UNESCO Ancient Civilizations of Africa (Editor G. Mokhtar)

Ancient Civilizations of Africa
question, which involves more especially a survey of the Donatist schism
and, of course, of Christian literature from Tertullian to Saint Augustine,
whose personality and work were the last brilliant product of the Roman
way of life in Africa. The West is indebted to him for preserving and
handing down the heritage of Latin culture, as Christianity throughout
the ages has been for the legacy of his doctrine, whose richness has seldom
been paralleled.
African culture
After being long neglected by writers of Roman history, the art of the
provinces and outlying cultures have now become the centre of attention.
This is due to a clearer understanding of the limits of romanization and
the different forms it took in its contacts with indigenous societies.
Furthermore, there is no denying the truth that the art of a given province
cannot be dissociated from its economic, social and religious life. In this
connection, it became necessary, in order to study and appreciate the art
developed in the African provinces under Roman rule, to take account
of the enduring Libyco-Punic substratum which, moreover, continued
to follow its own pattern of life and evolution for centuries.
There can be no question of dealing here with the complex problems
which are being tackled mainly by archaeologists. We need only refer the
reader to G. Charles-Picard's book entitled La Civilisation de l'Afrique
romaine, which devotes an important chapter to African literature and art.
We shall merely draw attention to a few points. The firstis that this
African culture is not indebted solely to the Phoenicians and Carthaginians
for its early inspiration. When sea-faring peoples of the east began
to frequent the coasts of Africa at the beginning of the first millennium
before our era the country had already been penetrated, through contacts
with the Mediterranean islands, by various techniques such as the one
which gave rise to the painted pottery known as Kabyle or Berber. The
existence at that time of sedentary populations ready to accept the rudiments
of an urban form of civilization has now been demonstrated by the
Algerian-Tunisian dolmens and the haounets of northern Tunisia, as well
as by the objects found in the funeral monuments excavated in north-west
Morocco. 41 Later the Phoenician and Punic culture, mixed with Egyptian
and Oriental elements, and impregnated with hellenistic influences after
the fourth century before our era, was adopted and adapted by the native
population before, but mainly after, the destruction of Carthage. Lastly, the
Italo-Roman contributions, being more significant and more directly
imposed, inevitably generated hybrid varieties which are often difficult to
41. Recent work has completely transformed traditional views. See, for example,
G. Camps, 1960b and 1961, E. G. Gobert, pp. 1-44; J. Tixeront, pp. 1-50; P. A. Février,
1967, pp. 107-23.
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