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LAMBESSA

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Originally appearing in Volume V16, Page 110 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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LAMBESSA , the See also:

ancient Lambaesa, a See also:village of See also:Algeria, in the See also:arrondissement of Batna and See also:department of See also:Constantine, 7 M. S.E. of Batna and 17 W. of See also:Timgad. The See also:modern village, the centre of an agricultural See also:colony founded in 1848, is noteworthy for its See also:great convict See also:establishment (built about 185o). The remains of the See also:Roman See also:town, and more especially of the Roman See also:camp, in spite of wanton vandalism, are among the most interesting ruins in See also:northern See also:Africa. They are now preserved by the Service See also:des Monuments historiques and excavations have resulted in many interesting discoveries. The ruins are situated on the See also:lower terraces of the See also:Jebel Aures, and consist of triumphal See also:arches (one to Septimius See also:Severus, another to See also:Commodus), temples, aqueducts, vestiges of an See also:amphitheatre, See also:baths and an immense quantity of See also:masonry belonging to private houses. To the See also:north and See also:east See also:lie extensive cemeteries with the stones See also:standing in their See also:original alignments; to the See also:west is a similar See also:area, from which, however, the stones have been largely removed for See also:building the modern village. Of the See also:temple of See also:Aesculapius only one See also:column is standing, though in the See also:middle of the 19th See also:century its See also:facade was-entire. The capitol or temple dedicated to See also:Jupiter, See also:Juno and See also:Minerva, which has been cleared of debris, has a See also:portico with eight columns. On level ground about two-thirds of a mile from the centre of the ancient town stands the camp, its site now partly occupied by the See also:penitentiary and its gardens. It See also:measures 164o ft. N. to S. by 1476 ft.

E. to W., and in the middle rise the ruins of a building commonly called, but incorrectly, the praetorium. This See also:

noble building, which See also:dates from A.D. 268, is 92 ft. See also:long by 66 ft. broad and 49 ft. high; its See also:southern facade has a splendid See also:peristyle See also:half the height of the See also:wall, consisting of a front See also:row of massive Ionic columns and an engaged row of Corinthian pilasters. Behind this building (which was roofed), is a large See also:court giving See also:access to other buildings, one being the See also:arsenal. In it have been found many thousands of projectiles. To the S.E. are the remains of the baths. The ruins of both See also:city and camp have yielded many See also:inscriptions (Renier edited 1500, and there are 4185 in the Corpus Inscr. See also:Lat. vol. viii.); and, though a very large proportion are epitaphs of the barest See also:kind, the more important pieces See also:supply an outline of the See also:history of the See also:place. Over 2500 inscriptions See also:relating to the camp have been deciphered. In a museum in the village are See also:objects of antiquity discovered in the vicinity. Besides inscriptions,' statues, &c., are some See also:fine mosaics found in 1905 near the See also:arch of Septimius Severus. The statues include those of Aesculapius and See also:Hygieia, taken from the temple of Aesculapius.

Lambaesa was a military See also:

foundation. The camp of the third See also:legion (Legio III. See also:Augusta), to which it owes its origin, appears to have been established between A.D. 123 and 129, in the See also:time of See also:Hadrian, whose address to his soldiers was found inscribed on a See also:pillar in a second camp to the west of the great camp still extant. By 166 mention is made of the decurions of a vicus, to curiae of which are known by name; and the vicus became a See also:municipium probably at the time when it was made the See also:capital of the newly founded See also:province of See also:Numidia. The legion was removed by Gordianus, but restored by See also:Valerianus and See also:Gallienus; and its final departure did not take place till after 392. The town soon afterwards declined. It never became the seat of a See also:bishop, and no See also:Christian inscriptions have been found among the ruins. About 2 M. S. of Lambessa are the ruins of Markuna, the ancient Verecunda, including two triumphal arches. See S. Gsell, See also:Les Monuments antiques de l'Algerie (See also:Paris, 19ot) and L'Algerie mans l'antiquite (See also:Algiers, 19o3); L.

Renier, Inscriptions romaines de l'Algerie (Paris, 1855) ; Gustav Wilmann, " See also:

Die rom. Lagerstadt Afrikas," in Commentetiones Phil. in honorem Th. Mommseni (See also:Berlin, 1877) ; See also:Sir L. See also:Playfair, Travels in the Footsteps of See also:Bruce (See also:London, 1877) ; A. See also:Graham, Roman Africa (London, 1902).

End of Article: LAMBESSA

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