Starting in the second half of the 6th century BC, Carthage undertook a vast colonization program involving the sending of North African settlers to SE Spain as well as to Ibiza and Sardinia. These population transfers did not necessarily imply military conquest or the annexation of large territories, but rather the dispatch of colonists to pre-existing sites or new foundations in order to develop colonial enterprises in these regions. The massive settlement of these colonists led to a redefinition of relations between Phoenicians and Iberians, which eventually became conflictual. A cultural rupture is also evident, although it was not total and shows that indigenous populations were also integrated into the new foundations. These 6th century settlements are contemporaneous with the mention of a Libyan people living in Iberia, whom Greek sources call the "Elbestians". 🧵


The settlement of these North Africans is also perceptible through toponymy, which was altered and acquired a Libyco-Phoenician aspect (-uba/-oba is a Libyan element meaning "fortification" for example). The analysis of these toponymic data shows evident links with eastern Algeria and Tunisia, which indeed provided contingents of colonists and mercenaries to Carthage. This colonization policy experienced two further phases at the end of the 5th century and at the beginning of the 4th century. The foundation of Carteia must be placed within this context and according to Pomponius Mela, this city was inhabited by "Phoenicians from Africa", a term that is generally interpreted as referring to Libyphoenician or Punicized Libyan populations.

Short Thread - Unfortunately, very little is known about the layout and architecture of the ancient city of Cirta/Kirtan, the capital of the Numidian kingdom, largely due to continuous occupation since antiquity and urban developments that have destroyed much of its heritage. The following is a brief summary of the limited information available for the pre-Roman period. The urban site is located on a vast limestone rock raised between faults. In addition, the site lies at the center of a region favorable for cereal cultivation and livestock farming. To the north and east, the city is surrounded by deep gorges carved by the Rhumel River (ancient Ampsaga). It is impregnable on three sides and accessible via an isthmus to the northwest. The site therefore presents natural defensive conditions that attracted humans from an early period.

Thread - Summary of Everything We Currently Know About the Mausoleum of Beni Rhenane (Western Algeria, 2nd century BC) The mausoleum stands on a 221m-high peak of Jbel Skouna, overlooking the river Tafna and the ruins of ancient Siga, capital of King Syphax (Masaesyle dynasty). It was built near a group of tumuli, just like the Medracen further confirming its dynastic nature.

Thread - Did Ancient Berbers Use Swords? If So, What Kind? Let’s Look at the Few Pieces of Evidence We Have.🧵 When it comes to describing the horsemen and infantry of North Africa, ancient authors almost never mention the use of the sword among them and instead emphasize the use of the javelin or even the cutlass. But what is the reality?

Short Thread - The site of Kach Kouch in Northern Morocco: an Indigenous Rural Community of the Bronze and early Iron Age (2200–500 BC)🧵
The site is situated on Dhar Moudden Hill in the Wadi Lau valley, just 9 km from the sea. Naturally protected, it appears to have been a village with dwellings featuring walls made of wooden frameworks and branches, covered with wattle and daub.

Thread - Tables summarizing ethnographic facts about Ancient Canarians by E.A Hooton - They practiced agriculture, fishing, hunting (lizards & birds), had livestock (sheep, pigs, goats) and had dogs
- Lived in caves (natural & artificial), dry-stone houses/huts
- Burials in caves or under tumuli

F.Colin has shown that Bronze Age Eastern Libyans were linguistically connected to the later IA Libyans of NW Africa. By the 11th c. BC, their influence in Egypt had grown so significant that prominent Egyptian officials began giving their children the names of renowned Libyans🧵

For example, consider Herihor, a Vizier and High Priest, who gave several of his sons Libyan names. The 21st Dynasty was a period when Libyans were already exerting significant influence on Egypt, marked by the rise of a Pharaoh of Libyan origin, Osorkon the Elder.

Like the migration of North Africans to SE Iberia from the 6th century BC, the Carthaginians seem to have moved Iberian communities to Algeria's western coast as early as the end of the 7th century BC, evident in similar funerary practices, ceramics, and domestic artifacts🧵





Consider the island of Rachgoun, near the ancient Masaesyle capital of Siga, which by the 7th-6th cent. hosted an Iberian population, mainly soldiers and their families. This group likely formed a garrison guarding a key strategic point along the Phoenician trade route.

Thread - Carthage vs The Numidian Kingdom: The Battle of Oroscopa - Winter 151-150 B.C. Context: After Rome's victory at Zama in 202, Carthage was forbidden to wage war without Rome's approval. The numidian king Massinissa exploited this, expanding his kingdom eastward at the expense of the Carthaginians and taking lands he claimed had belonged to his ancestors.

Thread - Ethnic Minorities in Northwest Africa during the Roman Era based on Epigraphy: Settlement Patterns and Dominant Groups Let's start with italians : The proportion of Italians in the population is difficult to quantify because the local population in some areas became heavily Romanized. Italians appears to have been primarily attracted to and concentrated in port cities and administrative centers.

This depiction of the Libyan giant king Antaeus by Euphronios (515-510 BC) draws inspiration from the appearance of the Libyans. He is distinguished from Heracles by his long, matted hair, a long pointed beard, and most notably, a prominent brow ridge and slightly aquiline nose🧵

These distinctive features, among others, are found in older Egyptian depictions of the Libyans. According to G. Camps, swollen sinuses or a prominent glabella are common among Berbers and are also found on some protohistoric skulls from the region.

Short Thread - The site of Althiburos (Tunisia) : insights into the Culture and Lifestyle of an Ancient North African Community (10th - 7th centuries B.C.) Located in northwestern Tunisia on a promontory surrounded by a wadi, the site's earliest phase dates back to the 10th and 9th centuries BCE. This early period of occupation is characterized by rectangular stone buildings with possibly in some cases apsidal rooms.

Short thread about the exploration journey of five ancient Berbers from the Nasamonian tribe in sub-Saharan Africa around the late 6th century to early 5th century BC The Nasamones were one of the most important Libyan nomadic tribe, located in the eastern part of the coast of the Great Syrte to the Augila oasis, where they would go in the summer for date harvesting.

Thread - I managed to get my hands on two rare books by Michel Ponsich about the ancient history of Tangier's region (NW Morocco). Here is some interesting information and new insights about the Bronze Age and early Iron Age of the region.
Surprisingly, the region was not inhabited by Ibero-Maurusians during the Mesolithic period but seems to have been a refuge for populations associated with the Aterian industry, persisting until the Neolithic when they were replaced by farmers from Iberia ( Cardial culture).

Thread - Carthage vs Syracuse - Part II : Agathocles in Africa (311 - 306 B.C.) In the previous thread, we had reached the point where Agathocles lit numerous fires on a hill visible from Tunis : these fires gave the impression that he was about to descend upon them with significant reinforcements. Terrified, the carthaginian troops fled.

Thread - Carthage vs Syracuse : Agathocles' expedition to Africa (311 - 306 B.C.) - Part I : Context and first expedition Agathocles was the son of a certain "Carcinus," an exile from Rhegium settled in Thermae and a Carthaginian woman. Initially a potter, Agathocles rose through the ranks of Syracusan society with the support of his wealthy and influential lover, Damas

Thread - Anthropological analysis of ancient remains from Algeria and Tunisia (15th cent. B.C. - 2nd cent. B.C.) and what it tells us about the physical characteristics and population affinity of ancient North Africans, including Punics. The majority of subjects fall into the category of "average adults" (30-50 years old), except for Punic men, whose age at death seems to have been noticeably later than that of Protohistoric men in Algeria (52.6% of punic men were older than 50 at their death vs 27.6% for alger.)

Short thread - The presence of Greeks in Carthage The existing evidence suggests a substantial Greek colony within Carthage, documented through ancient sources and Punic inscriptions. This colony notably comprised artisans, philosophers, educators, military personnel, along with "adventurers".

Thread - Protohistory of Tunisia and its Aegeo-Anatolian influences - 2nd millenium B.C. I would first like to emphasize that this is not an extensive analysis of all the data related to this period and place, but rather a summary of the major thoughts and conclusions from the work of Pierre Cintas on Tunisian Protohistory.

Thread - Description and Analysis of the Royal Mausoleum known as the Medracen - 4th-2nd century B.C. It is situated in the NW part of the Aurès region and adjacent to a lake known in antiquity as the "Royal Lake". It is believed to be the final resting place of a powerful ruler, with S. Gsell proposing its construction in the 3rd cent. BC and F. Rakob suggesting the 2nd cent. BC

Thread - What we know about the Numidian Army Late 3rd cent. BC - 1st cent. BC Before 213 BC, the Numidians had no infantry. Around that time, the centurion Q. Statorius, sent by Scipio Africanus, formed an infantry at the request of King Syphax. He taught them Roman military tactics, including camp construction,as the Romans aimed to gain Syphax's support