Timgad Capitol
Timgad
To the north of the Aurès massif, the Roman colony of Thamugadi (Timgad) was founded in the year 100 under the reign of Emperor Trajan.
It developed rapidly and from the middle of the 2nd century, it went beyond the framework in which Trajan had claimed to confine it.
The streets were straight and perpendicular to each other. The triumphal arches constituted its ornament; the most sumptuous, still almost intact, is generally known as the Arch of Trajan.
The center of Timgad is, as in all Roman cities, the forum. This one, one of the largest in North Africa, consisted of a vast esplanade bordered by a portico on almost its entire perimeter.
On this esplanade stood some of the main monuments. Among these buildings, we should mention the curia which served as a meeting place for the assembly of the decurions (Municipal Council), the civil basilica, a vast nave where the magistrates who were responsible for the care of justice sat.
On the side of a hill, south of the forum, the Timgad theater was built around the middle of the second century. It could hold 3,500 to 4,000 spectators. The most important of the temples of Timgad was the capitol, the remains of which stand proudly under the Aurasian sky.
To the north of the Aurès massif, the Roman colony of Thamugadi (Timgad) was founded in the year 100 under the reign of Emperor Trajan.
It developed rapidly and from the middle of the 2nd century, it went beyond the framework in which Trajan had claimed to confine it.
The streets were straight and perpendicular to each other. The triumphal arches constituted its ornament; the most sumptuous, still almost intact, is generally known as the Arch of Trajan.
The center of Timgad is, as in all Roman cities, the forum. This one, one of the largest in North Africa, consisted of a vast esplanade bordered by a portico on almost its entire perimeter.
On this esplanade stood some of the main monuments. Among these buildings, we should mention the curia which served as a meeting place for the assembly of the decurions (Municipal Council), the civil basilica, a vast nave where the magistrates who were responsible for the care of justice sat.
On the side of a hill, south of the forum, the Timgad theater was built around the middle of the second century. It could hold 3,500 to 4,000 spectators. The most important of the temples of Timgad was the capitol, the remains of which stand proudly under the Aurasian sky.