Thysdrus

Thysdrus is near El Djem. It was one of the main Roman cities in Berber Africa. It was the center of the olive oil production in Africa proconsularis (actual north-central Tunisia).

History

The name Thysdrus has Berber roots and the city was founded by the Romans over an ancient berber small village under Phoenician control.

Thysdrus probably received Julius Caesar’s veterans as settlers in 45 BC. Thysdrus did not become a "Municipium" (settlement with partial rights of citizenship) until the reign of Septimius Severus. In 244 AD it was declared "Colonia" by emperor Gordian III.

In a less arid climate than today's, Thysdrus, which later became part of the Roman province of Byzacena, prospered especially in the 2nd century, when it became an important center of olive oil manufacturing for export. It was the seat of a Christian bishopric, which is included in the Catholic Church's list of titular sees.

Thysdrus grew to be the main center of olive oil production in Roman Africa thanks to the Romano-berber emperor Septimius Severus and his successors. So, by the early 3rd century AD, when the huge amphitheater was built, Thysdrus rivaled Hadrumetum (modern Sousse) as the second city of Roman North Africa, after Carthage. The city had even a huge "Circus", nearly as large as the Circus Maximus at Rome and capable of accommodating about 30,000 spectators.