[2][3] Syncerus antiquus was described by Georges Louis Duvernoy in 1851 from a skull discovered along the Bou Sellam River near the city of Sétif, Algeria.

[6][7] However, a link with the living Cape buffalo has been noted based on morphological and systematic grounds, and since 1994 it has been suggested that P. antiquus be moved into Syncerus.

[4] This buffalo had the broadest geographic distribution of any recently extinct species of African bovid, being widespread throughout eastern, southern and northern Africa.

[11] However, rock art from North Africa seemingly depicting Syncerus antiquus suggests that this species survived into the Holocene.

[8] Isotopic and mesowear evidence indicate that it was a grazer, and its massive body size suggests that it consumed large quantities of low-quality forage.

[4] A large amount of rock art has been found illustrating the species Syncerus antiquus in the Maghreb, the Atlas, the Sahara and near to the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts of North Africa.