Hippo Regius (also known as Hippo or Hippone) is the ancient name of the modern city of Annaba, Algeria. It served as an important city for the Phoenicians, Berbers, Romans, and Vandals. Hippo was the capital city of the Vandal Kingdom from AD 435 to 439. when it was shifted to Carthage following the Vandal capture of Carthage in 439.
 Saint Augustin Basilica overlooking the ruins of Hippo Regius | |
  Shown within Algeria | |
| Location | Algeria |
|---|---|
| Region | Annaba Province |
| Coordinates | 36°52′57″N 07°45′00″E / 36.88250°N 7.75000°E |
It was the focus of several early Christian councils and home to Augustine of Hippo, a Church Father highly important in Western Christianity.
History
Hippo is the latinization of ʿpwn (Punic: 𐤏𐤐𐤅𐤍), probably related to the word ûbôn, meaning "harbor". The town was first settled by Phoenicians from Tyre around the 12th century BC. To distinguish it from Hippo Diarrhytus (the modern Bizerte, in Tunisia), the Romans later referred to it as Hippo Regius ("the Royal Hippo") because it was one of the residences of the Numidian kings. Its nearby river was Latinized as the Ubus and the bay to its east was known as Hippo Bay (Latin: Hipponensis Sinus).
A maritime city near the mouth of the river Ubus, it became a Roman colonia which prospered and became a major city in Roman Africa. It served as the bishopric of Saint Augustine of Hippo in his later years. In AD 430, the Vandals advanced eastwards along the North African coast and laid siege to the walled city of Hippo Regius.[citation needed] Inside, Saint Augustine and his priests prayed for relief from the invaders, knowing full well that the fall of the city would spell death or conversion to the Arian confession for much of the Christian population. On 28 August 430, three months into the siege, St. Augustine (who was 75 years old) died, perhaps from starvation or stress, as the wheat fields outside the city lay dormant and unharvested. After 14 months, hunger and the inevitable diseases were ravaging both the city inhabitants and the Vandals outside the city walls. The city fell to the Vandals and King Geiseric made it the first capital of the Vandal Kingdom until the capture of Carthage in 439.
It was conquered by the Eastern Roman Empire in 534 and was kept under Roman rule until 698, when it fell to the Muslims; the Arabs rebuilt the town in the eighth century. The city's later history is treated under its modern (Arabic and colonial) names.
About three kilometres distant in the eleventh century, the Berber Zirids established the town of Beleb-el-Anab, which the Spaniards occupied for some years in the sixteenth century, as the French did later, in the reign of Louis XIV. France took this town again in 1832. It was renamed Bône or Bona, and became one of the government centres for the Constantine (departement) in Algeria. It had 37,000 inhabitants, of whom 10,800 were original inhabitants, consisting of 9,400 Muslims and 1,400 naturalized Jews. 15,700 were French and 10,500 foreigners, including many Italians.
Ecclesiastical history
Hippo was an ancient bishopric, one of many suffragans in the former Roman province of Numidia, a part of the residential see of Constantine. It contains some ancient ruins, a hospital built by the Little Sisters of the Poor and a fine basilica dedicated to St. Augustine. Under St. Augustine there were at least three monasteries in the diocese besides the episcopal monastery.
The diocese was established around 250 AD. Only these six bishops of Hippo are known:
- Saint Theogenes(256? – martyr 259?)
- Saint Leontius (died 303?)
- Fidentius (martyr ?304)
- Valerius (388?–396), who ordained St. Augustine
- the "Doctor of Grace", Saint Augustine (354 – 28 August 430, coadjutor in 395, bishop in 396)
- Heraclius (coadjutor in 426, bishop in 430).
It was suppressed around 450 AD.
Council of Hippo
Three church councils were held at Hippo (393, 394, 426) and more synods – also in 397 (two sessions, June and September) and 401, all under Aurelius.
The synods of the Ancient (North) African church were held, with but few exceptions (e.g. Hippo, 393; Milevum, 402) at Carthage. We know from the letters of Saint Cyprian that, except in time of persecution, the African bishops met at least once a year, in the springtime, and sometimes again in the autumn. Six or seven synods, for instance, were held under St. Cyprian's presidency during the decade of his administration (249–258), and more than fifteen under Aurelius (391–429). The Synod of Hippo of 393 ordered a general meeting yearly, but this was found too onerous for the bishops, and in the Synod of Carthage (407) it was decided to hold a general synod only when necessary for the needs of all Africa, and it was to be held at a place most convenient for the purpose. Not all the bishops of the country were required to assist at the general synod. At the Synod of Hippo (393) it was ordered that "dignities" should be sent from each ecclesiastical province. Only one was required from Tripoli (in Libya), because of the poverty of the bishops of that province. At the Synod of Hippo (393), and again at the Synod of 397 at Carthage, a list of the books of Holy Scripture was drawn up, and these books are still regarded as the constituents of the Catholic canon.
Titular episcopal see
The Hippo(ne) diocese was nominally revived in 1400 as Catholic Latin titular bishopric of the (lowest) episcopal rank, for which no incumbent is recorded.
It ceased to exist on 23 September 1867, when the see was formally united with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Constantine.
See also
- Auzia
- Caesarea of Mauretania
- Cirta
- Chullu
- Mauretania Caesariensis
- Milevum
- List of cultural assets of Algeria
Notes
- "A Berber, born in 354 at Thagaste (now Souk-Ahras) in Africa, he died as Bishop of Hippo (later Bone, now Annaba) in 430, while the Vandals were besieging the town."Braudel 1995, p. 335
References
- Merrills & Miles 2009.
- Head et al. 1911, p. 886.
- Ghaki 2015, p. 66.
- Brown (2013), p. 326.
- Pétridès 1910.
- Portalié 1907.
- Merrills & Miles 2009, p. 60.
- Tabbernee 2014.
- Havey 1907.
Sources
- Braudel, Fernand (1995). A History of Civilizations. Penguin. ISBN 978-0-14-012489-7.
- Brown, Peter (2013), Through the Eye of a Needle: Wealth, the Fall of Rome, and the Making of Christianity in the West, 350–550 AD, Princeton: Princeton University Press, ISBN 978-1400844531
- Ghaki, Mansour (2015), "Toponymie et Onomastique Libyques: L'Apport de l'Écriture Punique/Néopunique" (PDF), La Lingua nella Vita e la Vita della Lingua: Itinerari e Percorsi degli Studi Berberi, Studi Africanistici: Quaderni di Studi Berberi e Libico-Berberi (in French), vol. 4, Naples: Unior, pp. 65–71, ISBN 978-88-6719-125-3, ISSN 2283-5636, archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-04-28, retrieved 2018-11-02
- Havey, Francis Patrick (1907). . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
- Head, Barclay; Hill, G.F.; MacDonald, George; Wroth, W. (1911), "Numidia", in Ed Snible (ed.), Historia Numorum (2nd ed.), Oxford: Clarendon Press, pp. 884–887
- Merrills, Andrew; Miles, Richard (2009). The Vandals. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-4443-1808-1.
- Pétridès, Sophron (1910). . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 7. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
- Portalié, Eugène (1907). . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 2. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
- Tabbernee, William, ed. (2014). Early Christianity in Contexts: An Exploration across Cultures and Continents. Baker Academic. ISBN 9781441245717.
Further reading
- Laffi, Umberto. Colonie e municipi nello Stato romano Ed. di Storia e Letteratura. Roma, 2007 ISBN 8884983509
- Mommsen, Theodore. The Provinces of the Roman Empire Section: Roman Africa. (Leipzig 1865; London 1866; London: Macmillan 1909; reprint New York 1996) Barnes & Noble. New York, 1996
- Smyth Vereker, Charles. Scenes in the Sunny South: Including the Atlas Mountains and the Oases of the Sahara in Algeria. Volume 2. Publisher Longmans, Green, and Company. University of Wisconsin. Madison,1871 (Roman Hippo Regius)
External links
- GigaCatholic, with residential episcopal incumbents biography links Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine
Hippo Regius also known as Hippo or Hippone is the ancient name of the modern city of Annaba Algeria It served as an important city for the Phoenicians Berbers Romans and Vandals Hippo was the capital city of the Vandal Kingdom from AD 435 to 439 when it was shifted to Carthage following the Vandal capture of Carthage in 439 Hippo RegiusSaint Augustin Basilica overlooking the ruins of Hippo RegiusShown within AlgeriaLocationAlgeriaRegionAnnaba ProvinceCoordinates36 52 57 N 07 45 00 E 36 88250 N 7 75000 E 36 88250 7 75000This article contains Phoenician characters Without proper rendering support you may see question marks empty boxes or other symbols instead of the intended characters It was the focus of several early Christian councils and home to Augustine of Hippo a Church Father highly important in Western Christianity HistoryHippo Regius on the map of Roman Numidia Atlas Antiquus H Kiepert 1869 Hippo is the latinization of ʿpwn Punic 𐤏𐤐𐤅 𐤍 probably related to the word ubon meaning harbor The town was first settled by Phoenicians from Tyre around the 12th century BC To distinguish it from Hippo Diarrhytus the modern Bizerte in Tunisia the Romans later referred to it as Hippo Regius the Royal Hippo because it was one of the residences of the Numidian kings Its nearby river was Latinized as the Ubus and the bay to its east was known as Hippo Bay Latin Hipponensis Sinus A maritime city near the mouth of the river Ubus it became a Roman colonia which prospered and became a major city in Roman Africa It served as the bishopric of Saint Augustine of Hippo in his later years In AD 430 the Vandals advanced eastwards along the North African coast and laid siege to the walled city of Hippo Regius citation needed Inside Saint Augustine and his priests prayed for relief from the invaders knowing full well that the fall of the city would spell death or conversion to the Arian confession for much of the Christian population On 28 August 430 three months into the siege St Augustine who was 75 years old died perhaps from starvation or stress as the wheat fields outside the city lay dormant and unharvested After 14 months hunger and the inevitable diseases were ravaging both the city inhabitants and the Vandals outside the city walls The city fell to the Vandals and King Geiseric made it the first capital of the Vandal Kingdom until the capture of Carthage in 439 It was conquered by the Eastern Roman Empire in 534 and was kept under Roman rule until 698 when it fell to the Muslims the Arabs rebuilt the town in the eighth century The city s later history is treated under its modern Arabic and colonial names About three kilometres distant in the eleventh century the Berber Zirids established the town of Beleb el Anab which the Spaniards occupied for some years in the sixteenth century as the French did later in the reign of Louis XIV France took this town again in 1832 It was renamed Bone or Bona and became one of the government centres for the Constantine departement in Algeria It had 37 000 inhabitants of whom 10 800 were original inhabitants consisting of 9 400 Muslims and 1 400 naturalized Jews 15 700 were French and 10 500 foreigners including many Italians Ecclesiastical historyHippo was an ancient bishopric one of many suffragans in the former Roman province of Numidia a part of the residential see of Constantine It contains some ancient ruins a hospital built by the Little Sisters of the Poor and a fine basilica dedicated to St Augustine Under St Augustine there were at least three monasteries in the diocese besides the episcopal monastery The diocese was established around 250 AD Only these six bishops of Hippo are known Saint Theogenes 256 martyr 259 Saint Leontius died 303 Fidentius martyr 304 Valerius 388 396 who ordained St Augustine the Doctor of Grace Saint Augustine 354 28 August 430 coadjutor in 395 bishop in 396 Heraclius coadjutor in 426 bishop in 430 It was suppressed around 450 AD Council of Hippo Three church councils were held at Hippo 393 394 426 and more synods also in 397 two sessions June and September and 401 all under Aurelius The synods of the Ancient North African church were held with but few exceptions e g Hippo 393 Milevum 402 at Carthage We know from the letters of Saint Cyprian that except in time of persecution the African bishops met at least once a year in the springtime and sometimes again in the autumn Six or seven synods for instance were held under St Cyprian s presidency during the decade of his administration 249 258 and more than fifteen under Aurelius 391 429 The Synod of Hippo of 393 ordered a general meeting yearly but this was found too onerous for the bishops and in the Synod of Carthage 407 it was decided to hold a general synod only when necessary for the needs of all Africa and it was to be held at a place most convenient for the purpose Not all the bishops of the country were required to assist at the general synod At the Synod of Hippo 393 it was ordered that dignities should be sent from each ecclesiastical province Only one was required from Tripoli in Libya because of the poverty of the bishops of that province At the Synod of Hippo 393 and again at the Synod of 397 at Carthage a list of the books of Holy Scripture was drawn up and these books are still regarded as the constituents of the Catholic canon Titular episcopal see The Hippo ne diocese was nominally revived in 1400 as Catholic Latin titular bishopric of the lowest episcopal rank for which no incumbent is recorded It ceased to exist on 23 September 1867 when the see was formally united with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Constantine See alsoAncient Rome portalAuzia Caesarea of Mauretania Cirta Chullu Mauretania Caesariensis Milevum List of cultural assets of AlgeriaNotes A Berber born in 354 at Thagaste now Souk Ahras in Africa he died as Bishop of Hippo later Bone now Annaba in 430 while the Vandals were besieging the town Braudel 1995 p 335ReferencesMerrills amp Miles 2009 Head et al 1911 p 886 Ghaki 2015 p 66 Brown 2013 p 326 Petrides 1910 Portalie 1907 Merrills amp Miles 2009 p 60 Tabbernee 2014 Havey 1907 SourcesBraudel Fernand 1995 A History of Civilizations Penguin ISBN 978 0 14 012489 7 Brown Peter 2013 Through the Eye of a Needle Wealth the Fall of Rome and the Making of Christianity in the West 350 550 AD Princeton Princeton University Press ISBN 978 1400844531 Ghaki Mansour 2015 Toponymie et Onomastique Libyques L Apport de l Ecriture Punique Neopunique PDF La Lingua nella Vita e la Vita della Lingua Itinerari e Percorsi degli Studi Berberi Studi Africanistici Quaderni di Studi Berberi e Libico Berberi in French vol 4 Naples Unior pp 65 71 ISBN 978 88 6719 125 3 ISSN 2283 5636 archived from the original PDF on 2020 04 28 retrieved 2018 11 02 Havey Francis Patrick 1907 African Synods In Herbermann Charles ed Catholic Encyclopedia Vol 1 New York Robert Appleton Company Head Barclay Hill G F MacDonald George Wroth W 1911 Numidia in Ed Snible ed Historia Numorum 2nd ed Oxford Clarendon Press pp 884 887 Merrills Andrew Miles Richard 2009 The Vandals John Wiley amp Sons ISBN 978 1 4443 1808 1 Petrides Sophron 1910 Hippo Regius In Herbermann Charles ed Catholic Encyclopedia Vol 7 New York Robert Appleton Company Portalie Eugene 1907 St Augustine of Hippo In Herbermann Charles ed Catholic Encyclopedia Vol 2 New York Robert Appleton Company Tabbernee William ed 2014 Early Christianity in Contexts An Exploration across Cultures and Continents Baker Academic ISBN 9781441245717 Further reading Laffi Umberto Colonie e municipi nello Stato romano Ed di Storia e Letteratura Roma 2007 ISBN 8884983509 Mommsen Theodore The Provinces of the Roman Empire Section Roman Africa Leipzig 1865 London 1866 London Macmillan 1909 reprint New York 1996 Barnes amp Noble New York 1996 Smyth Vereker Charles Scenes in the Sunny South Including the Atlas Mountains and the Oases of the Sahara in Algeria Volume 2 Publisher Longmans Green and Company University of Wisconsin Madison 1871 Roman Hippo Regius External linksGigaCatholic with residential episcopal incumbents biography links Archived 2016 03 04 at the Wayback Machine
