From Latin Frurenta to Amazigh Frenda: Toponymic and Ecological Approaches to Redrawing the Caesarian Ecclesiastical Map

Abstract

This study fundamentally re-evaluates the historical and toponymic geography of the dioceses of Mauretania Caesariensis (ancient Algeria) during Late Antiquity, focusing specifically on the elusive diocese of Fronta, documented in the acts of the Council of Carthage in 484 CE. It seeks to deconstruct the classical archaeological hypothesis inherited from colonial scholarship, which conventionally aligned Fronta with the site of Wadi al-Abtal (Fratasa) based on superficial phonetic conjectures that notably lack decisive epigraphic validation. Alternatively, this paper advances a robust counter-hypothesis identifying Fronta with modern-day Frenda (Tiaret Province). This new attribution is grounded in a dual-faceted approach: first, a meticulous phonetic and semantic analysis of how Latin hydronyms and toponyms morphed within the local Amazigh vernacular, alongside its correlation with the striking morphological features of the Frenda-Takhmert cliff-front; second, an examination of the region's prominent geopolitical landscape during the fifth century CE—the golden age of emergent independent indigenous principalities characterized by the monumental Jedars (Les Djedars). Ultimately, this paper demonstrates that the exceptional archaeological and political weight of the Frenda region during this era strongly substantiates its claim as the true seat of this lost bishopric, thereby offering fresh perspectives for redrawing the ecclesiastical and administrative map of interior Mauretania Caesariensis.