Thagaste (or Tagaste) was a Roman-Berber city in present-day Algeria, now called Souk Ahras.

[4][5] Thagaste was originally a small Numidian village, inhabited by a Berber tribe into which Augustine of Hippo was born in AD 354.

In antiquity, this area was renowned for its mounts, which were used as a natural citadel against different foreign invaders, including the Romans, the Byzantines, the Vandals, and the Umayyads.

The rich and powerful gens Valeria, later under Saint Melania, owned an estate nearby which was of such extent and importance as to include two episcopal sees, one belonging to the Catholic Church, the other to the Donatists.

After centuries of neglect, French colonists rebuilt the city, which is now called Souk Ahras.