Sutunura

Sutunura was a Roman era civitas^[1][2] in the Roman province of Africa and is tentatively identified with ruins near Aïn-El-Askerm, Rdir-Es-Soltan in modern Tunisia.^[3][4][5](36° 34' 29" North, 9°59'29"East)^[6] 50 km from Carthage. The location being confirmed with inscription remains in situ^[7][8] and is nearby to Koudiat es Somra, Jebel Barrou and Ghedir Soltane.^[9]

Africa Proconsularis (125 AD)

History

Sutunurca goes back to a Libyan foundation. This hypothesis is underpinned not only by the name itself but also by a tumulus close to Djebel Barrou. Probably Sutunurca belonged to the area of the veteran colony Uthina.

Even under Septimius Severus, Sutunurca was still a civitas.

When Africa Proconsularis was divided in the late empire, Sutunura found itself in the new province of Zeugitana.

Remains

Babelon^[10] mentions a multitude of ruins and counts architectural elements as well as inscriptions to the finds. He also mentions the remains of a Byzantine fortress. Jaidi^[11] has dealt with the hydraulic systems of the ancient city. Antique buildings have also been preserved at N'faïedh, but Maurin^[12] emphasized in 1989 that only a small part was visible.

Bishopric

In antiquity, Sutunura was the seat of an ancient Christian bishopric, suffragan of the Archdiocese of Carthage.^[13] we know only one bishop of Sutunura, Repositus, who took part at the Council of Carthage (256) convoked by St. Cyprian to address the problem of the Lapsi.^[14] Morcelli mistakenly attributes Repositus as the bishop of Tuburnica.

The Diocese of Sutunurca (in Latin Rite Sutunurcensis) survives today as a home, suppressed and titular bishopric of the Roman Catholic Church.^[15][16] The current bishop is Léopold Ouédraogo, of Ouagadougou.^[17]