Mactaris, Titular See of

Mactaris

A titular see of the Byzantine Empire. This town is not spoken of by any ancient geographers; the "Notitia Africæ" mentions it among the towns of the Byzantine Empire. It is now the village of Mactar, headquarters of the civil administration between Kairouan and the Kef, in Tunisia, situated 950 metres above the sea-level, in a well-watered region. Punic civilization long flourished here, as is attested by several interesting inscriptions. It was counted a Roman town until the year 170 at least, having become a colony during the last years of Marcus Aurelius, under the name of Ælia Aurelia Mactaris, as we see from other Latin inscriptions. In the vicinity of Mactaris a number of enormous dolmens may be seen. The remains of the Roman city are very important; among them are two triumphal arches, an amphitheatre, public baths, a temple, an aqueduct, tombs, etc. The ruins of a basilica have furnished several Christian epitaphs, among others those of two bishops. There has also been found an altar covering the remains of two martyrs, one of whom was named Felix. Six bishops are known, from 255 to the sixth century, among them Victor, a contemporary of Cassiodorus, who tells us that this Victor revised the books of Cassian.

TOULOTTE, Géographie de l'Afrique chrétienne, Byzacène et Tripolitaine (Montreuil-sur-Mer 1894), 127-133.

S. PÉTRIDÈS.