Roman Imprints

( Originally Published 1923 )

IMPRINTS of the Roman Empire have been left in several places in northern Africa, notably at Cherchel, Constantine, Timgad, Lambese, Carthage, and El Djem. These were large cities in the earlier centuries of our Christian era, some whose population even exceeded one hundred thousand. These cities, which equaled or surpassed in architectural beauty many of our modern European cities, were located within the Roman provinces which occupied that country lying between the Atlas and Aures Mountains on the south and the Mediterranean Sea on the north, these barriers forming natural strategic frontiers. The Romans evidently planned to establish them-selves as rulers and masters of this productive district of northern Africa lying north of the Sahara. Of these ancient cities, Timgad presents the most interesting, extensive, and magnificent ruins that exist in these parts, and for that reason is referred to as "The Pompeii of Northern Africa."

Timgad was founded during the reign of Trajan in 100 A.D., and flourished for five centuries. It is situated on a plateau lying just to the north of the Aures Mountains, which separate it from the Great African desert. A good motor road leads to this dead city, and in distance it is about twenty-five miles east of Batna and within the department of Constantine. En route you pass through Lambese where still remain, as a silent record in the desert, two monuments of early Roman activities : the great square Praetorium, and the arch of Septimius Severus, who was emperor from 193 to 211 A.D.

Timgad underwent various vicissitudes due to the invasions of the Vandals, who plundered it, and later to the insurrections of the Arabs. Thus destroyed it was finally abandoned. Many of the very stones that were used in its buildings were later carried away. For centuries, time and the elements completed the work of destruction; and, buried in its own ruins and the drifting desert sands, it became the grave of this beautiful Roman City, from which, after thirteen centuries, are exhumed the silent stones which remain as mute witnesses of that great empire that reared its walls, its classic columns, its commodious amphitheater, and its civic forum.

In an open, treeless tract of sterile land stand these ruins. Two principal streets that were buried for centuries, and with them the echoes of those earlier sandals that trod their stony way, once more resound with the noise of the treading feet of tourists and visiting pilgrims. The rows of pillars along these road-ways, the beautiful and majestic Triumphal Arch of Trajan (the finest structure in north-ern Africa), the forum, the amphitheater, the classic temples—all suggest the wealth, culture, and majesty of an earlier period. These uncovered ruins, broken columns, and fragments of sculpture reveal the glory of a past dynasty; and even history can give us but a filmy glimpse of the activities and the life of this ancient city where men and women lived, loved, hoped, and died even as we. One vainly tries to fancy the earlier scenes in those pagan days : Romans, in their loose togas, promenading the streets and served by slaves bought by conquest ; and incense rising in the temples to Jupiter, Mars, and Quirinus. Tragedies en-acted, joys obtained, sorrows suffered, expectations realized, disappointments endured, —this was the lot of these earlier makers of history, even as it remains the life of mankind today.

This dead city impressed me equally as much as Pompeii, and was void of any of the obscene carvings and frescoes that so obnoxiously characterize Pompeii. One marvels at the solidity of construction; and yet these picturesque ruins, which have weathered the elements for centuries, suggest the frailty of man's work, which is here linked with the history of a dead empire. Classic columns with beautifully carved or ornamented capitals, arches, amphitheater, forum, temple,-these antique relics of splendid structures all are silent sentinels in a solitary landscape, bearing witness to a mighty empire of an earlier period, a story of decay and ruin, the tragedy of the silence.

Who wrought this splendor ? Who chiseled these beautiful, broken capitals? What caprice of fate worked the downfall of so mighty a people?

Rome, through its masterfulness in war, gained over all its neighbors; but in the minds of its plebeian populace, who fought its battles, there also grew a resentment against the patricians who controlled the affairs of state and the conquered lands which were worked by enslaved captives, to the complete destruction of the small farmers, the strong men who fought Rome's battles. Finally, kings were cast out, consuls chosen, and the Roman Republic founded. Promptly the plebs demanded equal rights, and secured for themselves the institution of "Tribune," authority with equality in high offices in legislative assemblies, and participation in public land. As the empire increased in greatness, it also became corrupt through the spoils of conquest, and was diseased by an infection of slavery. It degenerated both socially and politically, and then came the period of demagogues and fickle mobs, resulting in the final destruction of the old constitution, in the century just before Christ,

A new genius arose, Caesar founded an imperial autocracy on the ruins of the shattered republic. Then came into being the mighty Roman Empire, which dominated the world for centuries, and which has ever since influenced the history of the world; but it was an "Empire of murdered Emperors," for to succeed to the throne meant assassination, the usual fate of a Roman Emperor.

Meanwhile there came into existence a still mightier force through the birth of the Nazarene at Bethlehem,--a power that was built upon the principles of "Love thy neighbor as thyself" and "Do unto others as ye would that they do unto you." It was a new philosophy of love and humanity, but greeted as "heresy" by the Jews. It did not fit in with the Roman order of things, innumerable gods, homage to the emperor, etc. ; and the Christians were constantly persecuted and the adherents to Christianity sacrificed by the hundreds of thousands during a sensual, debased, corrupt condition which existed in Rome and which finally brought about its downfall. By the Edict of Milan in 313 A.D. Constantine recognized Christianity and freedom of worship; but the Roman Empire's fate had been previously sealed, through its sensualistic rulers, and Rome fell with its last emperor in 476.

During this uncertain age, the church of Christ became established on a rock foundation; the Gospel of Jesus Christ had become mightier than Rome ; and it has been this potent force, Christianity, that down through the succeeding centuries has saved civilization from utter destruction.

Ruins and broken columns mark the past glory of a mighty Roman Empire; 'but it is the Cross that is today the recognized sign of an invisible kingdom of peace, an unseen power, that has shaped and controlled the destiny of man until it is now accepted by the leading civilized nations as symbolizing a moral code, a divine inspiration, upon which the moral stability of the world depends.

And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.—John XII : 32.

About seventy-five miles to the north of Timgad, is Constantine. Here the Romans built on the site of the ancient City of Cirta (which was the capital of the Numidian kings) the city that bears the name of the Roman emperor who rebuilt it after destructive wars had worked great havoc. It is situated on a rock cleaved in two by the small Rummel river, which flows in a gorge nearly a thousand feet deep and but a few hundred feet wide, thus forming a rocky peninsula which is twenty-two hundred feet above sea level. In earlier days, before the existence of modern guns, this city must have been an impregnable fortress, as it is only accessible from one side. I have read that its besieged garrisons were only capable of being conquered by starvation. The French captured the city after a long siege in 1857.

Like all other cities of this country, there are two distinct districts : the native quarters, and the modern French portion. The latter always enjoys creditable, sanitary conditions, and has well-paved thoroughfares, opened squares, and so forth. The native section always presents narrow, winding passageways, along which are massed the unsanitary, indifferent dwellings or hovels of the natives. The buildings in the native section, which here lies near the north end of the Roman bridge and may be seen from this structure, are built one against the other on the shelving rock : a picturesque mass, covered with tile roofs, irregular in shape, one story in height on the one side, and three or four on the other. They are whitewashed or painted in brilliant blue colors, and have, in the walls, little openings about a foot square which serve as windows, and these walls are far from perpendicular.

Constantine has a population of sixty-five thousand and maintains a garrison of twelve thousand soldiers. Nowhere are there any level streets. One is constantly going uphill or downhill, or ascending steps to higher levels and terraces above. Yet in this very hilly city you will find the trackless trolley operating very satisfactorily. Deep down in the gorge, the river Rummel is spanned by several natural arch bridges of solid rock, the river running through what is practically a tunnel, through which one may pass after descending on steps constructed along the almost perpendicular granite walls of this imprisoned river.

Three bridges span the gorge, the most interesting naturally being El Kantara, the remarkable structure built by the Romans. Its noble arches crown the extensive, high piers which rise from the rock foundation far below.

The graceful curve of the bridge and its great length combine, in this structure, strength, beauty, and grace. The suspension bridge that crosses the gorge at another point, looks like a rope stretched across the deep abyss and fastened to the great rocks on each side. It is by far the highest bridge I have ever stood upon. Near its west end, as you stand upon the very brink of a sheer wall nearly a thousand feet high (which is just a little trying), there lies below, and before you, a panorama of hundreds of square miles of valley and rolling country, with low mountains beyond.

The palace of the Bey el Hadj Ahmed, which now serves for military purposes, although of an unattractive exterior, has, one finds upon entering, a rather pleasing, interesting, and naïve interior. Legends attached to this old palace would indicate that its builder was a merciless, cruel, tyrant; disposing of those who offended him by nailing hands and feet to a tree and leaving the victim to die ; or cutting off the hands and sewing up the mouths of gossipers, and ridding himself of wives no longer favorites by throwing them down the sheer rocks of the gorge. It is remarkable the extremes to which the cruel and playful imagination of tyrannical rulers resorted. Oh yes ; with all the disappointments attending our present civilization, one needs but to review such past atrocities to realize that, as Coué would say, the world "every day, in every way, is growing better and better."

There exists here at Constantine a romantic as well as an authentic link between the present and the earlier Roman periods, this connection being the ancient tomb of the Silversmith. This tomb was only discovered in 1855, and in it was found the perfect skeleton of Proecilius enclosed in a sarcophagus on which was inscribed in Latin the following epitaph:-

"Here silently I lie, describing my life in verse, I have enjoyed a good reputation and the greatest of prosperity. Proecilius is my name, a native of Cirta, following the art of a gold-smith. My honesty was extraordinary, and I always stuck to the truth. I was courteous to everyone, and never refused to sympathize with others. I was merry, and always enjoyed pleasure with my dear friends. After the death of the virtuous Lady Valeria I found life different. As long as I could, I passed an agreeable and a holy life. I have becomingly celebrated one hundred happy birthdays. But the last day came when I must throw off this mortal coil.

"While I was alive I made preparations for my death. Fortune, which has smiled upon me, never deserted me for one single instant. May she accompany you through life, and may you arrive at the same state as myself. Here I await you. Come !"

Naturally my thoughts drifted to that greatest of all silversmiths, Cellini, and one smiles to think upon the epitaph that might be fittingly inscribed upon his casket as epitomizing the life and character of this unique, picturesque individual. Though all things are relative, these two silversmiths in their manner of living were, if we accept the evidence available, as far apart as the poles.

The story of Sophonisba, daughter of the Carthaginian, Hasdrubal, whose tragic death occurred here at Constantine, (then called Cirta) has been the theme of many tragedies among writers. Two Numidian kings, Massinissa and Syphax, played important rôles in the great drama. Massinissa a barbarian at heart, but with a varnish of culture, was a clever, crafty, man. According to Livy he won the crown of Numidia by deserting the Carthaginians, espousing the cause of Rome, and combining his forces with the Romans under Scipio in the second Punic War in which Syphax was defeated in 204 B.C. Sophonisba had been promised in marriage to Massinissa but for political reasons was married to Syphax. The statement has been made that 50,000 infantry, 10,000 cavalry, and 50 elephants was the price of the fair Carthaginian's bed. This writer probably referred to the forces that Syphax shortly after the nuptials, according to Livy, contributed to the Carthaginians at the battle before Utica. Livy further states, that after Syphax's defeat, his wife Sophonisba prevailed upon him to raise another large army "not as in a previous way by caresses, but by prayers and appeal to his compassion, imploring him with streaming eyes not to betray her father and her country." This army too was defeated by Scipio. Again spurred on by his wife, a third army was raised and it was this army that met defeat near Cirta. Syphax was wounded and made a prisoner. Laelius commanding the Roman legions then granted Massinissa's request that he be allowed to proceed to Cirta with cavalry and the captive Syphax. Massinissa, after presenting to the view of the inhabitants their king bound in chains, was able to persuade them to admit him to the city. Massinissa placed troops to guard the gates that no one might escape, and himself galloped off to seize the palace. Entering the portal, he was met by Sophonisba, who upon seeing Massinissa supported by an armed band, fell at his feet declaring, "The Gods together with your own valor and good fortune have given you the power of disposing of us as you wish. But if a captive may give utterance to the voice of supplication before the Arbiter of her life or death, if she may be permitted to touch his knees and his victorious right hand, I entreat and beseech you by the guardian deities of this place (and O ! may they receive you more auspiciously than they sent Syphax from it) that you indulge a supplicant by determining yourself whatever your inclination may suggest respecting your captive, and not suffer me to be placed at the haughty and merciless disposal of any Roman. You know what a Carthaginian, what the daughter of Hasdrubal has to fear from a Roman. If you cannot affect it by any other means, I beg that you will by my death rescue me from the Romans." Massinissa the conqueror, her former betrothed, pledged himself to the faithful performance of her request. Scipio fearing the influence that Sophonisba might have on Massinissa, claimed her as a Roman prisoner. To save her from such humiliation, in fulfillment of his promise, he called a servant and sent unto his bride of but a few brief days, a chalice of poison along with a farewell message from his master. Sophonisba is reported by Livy as saying, "I accept this nuptial present, nor is it an unwelcome one, if my husband can render me no better service. Tell him however, that I should have died with greater satisfaction, had I not married so near upon my death." She drained the cup without perturbation.

History states that Massinissa was an able ruler and a decided benefactor to Numidia. He converted a plundering tribe into a settled and civilized population and out of robbers and marauders, made efficient and disciplined soldiers.

This city was later, during the period of Roman occupancy, ruled by a royal prince, who, though carrying a decree from Rome, was, in reality, a direct descendant of Numidian royal blood. One writer reminds us that this Juba II, who was the great-great-grandson of that great Numidian king, Massinissa, had as an infant, fallen into the hands of the Romans when his father, Juba I, committed suicide after being defeated by Caesar. He was taken to Rome, a trophy of war, and was adopted by Octavia, the wife of Antony. This noble-hearted and generous woman had also adopted a little girl who had been born to Antony and Cleopatra, her rival in her husband's affections. These two children, under the influence of a good woman, were well educated and beautifully and carefully reared together. He was of royal Numidian blood. She had in her veins the blood of the Pharaohs and was called Selene Cleopatra. In due course of time, Augustus deemed it a wise political move to have these two royal heirs married and gave to them, as their kingdom, the province of Mauretania which embraced at that time the territory represented by Morocco and Algeria of today.

Thus, a quarter of a century before Christ, began the long and happy reign of Juba II and Selene, a régime which prospered greatly and lasted forty-five years. We are also reminded that it was a daughter of this same Selene, Drusilla, who became the wife of Felix, Governor of Judea, who when he "heard him concerning the faith in Christ, trembled and hoped that money should have been given him of Paul, that he might loose him." (Acts XXIV : 25 and 26.) It was Paul's appeal to Caesar, when later he appeared before Festus, that brought him to Rome, and with him came the Gospel of Christ as expounded by that strong personality.