Tazoult (Lambaesis)

Lambaesis (modern Tazoult) is a Roman archaeological site in northeastern Algeria, 11 km southeast of Batna. Established as the permanent base of Legio III Augusta under Emperor Hadrian around 123-129 AD, it became the military capital of the province of Numidia. The 24-hectare fortress included barracks, an armory, hospital, and principia with a sanctuary for legion standards. Emperor Hadrian personally addressed the troops here in 128 AD. Other remains include an amphitheatre seating 12,000, triumphal arches to Septimius Severus and Commodus, bath complexes, temples including a Mithraeum, and a Byzantine fort built within the amphitheatre ruins around 533-534 AD.