aqueducts, and markets were constructed. The nearby land’s agricultural capacity, combined with the city’s massive harbor, then transformed Carthage into an economic powerhouse and the administrative center of Roman Africa. This made its eventual capture by the Vandals in 439 CE even more devastating. Losing Carthage officially signified that the Romans no longer controlled Africa. Now without a major agricultural supplier and economic driver, the Western Roman Empire collapsed in 476 CE. While the Eastern Romans (or Byzantines) recaptured Carthage in the 500s CE, they were unable to hold it.

Roman Theater of Leptis Magna, Libya, on a clear afternoon. If Carthage was the most important Roman city in Africa, Leptis Magna is a strong contender for second place. Founded by the Phoenicians in the 7th century BCE, it eventually came under Carthaginian control before finally entering the Roman sphere of influence following the Punic Wars. Leptis became heavily Romanized soon afterwards. Agriculture in the surrounding regions and access to maritime trade routes also transformed the city into an economic powerhouse.

Bust of Septimius Severus in Florence, Italy. Image credit: Ivan Moreno sl / Shutterstock.com. Everything changed in 145 CE with the birth of Septimius Severus in Leptis Magna. As a young man, he entered the Roman political and military sphere. This culminated in him becoming emperor in 193 CE. Severus was a consequential leader, overseeing military campaigns in places like Mesopotamia and Britain. However, perhaps his biggest achievements concerned his hometown. Severus launched a gigantic building campaign in Leptis Magna. He constructed or sponsored a new forum, streets, markets, public baths, and an elaborate arch. The Severan Basilica and his expansion of the city’s harbor were likely the two most significant constructions. All these measures were spectacular and helped further Romanize the city.

After Severus died, Leptis Magna remained a major power in Africa. It wasn’t completely insulated from problems elsewhere in the empire but proved remarkably resilient. Regardless, the Vandals captured it in the 430s CE. The Byzantine Empire briefly reconquered it, but Leptis Magana permanently fell out of Roman control when Muslim forces took it in the 640s CE.

View of ancient Pompey’s Pillar in Alexandria, Egypt. Much like the other cities discussed so far, Alexandria didn’t begin as a Roman settlement. Alexander the Great established it during his Persian campaign in the 330s BCE. His successors, the Ptolemies, made it the capital of their new kingdom. The Ptolemaic Dynasty ruled Egypt for hundreds of years, but was often unpopular due to heavy taxation, infighting, and cultural alienation from the local Egyptian population. This forced them to rely on Roman military aid to secure their power. Despite being an initially successful strategy, it eventually backfired as the Roman Republic descended into civil war. Egyptian leader Cleopatra chose the losing side, leading to her death and Rome annexing Egypt in 30 BCE.

Egypt quickly became one of the most important Roman provinces. The Nile flooded each year, depositing fertile soil onto the riverbanks. This made Egypt a major source of wheat, barley, flax, vegetables, and nuts. These goods were then transported up the Nile, where they reached Alexandria. Its harbor, one of the largest of the ancient world, connected Egypt with the rest of the empire. Alexandria was thus the lynchpin in the Roman Empire’s food supply system.

Roman Theater in Alexandria, Egypt. Alexandria was also a major intellectual and cultural hub. Contrary to popular belief, Julius Caesar didn’t “burn down” the Library of Alexandria. He damaged it, but it remained functional and a major center of scholarship during the Roman period. The city contained one of the world’s largest Jewish populations outside of Judea as well. Finally, Alexandria was instrumental in the development of Christianity. Christianity probably reached it in the 1st century CE. By the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE, Alexandria had developed a sophisticated Christian intellectual tradition. Thinkers like Titus Flavius Clemens, Origen, and Athanasius all gathered in the city to debate the nature of Christ, the Holy Trinity, and the relationship between Christian and Greek theology. This isn’t to say that everything was peaceful. Conflicts between pagans and Christians were common, and they continued even after the Roman Empire officially converted to Christianity in 380 CE. In one particularly infamous incident, Hypatia, a pagan scholar, was murdered by a Christian mob in 415 CE.

When the Western Roman Empire fell in 476 CE, Egypt, and thus Alexandria, remained under Byzantine control. This eventually changed with the rise of Arab-Muslim powers, and the Rashidun Caliphate conquered Alexandria in 641 CE. The Byzantines briefly retook the city in 645 CE, but it was permanently lost the following year.

Three African cities shaped the course of Roman civilization. Carthage was destroyed in the Punic Wars but eventually rebuilt. In doing so, it became the administrative and economic center of Roman Africa. Septimius Severus then transformed Leptis Magna into a spectacular city through his massive building projects. Finally, Alexandria helped feed the Roman Empire. It also served as a cultural and intellectual hub, particularly regarding the development and proliferation of Christianity.