Acholla
| Acholla | |
|---|---|
| |
| 35°04′42″N 11°01′07″E / 35.07824°N 11.018733°E | |
| Type | Settlement |
| Location | Sfax Governorate, Tunisia |
Acholla (Ancient Greek: Ἄχολλα, Akholla)[1] also latinised as Achilla or Achulla, was a Roman-Punic city on the sea-coast in the ancient province of Africa Propria (Byzacena) in modern Tunisia. It was located little above the northern extremity of the Lesser Syrtis, and about 20 Greek miles south of Thapsus.[2] It was a colony from the island of Melita (Malta),[1] the people of which were colonists from Carthage. Under the Romans, it was a free city. In the African War, 46 BCE, it submitted to Julius Caesar, for whom it was held by Messius; and it was in vain besieged by the Pompeian commander Considius.[3][4]
Its location is identified as at Ras Botria (Henchir Botria).[5][6] Among its ruins, of a late style, but very extensive, there has been found an interesting bilingual inscription, in Phoenician and Latin, in which the name is spelt Achulla.[7] The name appears as Anolla in the Tabula Peutingeriana.
The city was also the seat of an ancient Christian diocese, which survives today as a titular bishopric of the Roman Catholic Church. The current bishop is Eusebio L. Elizondo Almaguer of the United States.[8]
References
- Back to citation occurrence 1.0 Back to citation occurrence 1.1 Stephanus of Byzantium, Ethnica, p.316-317, 572
- Back to citation Strabo. Geographica. Vol. p. 831. Page numbers refer to those of Isaac Casaubon's edition.
- Back to citation Livy. Ab urbe condita Libri [History of Rome]. Vol. 33.48.
- Back to citation Appian Pun. 94; Hirtius, Bell. Afric. 33-43; Pliny. Naturalis Historia. Book 5.4.
- Back to citation Talbert, Richard, ed. (2000). Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World. Princeton University Press. p. 33. ISBN 978-0-691-03169-9, with accompanying Map-by-Map Directory.
- Back to citation Lund University. Digital Atlas of the Roman Empire.
- Back to citation Gesenius, Wilhelm (1837). Scripturæ linguæque phoeniciæ monumenta quotquot supersunt edita et inedita ad autographorum optimorumque exemplorum fidem edidit additisque de scriptura et lingua phoenicum commentariis. Leipzig. p. 139.
- Back to citation Titular Episcopal See of Acholla at GCatholic.org.