Musti (Tunisia)

Musti or Mustis was a Roman city in northern Tunisia, about eight miles from Dougga. Its ruins are called Mest Henshir.

History

Musti was an important town in the Roman era, located along the Roman road that ran between Carthage and Tebessa. The limits of the town were set in 238 by two triumphal arches, erected on this road which traversed Musti from east to west. Towards the end of 2nd century AD the Roman general Gaius Marius settled his veterans here and at a later time it was elevated to the rank of a municipium by Caesar or by Marcus Aurelius. The ancient Roman town lost its appearance when the Byzantines transformed it into a stronghold during their struggles against the Vandals.

The town has only been partially excavated but nevertheless boasts remains of the forum, the marketplace, several temples, the cisterns, a Byzantine citadel and a number of Roman houses. The town has been partly excavated but a large area is still left to be researched.

Musti was a Roman municipium at an early date, and is mentioned by Ptolemy,^[1] the Itinerarium Antonini, the Peutinger Table, and the Ravenna geographer, Vibius Sequester, who narrates the killing at this place of an enormous serpent by Regulus. The inscriptions call the inhabitants Musticenses or Mustitani; the latter name is also used by Augustine.^[2]

Sights

The triumphal arch located at the entrance of the site is still of unknown attribution. The eastern arch, which was in a very ruined state, was restored in 1967 by the National Institute of Art and Archaeology and the Historical Monuments Service. The nearby Mausoleum of the Julii was also restored at this time. The entire restoration took 17 months to complete.

The entrance of the site opens onto a large paved yard which leads to an attractive gateway. This gate had a covered walkway on the left and on the right. To the sides are the shops of the moneychangers and some bas-reliefs of well wishing genies.

Near the gate are the remains of three temples (to Ceres, Pluto and Apollo). Further on are ruins of a small 4th century Christian church, a basilica with three naves and a raised sacred area (the baptistry). It is adjoined by a large Byzantine fortification.

Ecclesiastical history

Musti was an episcopal see of Proconsular Africa, suffragan of Carthage.

In 411, at the time of the Council of Carthage, Musti had besides two Donatist bishops (Feicianus and Cresconius) two Catholic bishops (Victorianus and Leontius). Antonianus was one of the bishops exiled by Huneric in 482. Musti was then included in Proconsular Numidia. In 646, Bishop Januarius signed the letter of the bishops of Proconsular Africa to Paul, Patriarch of Constantinople, against the Monothelites.^[2]

Musti remains a titular see of the Roman Catholic Church.^[3]

References

1. ^ IV, 3, 33
2. ^ ^{a b} Sophrone Pétridès, The Catholic Encyclopedia 10, 1911
3. ^ http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/d3m70.html

External links

• Lexicorient
• Cassiciaco (Italian)
• Unesco pdf-file (French document)
•  "Musti". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. 1913.