Berbers, romans, arabs, and Barbarossas
The Berbers, a tribal people who raised cattle and hunted game, inhabited the Tell region from 8000-2000 BC. In 1200 BC a Phoenician trading port was set up in the Bay of Algiers. This trading post was called Icosium. In 146 BC Algiers became part of the Roman Empire following the Punic Wars. Algiers allied with Rome during the Punic Wars. Algiers was known as the granary of Rome. Algiers inherited the military roads and garrisoned towns of the Romans. In 429 AD Algiers came under the control of the Vandals. Shortly after in the 6th century Algiers was controlled by the Arabs of the Byzantine Empire. It wasn’t until around 950 that the present city of Algiers was founded. The name given to the city was Al-Jazaa’ir; the name still stands today. The means "the islands" in reference to the islands facing the waterfront. Until the 15th century, battles between the dynasties of the Maghreb determined control of Algiers. The Arabs were largely an urban elite. Good trade with Europe provided wealth. In 1269 with the collapse of the Almohads, competition among Mediterranean seaports increased. To gain an advantage, city governments began to hire corsairs (pirates) who seized merchant ships, and held crews and cargo for ransom. Algiers became a primary center of pirate activities. In 1511 the Spanish took control of the island of Penon, offshore of Algiers, and became a threat to the city. Algiers called for help from the Ottoman sultan, the caliph of Islam. Two pirate brothers, the Barbarossas (Redbeards), were sent. The long battle to drive the Spanish away from Algiers started. In 1529 the Spanish were driven off Penon, and Algiers was now in the hands of the younger Barbarossa who was appointed the sultan’s representative in Algeria. Because of its distance from the Turkish capital of Constantinople, Algiers was governed as an autonomous province. Algiers pirates dominated the Mediterranean. European states paid tribute to ensure protection and ransoms brought a rich income. Algiers became the capital of what was known as the Barbary Coast. The Bay of Algiers had a well-protected harbor and Ottoman janissary garrisons.