Mascula


Mascula was an ancient Roman colonia in Numidia. It is called Khenchela in modern Algeria.

History

Mascula was located in the Aurès Mountains, at above sea level, and has a cool Mediterranean climate: it was one of the coldest cities in Numidia. The fresh location was chosen by Roman legionaries to retire as veterans.
Mascula was built under Trajan and was garrisoned by the "7th company of Lusitanians". It was a castrum on the military road, that connected Theveste with Sitifis and that followed the slopes of the Aures mountains. Mascula was connected with the fortifications of Tinfadi, Vegesela, Claudi and Tliamugas. Mascula was the most important of these forts from a strategic point of view, because controlled the numidian access to the Sahara.
Mascula in the fourth century was at the center of the Donatism controversy, and there are beautiful mosaics discovered from those years There are even some Roman baths from the late third century, still efficiently working after recent restoration.
Mascula was even one of the centers of Romano-berber resistance against the Arabs, under queen Kahina. It seems that was renamed -after the Moslem conquest- with the name of one of the daughters of Kahina: Khenchela.