MEDAURA
MEDAURA (Ad Medera, Itin. Anton.; Peut. Tab.; Hygin.
de Lim. p. 163;
Ἀμμαίδαρα al. Ἀμμέδερα,
Ptol. 4.3.30: Eth.
Medaurensis), a town of Numidia, which had originally belonged to the kingdom of Syphax, but was annexed to that of Massinissa at the close of the Second Punic War, and afterwards was colonised by a detachment of Roman veterans, when it attained considerable splendour. Appuleius was born at this place, where his father had been “duumvir,” and calls himself “Seminumida” and “Semigaetulus.” (
Apolog. pp. 443, 444.)
It lay on the road from Lares to Theveste, 48 M. P. from the former and 25 M. P. from the latter.
At a river ARDATIO, which flowed between this place and Theveste, Mazcecel defeated the Moorish chieftain Gildo. (
Oros. 7.36; St. Martin,
Le Beau, Bas Empire, vol. v. p. 161; comp. Gibbon, c. xxix.) Justinian fortified and placed a garrison in this town, which Procopius (
de Aed. 6.6) calls
Αὐμέτερα. It is perhaps a different place from Madaura, to which Augustine was sent to be educated (
Confess. ii. 3).
[
E.B.J]
