Roman Africa

Historian Alex Graham chronicles centuries of Roman rule in North Africa, using insights from archaeological excavations carried out in Tunisia and Algeria, plus researcher expeditions.

Uniting many disparate sources into a single, lengthy account, Graham’s history begins with the diplomatic ties between the wealthy city of Carthage and Rome. The Romans subsequently invaded and subdued Carthage, and this success constituted the beginning of Roman rule in Africa. The author gives a sequential account of various events which took place, organized according to the reigns of Caesars Julius and Augustus, then continuing with Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, Marcus Aurelius, Septimius Severus, and later emperors.

The accounts given are lively, colorful and varied, covering not merely conflicts and battles, but the development of the economy and the cultural emergences which took place across the centuries. It is demonstrated that North Africa was a productive and highly valued holding of the Roman Empire, with investment into various Colonia and active suppressions of revolts or incursions to protect prospering lands. Some thirty drawings and diagrams are included alongside the text, depicting tombs, monuments and structures which stand as evidence of Rome’s strong presence along the continent’s lengthy coastline.