Ounga, Tunisia
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Ounga, also known as Younga and Jounga, is an archaeological site on the Mediterranean coast of Tunisia, located 45 kilometres (28 mi) south of Sfax in the Tunisian Sahel.[1] The area is also known for its oil fields.[2][3]
Name
Ounga, also referred to as Younga or Jounga, was formerly known as Lunca or Macomades.
Poinssot identifies Younga as the new name of the city of Macomades Minores, also called Macomades Iunci or Iunca. The discovery in 1936 of a fragment of a milestone from the mid-3rd century close to Younga definitively confirmed the relationship. The name of the city changed in the 4th century. Therefore, the city carried the name of Macomades Minores under the Early Empire[4] and that of Iunci or Iunca under the Lower Empire.[5]
History
Ounga has a history stretching back to Punic times. The town was located on the Carthage–Tacape highway, at the intersection with the inland route from Sufetula.[6]
In ancient times, Ounga was the site of ardent Christian activity resulting in the construction of various religious buildings. Accordingly, it maintained relations with other cities such as Carthage. Historians, like the Tunisian archaeologist Zainab Benzina, state that a representative of the city of Younga, the bishop Valentinianus, attended the Council of Carthage (412). In addition, the Christian city hosted a provincial council in 524.
Remains of the Roman town include three Byzantine basilicas,[7] city ramparts, a citadel, a vaulted cistern, and crypts. Some of the remains show Coptic influence.[8][9][10]
The citadel was identified in 1944 by the French archaeologist Louis Poinsot as the place described by Arab geographers Al Bakri and Al-Idrissi under the name of Kasr er-Roum (Castle of the Romans). It was transformed in the 9th century by the Aghlabids, who modified the upper part of the walls.
Bishopric
Ounga was the seat of an ancient Latin Catholic diocese, about which very little is known.
There was a synod on the site after the Muslim conquest of the Maghreb[11] and another in 523 AD. A Christian monastery was founded in the town around 500 AD. Two bishops are known:
- Verecundus of Iunca
- Valentinianus, who attended the Council of Carthage (412), as above
The bishopric survives today as a titular bishopric, which has been vacant since the departure of the last bishop, Marcel Roger Buyse, in 2008.[5]
Fortress
The remains of the Byzantine fort known as Bordj Younga are noted for their excellent condition.
References
- ^ Barrington Atlas: BAtlas 33 F4
- ^ Don Hallett, Petroleum Geology of Libya (Elsevier, 26 Feb 2002) p115
- ^ Edward Tawadros, Geology of North Africa (CRC Press, 2 Nov 2011) p322
- ^ R. Talbert, Jeffrey Becker, R. Warner, Sean Gillies, Tom Elliott Pleiades: A Gazetteer of Past Places -Macomades Minores/Iunci Pleiades, 2014
- ^ a b Iunca in Byzacena, at GCatholic.org
- ^ Imperium.ahlfeldt.se: Macomades Minores/Iunci, Bordj Younga
- ^ G. L. Feuille, “Le baptistère de Iunca”, CahArch 3 (1948) pp75-81; P. Garrigue, “Une Basilique byzantine à Iunca en Byzacène”, MélRome 65 (1953) pp173-96
- ^ A Ennabli, MACOMADES MINORES (Princeton, NJ, Princeton University Press. 1976)
- ^ Hachmi Bibi, Mahares. Strategic site, civilization and arts (Tunis, 2002)
- ^ Pol Trousset, "Iunci": Berber Encyclopedia, Vol 25, ed. (Eduud, Aix-en-Provence, 2003), pp.3806-3812
- ^ Jonathan Conant, Staying Roman: Conquest and Identity in Africa and the Mediterranean 439-700 (Cambridge University Press, 2012) p100