Timici was a Phoenician, Numidian, and Roman town located in present-day Ain Matboul, Algeria1 (between Sidi M'hamed Ben Ali and Taougrit).
| Timici | |
|---|---|
![]() Timici ruins | |
| Location | Aïn Metboul, Sidi M'hamed Ben Ali |
| History | |
| Built | 4th century BC |
| Demolished | 6th century |
| Site notes | |
| Height | 500 |
Architectural styles | Punic and Roman |
| Restored | 1st century |
Name

Timici is a Latinization of the town's Punic name 𐤕𐤌𐤊𐤉 (tmky).12
Timici means fire in Tamazight.
History
Timici minted its own bronze coins with Punic legends.2
Under the Romans, Timici was a native town (civitas) in the province of Mauretania Caesariensis.3
The town was previously identified with the ruins at Aïn Témouchent,4 which were actually the remnants of Roman Albulae.
Religion
Timici was the seat of a Christian bishop in antiquity. Three of them appear in the surviving historical record. The title fell into abeyance during the Islamic conquest of the Maghreb but was revived as a Roman Catholic titular see (Latin: Dioecesis Timicitana) in the 20th century.56
List of bishops
- Vitorre a Catholic bishop who represented the town at the Council of Carthage (411), which heard the dispute between Catholic and Donatists.
- The Donatist Optato was Vittores' counterpart at the conference.
- Honorius participated in the synod assembled in Carthage in 484 by King Huneric of the Vandal Kingdom, after the synod Honorius was exiled.
- Fernando Ariztía Ruiz (1967–1976)
- Ramón Darío Molina Jaramillo (1977–1984)
- Toribio Ticona Porco (1986–1992)
- Francisco Cases Andreu (1994–1996)
- John Forrosuelo Du (1997–2001)7
- Donald George Sproxton (2001–current), Perth's auxiliary bishop.8
References
References
Citations
- Filigheddu (2006), pp. 218–219.
- Head & al. (1911), p. 890.
- Timici at gcatholic.org.
- Fey, Henri Léon (1859), "Timici Colonia (Aïn-Temouchent de l'Ouest)", Revue Africaine, vol. 18, pp. 420–435, including "Plan de Timici Colonia (Aïn Temouchent)". (in French)
- Pius Bonifacius Gams, Series episcoporum Ecclesiae Catholicae, Leipzig, (1931), p. 469.
- Stefano Antonio Morcelli, Africa christiana, Volume I, (Brescia, 1816), p. 325.
- Timici at gcatholic.org.
- Entry titolare at catholic-hierarchy.org.
Works cited
- Filigheddu, Paolo (2007), "Die Ortsnamen des Mittelmeerraums in der Phönizischen und Punischen Überlieferung", Ugarit-Forschungen: Internationales Jahrbuch für die Altertumskunde Syrien-Palästinas, vol. 38 2006, Munster: Ugarit Verlag, pp. 149–266. (in German)
- Head, Barclay; et al. (1911), "Mauretania", Historia Numorum (2nd ed.), Oxford: Clarendon Press, pp. 887–890.
