Sbeitla
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Sbeitla (Arabic: صبيتلة) is a small town in north-central Tunisia. It is located at around . Nearby are the Roman ruins of Sufetula, containing the best preserved Forum temples in Tunisia. The ancient town, then held by the Byzantine Prefect Gregory was captured by the Arabs in 647AD and briefly served as capital of the country.
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[edit] History of the City
The oldest traces of civization in the zone are Punic megaliths and funereal stela.
The region was inhabited by nomadic tribes until the Legio III Augusta established a camp at Ammaedara. Through the surrender of the Berber leader Tacfarinas the region was pacified and populated under the Emperor Vespasian and his sons between 167 and 169.
Some inscriptions found in the city suggest that the settlement had success along the lines of others in North Africa during the 2nd century, reaching great prosperity through the olive industry, whose cultivation benefited from excellent climatic conditions in the region. The olive presses found in the ruins of the city further bolster this conclusion. The resulting prosperity made possible the construction of a splendid forum and other important buildings.
The city began to decline during the Late Empire, during which the city was surrounded and occupied by Vandals, a fact that is demonstrated by the appearance of temples dedicated to the barbarian gods.
The arrival of the Byzantines inaugurated a new period of splendor. The Prefect Gregory moved his capital there from Carthage in the seventh century, and declared independence from Byzantium. However, only a year later the city was sacked by the first Arab invaders, and Gregory was killed.
The Arabs abandoned the city and the region returned to a nomadic lifestyle.
[edit] Roman Remains
- The Triumphal Arch of the Tetrarchy at the entrance to the city commemorates the four emperors that govered the empire in the year 300, just before the rule of Constantine I
- The Public Baths
- The Forum is one of the best preserved in the world
- The Gate of Antoninus, which stands at the entrance to the forum and can be dated between 138 and 161. Its inscriptions make reference to Antonius Pius and his two adopted sons, Lucius Verus and Marcus Aurelius
- The three temples. In place of constucting only one temple dedicated to the three most important Roman gods (Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva) the inhabitants of the city built separate temples for each one. A similar arrangement is only found at Baelo Claudia, in Spain.
- Other important buildings include the theater and the public fountains.
[edit] Byzantine Remains
The majority of the Byzantine buildings take advantage of the foundations of earlier Roman ones. They include:
- The church of Bellator
- The church of Vitalis
- The chapel of Jucundus
- The church of Servus
- The church of St Gervasio, Protasio, and Trifon.
