Warfare, Communities, and Landscapes in Late Antique North Africa

doi:10.1017/9781009603638.010

Chapter 6 - Warfare, Communities, and Landscapes in Late Antique North Africa

from Part II - War and Agency

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 09 January 2026

Tommaso Giuliodoro and

Anna Leone

Edited by

Susanna Elm and

Kristina Sessa

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Susanna Elm: Affiliation:
University of California, Berkeley
Kristina Sessa: Affiliation:
Ohio State University

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Summary

This chapter explores the impact of warfare on North African communities and their built environment during Late Antiquity (fourth to sixth century). While the political upheavals, internal conflicts, and the invasions that shaped the region during this period have been extensively studied, the local effects and responses to these challenges remain underexplored. Drawing on selected case studies, this work combines archaeological and textual evidence to examine and compare the actions taken by local communities and their rulers – the Western Roman Empire, the Vandal Kingdom, and the Eastern Roman Empire – in response to ongoing conflict. From the centenaria of Tripolitania and the fortified estates of Byzacena and Proconsularis to the fortifications built under Justinian’s regime and its successors, this chapter highlights the role of warfare and its consequences in reshaping the provincial landscapes of North Africa, offering new insights into the region’s social and physical transformation during this period.

Keywords

late antique North Africa changing landscapes Byzantine fortifications centenaria community response warfare

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Information: War and Community in Late Antiquity , pp. 151 - 179

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009603638.010 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2026

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