Dr. Moheddine Chaouali
September 2021 - October 2021
Research Project: New perspectives on the episcopate of African cities during Late Antiquity.
The aim of this research is to highlight one aspect of Christianity in two african late antique cities : Bulla Regia ans Mustis, the episcopate. In general, in theses cities, research on late antiquity did not attract much scholars and archaelogists. Thanks to the fieldwork that I carried out in these recent years, I discovered new and very interesting documents.
Concerning Bulla Regia, the research is based on data provided by two new Christian epitaphs of two new bishops and some archaeological data from the excavations of the year 2010. The epitaphs make it possible to enrich the list of the bishops of the city. Their graves were respectively discovered in two different places in the new “Christian Quarter”. All the data reveal new relationships between bishops and the rest of the Christian community and between bishops and cities of late antiquity.
Concerning Mustis, the research is based on data from two new epitaphs recently discovered in the site. Unfortunately, a lot of data has been lost because the epitaphs are not discovered in archaeological contexts. In spite of everything, the epitaphs make it possible to enrich the list of the bishops of the city and to know a function rarely attested in the ecclesiastical hierarchy in African cities.
All the informations from the new documents from Bulla Regia and Mustis make it possible to reconsider the role of the bishop in the city and his relationships with the faithful Christians.
Profile
Dr. Moheddine Chaouali is a researcher in the National Institute of Heritage in Tunis (Tunisia) and Inspector of the north west Tunisian heritage. Currently he is a Research Fellow at the RomanIslam - Center for Comparative Empire and Transcultural Studies of the Universität Hamburg. He has published several articles and chapters in Tunisian and international journals. His publications are about Roman and late antique archaelogy, epigraphy and history of the north west of Tunisia. He is a co-Director of international projects in archaelogical sites like Bulla Regia, Simitthus, Numluli… He is currently preparing the results of the Tunisian-English excavations of the new church in Bulla Regia and the Tunisian-German excavation of the imperial cult tempel in Simitthus.
CV
Relevant Publications
Chaouali, Moheddine (2021), "La restauration du temple de Silvain à Alma (Henchir el Hkima) dans la pertica Carthaginensium (d'après une nouvelle dédicace)", in L. A. Abid / F. Prados Martínez / M. Grira, eds., De Carthage à Carthagène. Bâtir en Afrique et en Ibérie durant l'Antiquité (Collección Petracos 4), Alicante: Publicaciones INAPH, p. 525-533.
Chaouali, Moheddine (2020), "Les évêques Armonius et Procesius dans le nouveau quartier chrétien périphérique de Bulla Regia (Tunisie)", in R. Bockmann / A. Leone / P. von Rummel, eds., Africa- Ifriqiya. Continuity and Change in North Africa from the Byzantine to the Early Islamic Age: papers of a conference held in Rome, Museo Nazionale Romano - Terme di Diocleziano, 28 February - 2 March 2013 (Palilia 34), Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 173-183.
Chaouali, Moheddine / Ardeleanu, Stefan / Eck, Werner / von Rummel, Philipp (2019a), "Die frühkaiserzeitlichen Grabsteine aus Simitthus (Chimtou). Stilistischepigraphische. Analyse und urbaner Kontext", Archäologischer Anzeiger 1, 276-323.
Chaouali, Moheddine (2019b), "Deux hommages en l’honneur de deux chevaliers en Afrique Proconsulaire : Caecilius Secundus et L. Sempronius Ianuarius", Antiquités Africaines 55, 139-150.
Chaouali, Moheddine (2019c), "Le culte de Saturne à Thuccabori (Touccabeur) dans la vallée de l’oued Tine (Tunisie)", in M. Riadh Hamrouni / A. el Bahi, eds., Villes et archéologie urbaine au Maghreb et en Méditerranée. Actes du VIIème Colloque International du Département d’Archéologie - Université de Kairouan, F. L. S. H. Monastir 10, 11 et 13 avril 2018, Tunis, 151-162.
Chaouali, Moheddine / Fenwick, Corisande / Booms, Dirk (2018), "Bulla Regia I, a new church and christian cemetery", Libyan Studies 49, 187–197.
Chaouali, Moheddine (2017a), "Un autel à Neptuno et Nimphis dans la ciuitas sufétale de Thabbora (Pertica Carthaginensium)", Cahiers du Centre Gustave Glotz 28, 95-106.
Chaouali, Moheddine (2017b), "Pre-islamic archaelogy in Tunisia : the stakes of a colonial science", Memories of the American Academy in Rome 62, 193-208.
Chaouali, Moheddine (2017c),"Le culte de Mars Auguste à Mustis et Simitthus (Tunisie)", Mélanges de l’Ecole française de Rome (Antiquité) 129/2, 569-581.
Chaouali, Moheddine (2014), "Une épitaphe de Mustis sur l’administration des domaines impériaux en Afrique du Nord au début du IIe siècle ap. J.-C.", Cahiers du Centre Gustave Glotz 24, 81-88.
