Final Project, Written Portion

The modern state of Algeria is a nation on the continent of Africa and contains within it a diverse range of people, places, and events in history.  This work will focus on the explaining the geography, the non-written sources, religion, natural resources, first contact, missions, and change in politics and national identity in Algeria.

            Algeria is unique in that it borders the Mediterranean

Sea, but also contains within it a large portion of the Sahara desert. Because of this, Algeria is one of the largest states in Africa with 919,600 square miles.[1] Approximately 40 percent of the population lives within four cities located on the coastal regions.[2] Toward the coast, the weather consists of a temperate climate conducive to agriculture. Father south, the Sahara Desert is the biggest land obstacle to the rest of the continent. Further, the Tell Mountains are an important geographic location in the North. There is little area for agricultural endeavors due to the massive size of the Sahara Desert, but the coastal areas are conducive to olives and grapes and other produce. In all, Algeria has four different climate zones: coastal region, inland hills and plains, continental climate of high plateaus, and the desert climate of the Sahara.

            The non-written sources of Algeria come largely from the Roman Empire, although there is evidence of cave paintings from pre-history Algeria. James Nickerson says, “ "From the point of view of the historian these paintings... are of the utmost value, illuminating the past of the Sahara and going one step further towards the elucidation of the mystery of when, if not why, the region changed from fertility to the sterile sands which have been known through all recorded time"[3] (Nickerson, 6-7). There are numerous Roman era statues found in Algeria that speak to the influence of Rome.[4] There is a sarcophagus depicting the seven miracles of Jesus composed of marble, which demonstrates Algeria’s heavy dependence on the Christian faith early in its history.[5] Further, there are many Islamic artifacts that speak to the influence of Islam in later centuries.

            The religious beliefs of Algeria are split. In pre-history, Algeria was probably pagan.[6] During the age of Constantine and the Christian Roman Emperors, Algeria was a Christian nation. The famed Augustine of Hippo was from North Africa where modern day Algeria now sits. It would continue to be a center for Christianity into the 5^th, 6^th, and 7^th centuries. In the latter 7th century, Islam would have a huge influence and would eventually become the dominant religious beliefs. Islam was a religious belief that was perpetuated by Muslim traders and Bedouin traders from Saudi Arabia. During the 7^th century, these traders found themselves spreading religious beliefs as far away as the Sahara Desert and thus the Islamic religious took strong root in Algeria. Islamic kingdoms have dominated the coastal areas ever since.

            Being located on a major desert, Algeria is not an agriculturally powerhouse, but it does possess some economic advantages. For example, Algeria’s relative position to Europe makes it ideal to selling its massive oil reserves.[7] In addition, Algeria has a vast amount of mineral deposits that make it a rich target for European nations as well.

            The first contact between Algeria and western powers was during the Roman era as well. Carthage was a city that threatened the trading prospects of Rome. One of the first interactions between the two states was a treaty regarding trade.[8] Later in the century, Rome was so threatened it risked a war with the civilization. During the “Punic Wars,” Rome went to battle with Algeria in an offensive that would last for decades in three separate wars. During the First Punic War, Rome made Carthage a tribute state in a victory. The Second saw Hannibal almost reach Rome on his famed ascension of the Alps on the backs of elephants. The Third war was Carthage destroyed and the Carthaginians put under the solid dominion of the republic. Later in Algeria’s history, the Berber’s were an Islamic kingdom that dealt in dubious practices of piracy. Pirates would raid European and American ships heading into the Mediterranean and demanded tribute from them. This sparked the Barbary Pirate Wars with the budding United States at the beginning of the 19^th century.

            Christian missionaries were present in Algeria long ago during the Roman era as well. These missionaries were there to spread the Gospel and Carthage soon became a center for Christianity. In later years, the Muslims dominated and largely suppressed evangelical mission efforts.

            The changes in the political arena for Algeria are massive. Algeria eventually became a French colony and served the French well for many of years. During the aftermath of World War II, Charles de Gaulle was the leader of the French. He wanted to release Algiers from French domination, but quickly rescinded. Instead, a war broke out.[9] The war saw a massive Islamic army face off against the French.. It was largely characterized by guerilla warfare. In the end, de Gaulle capitulated and Algeria became a nation in 1962.[10]

            Today, Algeria is a country that is still trying to find its identity.  Since their independence, they have faltered in a few ways, particularly regarding Islamic extremism. From 1991-2002, the country was embroiled in a civil war concerning radical Islamic groups. It has stabilized since then and now has a booming tourism economy. With Europe at its doorstep, it is an important trading partner with European powers and is gaining in prestige in the modern world.

Bibliography

Basset, Rene. Moorish Literature. New York, NY: P.F. Collier & Son, 1901.

Boissier, Gaston. Roman Africa: Archaeological Walks in Algeria and Tunis. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1899. Accessed September 9, 2016. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015002137746;view=1up;seq=7.

Evans, Martin. Algeria: France's Undeclared War (Making of the Modern World). New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.

Garland, Robert. Wandering Greeks: The Ancient Greek Diaspora from the Age of Homer to the Death of Alexander the Great. Princeton: US: Princeton University Press, 2014.

National Museum of Antiquities. “National Museum of Antiquities.” Accessed September 9, 2016.http://www.musee-antiquites.art.dz/?action=accueil&lang=fr.

Nickerson, James. Africa: From Pre-Roman Times to the Present. New York: Devin-Adair Company, 1961. Accessed September 9, 2016. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015008918313;view=1up;seq=10.

Nyrop, Richard. Area Handbook for Algeria. Washington D.C.: US Government Printing Office, 1972. Accessed September 2, 2016. http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&u=vic_liberty&id=GALE|A119451344&v=2.1&it=r&sid=summon&userGroup=vic_liberty&authCount=1#.

Saad, Mohammed A., and Margaret Majumdar. Transition and Development in Algeria. Bristol: Intellect Ltd., 2012.

Sueur, James D. Le. Uncivil War: Intellectuals and Identity Politics During the Decolonization of Algeria by James D. Le Sueur (2005-12-01). University of Nebraska Press, 1524.

The World Almanac and Book of Facts. New York City: World Almanac Books, 2004. Accessed September 2, 2016.http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&u=vic_liberty&id=GALE|A119451344&v=2.1&it=r&sid=summon&userGroup=vic_liberty&authCount=1#.

---

[1] The World Almanac and Book of Facts (New York City: World Almanac Books, 2004), under “Algeria,” accessed October 22, 2016, http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&u=vic_liberty&id=GALE|A119451344&v=2.1&it=r&sid=summon&userGroup=vic_liberty&authCount=1#..

[2] Richard Nyrop, Area Handbook for Algeria (Washington D.C.: US Government Printing Office, 1972), 83.

[3] James Nickerson, Africa: From Pre-Roman Times to the Present (New York: Devin-Adair Company, 1961), 6-7, accessed September 9, 2016. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015008918313;view=1up;seq=10.

[4] Gaston Boisser, Africa: Archaeological Walks in Algeria and Tunis (New YorkL G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1899), 33-34, accessed September 9, 2016. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015002137746;view=1up;seq=7.

[5] National Museum of Antiquities. “National Museum of Antiquities.” Accessed September 9, 2016. http://www.musee-antiquites.art.dz/?action=accueil&lang=fr.

[6] Rene Basset, Moorish Literature (New York: P.F. Collier & Son, 1901), xvi-xvii.

[7] Mohammed Saad and Margaret Majumdar, Transition and Development in Algeria (Bristol: Intellect Ltd., 2012), under “chapter 12.”

[8] Robert Garland, Wandering Greeks: The Ancient Greek Diaspora from the Age of Homer to the Death of Alexander the Great (Princeton, Princeton University Press, 2014), 43.

[9] Martin Evans, Algeria: France's Undeclared War (Making of the Modern World) (New York: Oxford University Press, 2013), 261.

[10] James D. Le Sueur, Uncivil War: Intellectuals and Identity Politics During the Decolonization of Algeria by James D. Le Sueur (2005-12-01) (University of Nebraska Press, 1524), 256.

First Contact

The coast of North Africa, particularly where modern day Algeria is, was the obsession with early antiquity. The coast of North Africa was a hot spot for agriculture. Further, the Carthaginian civilization was booming in Carthage and threatened Roman interests in the island of Sicily. These factors set up the first contact between the Western world and North Africa.

Possibly the very first contacts between the Western world and North Africa are lost to history. There is evidence of a possible settlement in Cyrene which is from Greek origin: "A fourth-century inscription relating to the establishment of the settlement at Cyrene in North Africa, which allegedly preserves the original wording of an original decree of the seventh century, required one of every two brothers to relocate from Thera to the new foundation..." (Garland, 43). However, the true lasting contact between North Africa and the Western world was with the great Roman Republic.

Before the First Punic Wars, Rome signed three treaties with the Carthaginians which proved to be the first lasting contact with the Romans. The main contention with which the treaties were concerned with had to do with trade: "So the treaty of 508 BC was precisely drawn up to delimit the sphere of commercial activities of the Romans, who were excluded from trading along the African coast west of Carthage" (Fields, 58-59). The Carthaginians were then a powerful entity on the Mediterranean and tried to exercise economic control over the budding Roman Republic. These treaties were some of the first interactions between the two nations.

The influence of these first talks were dramatic. Eventually, the trading disputes continued to blow up. This would go on to a series of wars called the "Punic Wars" which saw the Romans flex their international muscle and military prestige. The First Punic War was merely a prolonged warning using military force; the second was much more dramatic. The Carthaginian General Hannibal gathered a force that threatened Rome herself. He was defeated. During the Third Punic War, Rome sieged Carthage itself and saw her destruction. From then on, Carthage, and North Africa, was a colony of Rome.

Bibliography

Garland, Robert. Wandering Greeks : The Ancient Greek Diaspora from the Age of Homer to the Death of Alexander the Great. Princeton, US: Princeton University Press, 2014. Accessed October 6, 2016. ProQuest ebrary.

Fields, Nic. Roman Conquests : North Africa. Barnsley, US: Pen and Sword, 2011. Accessed October 6, 2016. ProQuest ebrary.