Milevum
Encyclopedia
Mila is a city in the Northeast of Algeria
, capital of Mila Province
. In antiquity, in was known by its Latin name Milevum, which is currently a titular episcopal see in the Roman province
of Numidia
.
, whence the colonists had emigrated. This name is often found in the inscriptions of the city. Together with Cirta
, Collo
and Rusicade, Milevum formed the confederation known as the Four Colonies, the territory of which was very extensive. In the sixth century the Byzantine Emperor Justinian had Milevum enclosed by a fortified wall, which still stands and forms a rampart for the muslim city of Mila . It has yielded quite a number of Latin inscriptions from this city and a colossal statue of Saturn.
Two councils were held at Milevum, one in 402 and the other in 416.
The second appealed to Pope Innocent I
for the repression of the Pelagian heresy. Among the bishops of this titular see were Pollianus, present at the Council of Carthage in 255 and martyred two years later; St. Optatus, noted for his work against the Donatists, died circa 385, and commemorated on 4 June; Honorius; Severus, fellow-countryman and friend of St. Augustine Benenanus (484); Restitutus, who attended the Fifth Œcumenical Council in 553.
Between 675 and 682 the city may have been conquered by the Umayyad
Arabs commanded by Abu al-Muhajir Dinar
. In the 14th century Ibn Khaldun described it as being a town dominated by Kutama
Berbers. Dr. Robert Brown, in an early 20th century edition of Leo Africanus
' geographical work on Africa, described it as a significant European population, with the city having a 'Berber quarter'.
, with in the early 20th century 8000 inhabitants, 400 of whom are Europeans. That department later became Constantine Province
after the indepence of Algeria, of which Mila was dependent till the creation of Mila Province
in 1984. As of 1998, the most recent census in the country, the city has a population of 59,959.
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
, capital of Mila Province
Mila Province
Mila is a province of Algeria, whose capital is Mila. Other localities include Telerghma, Grarem Gouga, Hamala and Rouached.-Administrative divisions:...
. In antiquity, in was known by its Latin name Milevum, which is currently a titular episcopal see in the Roman province
Roman province
In Ancient Rome, a province was the basic, and, until the Tetrarchy , largest territorial and administrative unit of the empire's territorial possessions outside of Italy...
of Numidia
Numidia
Numidia was an ancient Berber kingdom in part of present-day Eastern Algeria and Western Tunisia in North Africa. It is known today as the Chawi-land, the land of the Chawi people , the direct descendants of the historical Numidians or the Massyles The kingdom began as a sovereign state and later...
.
Antique history
In Ptolemy's "Geography", IV, iii, 7, the city is mentioned under the name of Mileum or Mireon. During the Roman era it was called Colonia Sarnensis Milevitana, after the River Sarnus in CampaniaCampania
Campania is a region in southern Italy. The region has a population of around 5.8 million people, making it the second-most-populous region of Italy; its total area of 13,590 km² makes it the most densely populated region in the country...
, whence the colonists had emigrated. This name is often found in the inscriptions of the city. Together with Cirta
Cirta
Cirta was the capital city of the ancient Kingdom of Numidia in northern Africa . Its strategically important port city was Russicada...
, Collo
Collo
Collo is the capital, and one of three municipalities, of Collo district in Skikda Province, Algeria. As of 1998, it had a population of 27,800....
and Rusicade, Milevum formed the confederation known as the Four Colonies, the territory of which was very extensive. In the sixth century the Byzantine Emperor Justinian had Milevum enclosed by a fortified wall, which still stands and forms a rampart for the muslim city of Mila . It has yielded quite a number of Latin inscriptions from this city and a colossal statue of Saturn.
Two councils were held at Milevum, one in 402 and the other in 416.
The second appealed to Pope Innocent I
Pope Innocent I
-Biography:He was, according to his biographer in the Liber Pontificalis, the son of a man called Innocens of Albano; but according to his contemporary Jerome, his father was Pope Anastasius I , whom he was called by the unanimous voice of the clergy and laity to succeed -Biography:He was,...
for the repression of the Pelagian heresy. Among the bishops of this titular see were Pollianus, present at the Council of Carthage in 255 and martyred two years later; St. Optatus, noted for his work against the Donatists, died circa 385, and commemorated on 4 June; Honorius; Severus, fellow-countryman and friend of St. Augustine Benenanus (484); Restitutus, who attended the Fifth Œcumenical Council in 553.
Between 675 and 682 the city may have been conquered by the Umayyad
Umayyad
The Umayyad Caliphate was the second of the four major Arab caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. It was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty, whose name derives from Umayya ibn Abd Shams, the great-grandfather of the first Umayyad caliph. Although the Umayyad family originally came from the...
Arabs commanded by Abu al-Muhajir Dinar
Abu al-Muhajir Dinar
Abu al-Muhajir Dinar , amir of Ifriqiya under the Umayyads. His biography is complicated by the existence of two versions of the history of the Umayyad conquest of North Africa, those written before the 11th century and those written later....
. In the 14th century Ibn Khaldun described it as being a town dominated by Kutama
Kutama
The Kutama were a powerful Berber tribe, in the region of Jijel , a member of the great Sanhaja confederation of the Maghrib and the armed body of the Fatimid Caliphate.-Origins of the Kutama:...
Berbers. Dr. Robert Brown, in an early 20th century edition of Leo Africanus
Leo Africanus
Joannes Leo Africanus, was a Moorish diplomat and author who is best known for his book Descrittione dell’Africa describing the geography of North Africa.-Biography:Most of what is known about his life is gathered from autobiographical...
' geographical work on Africa, described it as a significant European population, with the city having a 'Berber quarter'.
Modern history
Milevum, modern Arabic name Mila, was under French colonial rule a city in the department of Constantine in AlgeriaAlgeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
, with in the early 20th century 8000 inhabitants, 400 of whom are Europeans. That department later became Constantine Province
Constantine Province
Constantine is one of the 48 provinces of Algeria, whose capital is the city of the same name.- Adminsitrative divisions :The province is divided into 6 districts, which are subdivided into 12 communes or municipalities.-Districts:...
after the indepence of Algeria, of which Mila was dependent till the creation of Mila Province
Mila Province
Mila is a province of Algeria, whose capital is Mila. Other localities include Telerghma, Grarem Gouga, Hamala and Rouached.-Administrative divisions:...
in 1984. As of 1998, the most recent census in the country, the city has a population of 59,959.
Source
- A. Benabbès: "Les premiers raids arabes en Numidie byzantine: questions toponymiques." In Identités et Cultures dans l'Algérie Antique, University of Rouen, 2005 (ISBN 2-87775-391-3)
- P. Trousset (2002). v. 10, p. 143-150.