Changing Funerary Landscapes in Late Antiquity: Mausolea in North Africa

This paper considers the changes in elite burial monuments during Late Antiquity in North Africa using archaeological evidence, inscriptions, and literary sources where relevant. It highlights the complex nature of funerary behaviour by primarily focusing on late antique mausolea in Tripolitania (Libya) to explore how these prestigious funerary monuments were used by the local elite to proclaim power and status during a time when power shifted from the centralised Roman authority to local rulers in the 4th and 5th c. The paper also pays attention to mausolea in Tunisia and Algeria, particularly in the light of the rise of Christianity, and how changes in religious beliefs may have influenced the mausolea culture in this region.