﻿LAND 
  USE 
  — 
  LOWDERMILK 
  419 
  

  

  The 
  recent 
  movement 
  of 
  Jewish 
  colonization 
  to 
  redeem 
  the 
  wasted 
  

   lands 
  of 
  Palestine 
  is 
  an 
  excellent 
  example 
  of 
  what 
  can 
  be 
  done, 
  but 
  

   at 
  great 
  cost. 
  (PI. 
  1, 
  fig. 
  4.) 
  Works 
  of 
  reclamation 
  of 
  swamps 
  and 
  

   of 
  reforestation 
  of 
  barren 
  rocky 
  slopes 
  cost 
  more 
  than 
  can 
  be 
  justified 
  

   as 
  commercial 
  investments 
  in 
  land. 
  The 
  insidious 
  nature 
  of 
  erosion 
  

   is 
  here 
  made 
  apparent. 
  It 
  reaches 
  a 
  point 
  where 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  

   lands 
  will 
  not 
  justify 
  their 
  restoration 
  as 
  an 
  investment 
  for 
  profit. 
  

   This 
  work 
  can 
  be 
  justified 
  only 
  on 
  the 
  basis 
  of 
  survival 
  of 
  a 
  people. 
  

   Such 
  expenditures 
  fall 
  into 
  the 
  category 
  of 
  national 
  defense 
  against 
  

   a 
  ruthless 
  invader 
  or 
  destroyer; 
  for 
  land 
  is 
  the 
  basis 
  of 
  life 
  of 
  a 
  

  

  people. 
  

  

  ROMAN 
  AFRICA 
  

  

  North 
  Africa 
  bristles 
  with 
  astounding 
  ruins 
  of 
  opulent 
  and 
  popu- 
  

   lous 
  cities 
  and 
  of 
  thousands 
  of 
  villages 
  and 
  works 
  of 
  the 
  Koman 
  epoch. 
  

   (PI. 
  2, 
  figs. 
  4 
  and 
  6.) 
  A 
  century 
  or 
  more 
  after 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  

   Carthage 
  by 
  Scipio 
  in 
  146 
  B. 
  C. 
  Kome 
  began 
  to 
  colonize 
  North 
  

   Africa 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  time 
  established 
  several 
  important 
  and 
  

   stately 
  cities 
  at 
  the 
  sites 
  now 
  known 
  as 
  Timgad, 
  Sbeitla, 
  Tebessa, 
  

   Jemila, 
  El 
  Jem, 
  and 
  Lambesis. 
  These 
  cities 
  were 
  established 
  at 
  cross- 
  

   roads 
  and 
  along 
  the 
  southern 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  agricultural 
  region, 
  

   devoted 
  principally 
  to 
  the 
  growing 
  of 
  grain 
  and 
  olives. 
  

  

  The 
  Koman 
  city 
  of 
  Thydrus, 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  site 
  of 
  El 
  Jem, 
  was 
  

   located 
  in 
  the 
  midst 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  coastal 
  plain 
  of 
  Tunisia. 
  The 
  most 
  

   conspicuous 
  remnant 
  here 
  is 
  the 
  ruin 
  of 
  a 
  great 
  coliseum 
  to 
  seat 
  

   60,000 
  spectators, 
  which 
  was 
  second 
  in 
  size 
  only 
  to 
  that 
  at 
  Rome. 
  

   (PI. 
  2, 
  fig. 
  5.) 
  Now 
  a 
  wretched 
  village 
  stands 
  on 
  the 
  site 
  of 
  this 
  

   great 
  Roman 
  city. 
  This 
  center 
  was 
  supported 
  by 
  intensive 
  agricul- 
  

   ture 
  of 
  grain 
  fields 
  and 
  olive 
  orchards; 
  now 
  this 
  plain 
  is 
  sparsely 
  

   covered 
  with 
  wild 
  vegetation 
  and 
  isolated 
  groves 
  of 
  olives 
  overrun 
  

   by 
  herds 
  of 
  grazing 
  animals. 
  

  

  The 
  Roman 
  city 
  of 
  Thamugadi, 
  at 
  the 
  site 
  called 
  Timgad 
  in 
  Al- 
  

   geria, 
  was 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  famous 
  centers 
  of 
  Roman 
  power 
  and 
  cul- 
  

   ture. 
  It 
  was 
  established 
  by 
  Emperor 
  Trajan 
  about 
  A. 
  D. 
  100 
  and 
  was 
  

   laid 
  out 
  in 
  symmetrical 
  pattern, 
  equipped 
  with 
  a 
  magnificent 
  forum 
  

   embellished 
  with 
  statuary 
  and 
  carved 
  porticoes, 
  with 
  a 
  public 
  library, 
  

   with 
  17 
  Roman 
  baths 
  adorned 
  with 
  beautiful 
  mosaic 
  floors, 
  with 
  a 
  

   theater 
  to 
  seat 
  some 
  2,500 
  and 
  with 
  marble 
  flush 
  latrines. 
  Timgad 
  

   was 
  a 
  stately 
  city 
  supported 
  by 
  extensive 
  grain 
  fields 
  in 
  the 
  valley 
  

   plains 
  and 
  olive 
  orchards 
  on 
  the 
  hills. 
  

  

  After 
  the 
  weakening 
  of 
  the 
  Roman 
  power 
  by 
  the 
  Vandal 
  invasion 
  

   in 
  A. 
  D. 
  430 
  the 
  Berbers 
  captured 
  the 
  city, 
  and 
  after 
  the 
  Arab 
  in- 
  

   vasion 
  of 
  the 
  seventh 
  century 
  it 
  was 
  lost 
  to 
  knowledge 
  for 
  1,200 
  years, 
  

   buried 
  by 
  dust, 
  the 
  product 
  of 
  wind 
  erosion- 
  Only 
  a 
  few 
  columns 
  

   and 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  Trajan's 
  arch 
  stood 
  above 
  undulating 
  mounds 
  as 
  

  

  