Madauros – Roman city in Algeria

Madauros is a former Roman city which remains are not far from the modern Algerian city – M’daourouch. The Roman writer Apuleius was born in this city.

The Ruins of Madauros covers 267 acres; scientists suspect that only 17 acres have been discovered at the moment. The first discovery of the Roman city was made at the beginning of the 20th century.

The paved road and the ancient entrance gate have survived to our times. The city itself has typical Roman buildings: a theatre (stone seats have survived), baths, basilica, mausoleum, statues, etc.

The city of Madauros was founded in the 1st century CE, during the reign of Emperor Nerva. Originally it was a colony – Colonia Flavia Augusta Veteranorum Madaurensium, whose inhabitants were Roman veterans.

The city prospered and became one of the main Roman cities of Numidia. With time, the place where the majority of the population was made up of local Berbers took place. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the city experienced a gradual decline as a result of the Vandal rule in North Africa. The city was temporarily conquered by the Byzantines; it was finally completely deserted before the Arab invasion.