The North African Stones Speak

Paul Lachlan MacKendrick (1914-1998) was a classical scholar from the US. He was Professor of History and Classics at the University of Wisconsin for more than thirty years (1952-1984) and wrote several books about the history of the ancient world:

** The Mute Stones Speak: The Story of Archaeology in Italy (1960, second edition 1984)

** The Greek Stones Speak: The Story of Archaeology in Greek Lands (1962, second edition 1984)

** The Iberian Stones Speak: Archaeology in Spain and Portugal (1969)

** Romans on the Rhine: Archaeology in Germany (1970)

** Roman France (1972)

** The Dacian Stones Speak (hardcover 1975, paperback 2000)

** The North African Stones Speak (hardcover 1980, paperback 2000)

The last book in the series, the one about North Africa, which is under review here, has 434 pages. The main text is divided into five parts (and twelve chapters) about the ancient history of four North African countries. Here is a brief overview:

PART 1

Four chapters cover more than ten sites in Tunisia.

PART 2

Two chapters cover more than ten sites in Libya.

PART 3

Four chapters cover more than ten sites in Algeria.

PART 4

One chapter covers several sites in Morocco.

PART 5

One chapter is titled “The Balance Sheet of Empire.”

At the end of the book we find a long bibliography (divided into twelve sections, one for each chapter) and an index. The text is illustrated by 152 maps, plans, and photos in black-and-white. The author has travelled extensively in the Maghreb on four occasions: 1944, 1966, 1974, and 1975. Many photos are taken by his wife Dorothy, who accompanied him on the last three occasions.

MacKendrick got some good reviews. On the back cover of the dust jacket there are excerpts from two positive reviews of The Dacian Stones Speak from 1975. I understand the positive reviews, but I cannot agree completely with them.

Mackendrick was a pioneer in his field. Since he was able to read German and French as well as Italian, he could read archaeological excavation reports written in these languages and present the results in English. In 1980, when this book appeared, nobody had done this before.

The North African Stones Speak is a monumental work. The number of sites presented is impressive, and some sites are presented with many details. His account includes the famous story of the tunnel that was a part of the aqueduct that transported water to the ancient town Saldae (formerly Bougie, today Bejaia), although he fails to give the name of the Roman engineer: Nonius Datus (pp. 247-248). But not everything in the book is great. There are some flaws:

(1) The structure of the book. The author has two objectives. He wants to present the ancient history of North Africa, which calls for a chronological approach. He also wants to present some of the sites where traces of the ancient culture can still be seen, which calls for a geographical approach. The two methods do not go well together.

Unfortunately, MacKendrick chose a chronological approach, even though his main source (the ancient stones) seems to call for a geographical approach. This is a fatal flaw of this book and of the other books in the series.

If you are looking for background information or if you are an armchair traveller, the book may work quite well. But if you are a traveller who wants to visit some of the ancient sites in North Africa, the book is more difficult to use.

Chapter 5 is good, because it covers several sites in Cyrenaica, the eastern part of Libya, one by one. Chapter 6 is also good, because it covers several sites in Tripolitania, the western part of Libya, one by one. In other parts of the book the chronological approach has some odd consequences: Thuburbo Maius and Thysdrus are presented in chapter 3, but pop up again in chapter 4. Tipasa appears in chapter 7, but pops up again in chapter 8. The rebel Tacfarinas is mentioned in chapter 2, but pops up again in chapter 8.

(2) Some sites are mentioned, but get almost no space: the Altars of the Philaeni Brothers get only eight lines and not a single illustration (page 142); Ghirza gets only twelve lines and only one illustration (pp. 174-175).

For more details about these sites see Philip Kenrick, Libya Archaeological Guides: Tripolitania, Silphium Press 2009, pp. 152-157 (the Altars of the Philaeni Brothers) and pp. 182-195 (Ghirza).

(3) The mosaic in the House of the Ass (modern Djemila, ancient Cuicul) is presented on page 229 where we are told it comprises 80 panels. The author adds: “The panels, in five rows of sixteen, portray birds and animals.” There is no illustration here. If there was, we would quickly discover that the figure 80 is wrong. Rows A and B, rows D and E have 16 panels, but row C has only nine panels, which are slightly larger than the others. The total number of panels is 73.

A picture of the mosaic appears in Sites et monuments antiques de l’Algérie by Jean-Marie Blas de Roblès & Claude Sintes (2003), page 120.

(4) The House of Hesychius (Cyrene) is presented on pp. 129 and 131:

“Among Synesius’ correspondents was one Hesychius, whose house has been excavated north of the forum-agora street. Built on top of another house, which had been destroyed in the earthquake of 365, it contains a number of mosaics recording the owner’s name, rank (Libyarch – he presided over the provincial council), and religion (Christian).”

This identification is doubtful. Excavations seem to show that the house was abandoned after the earthquake of 365, and Synesius was not born until 370. Perhaps Hesychius is the father of Synesius, who lived in the house until the earthquake of 365 and moved to another place after the earthquake.

For more details about this case see Alan Cameron, Barbarians and Politics at the Court of Arcadius (1993), pp. 16-19, and Philip Kenrick, Libya Archaeological Guides: Cyrenaica (2013), pp.167-168.

(5) Ammianus Marcellinus is described as “the greatest neglected historian of antiquity” on page 263. Since MacKendrick feels this way, it is only fair to ask how many times he uses this source in his book about the ancient history of North Africa. The answer: he is mentioned twice, on page 263 (quoted above) and on page 133 following a passage about the earthquake of 365:

“The fourth-century historian Ammianus Marcellinus describes the earthquake – the lightning, tides receding, then engulfing whole cities; ships driven two miles inland.”

That is all. While MacKendrick blames modern scholars for neglecting Ammianus Marcellinus, he himself is guilty of the same sin!

MacKendrick’s book was published more than thirty years ago. Obviously, it is not up-to-date on every aspect. But as you can see, my criticism does not concern the age of the book. I only point out flaws which the author could (and should) have corrected before handing his manuscript to the publisher.

The North African Stones Speak is more a history book than a guidebook, although it purports to be both. In spite of the flaws I have mentioned here it is still a monumental work, and therefore I think it deserves a rating of four stars.

PS # 1: Rome in Africa by Susan Raven is a history book written by a journalist (first edition 1969; second edition 1984; third edition 1993). It is not listed in MacKendrick’s bibliography, but it is listed in “Acknowledgments” (page xx), because he borrowed an illustration from her book.

PS # 2: North Africa: The Roman Coast is a guidebook written by Ethel Davies and published by Bradt Travel Guides in 2009.

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Paul Lachlan MacKendrick,

The North African Stones Speak,

University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill,

hardcover 1980, paperback 2000, 434 pages

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Paul Lachlan MacKendrick (1914-1998)

This picture is borrowed from the dust jacket of his book
The Iberian Stones Speak,
published in 1969.

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