Milevum

Milevum was a Roman-Berber city in the Roman province of Numidia. It was located in present-day Mila in eastern Algeria.

History

In Ptolemy's "Geography", the city is mentioned under the name of Mileum. During the Roman era, it was called Colonia Sarnensis Milevitana, after the River Sarnus in Campania, whence the colonists had emigrated. This name is often found in the inscriptions of the city.
Together with Cirta, Collo and Rusicade, Milevum formed the Confederation known as the 'Four Colonies', the territory of which was very extensive. This confederation area was fully romanised in the fourth century, with nearly all the population speaking local Latin, according to historian Theodor Mommsen.
In the fourth century's second half Milevum was fully Christian and had a population of nearly 15000 inhabitants.
In the 6th century, the Byzantine Emperor Justinian had Milevum enclosed by a fortified wall, which still stands and forms a rampart for the Muslim city of Mila. It has yielded quite a number of Latin inscriptions from this city and a colossal statue of Saturn.
Christianity appeared in the second century and dominated Miletum in the fourth century.
Two church councils were held at Milevum, one in 402 AD and the other in 416 AD. The second appealed to Pope Innocent I for repression of the Pelagian heresy.
After 682 AD the city may have been conquered by the Umayyad Arabs commanded by Abu al-Muhajir Dinar and since then Milevum disappeared from History.

The city was the center of a small bishopric. Among the bishops of this episcopal see were:

Pollianus, present at the Council of Carthage (255) and martyred two years later;
Optatus, noted for his work against the Donatists, who died in about 385 AD and who is commemorated on 4 June;
Honorius;
Severus, fellow-countryman and friend of Augustine of Hippo;
Benenanus ; and Restitutus, who attended the Fifth Œcumenical Council in 553 AD.

[file:Charles Lavigne.png|thumb|right|Charles Lavigne Bishop of Milevum]
Milevum remains today a titular see in the ecclesiastical province of Numidia.