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History of Algeria
From antiquity to the modern era — the historical eras, key events, and narrative that shaped Algeria.
Overview
Early inhabitants of the central Maghrib (also seen as Maghreb; designates North Africa west of Egypt) left behind significant remains including remnants of hominid occupation found near Saïda. Neolithic civilization (marked by animal domestication and subsistence agriculture) developed in the Saharan and Mediterranean Maghrib between 6000 and 2000 B.C. This type of economy, so richly depicted in the Tassili-n-Ajjer cave paintings in southeastern Algeria, predominated in the Maghrib until the classical period.
Historical Eras
The major periods of {country}’s history at a glance.
Prehistoric & Berber
6000 BCE – 146 BCE
Neolithic communities flourished across the Saharan and Mediterranean Maghrib, leaving vivid records in the Tassili-n-Ajjer cave paintings. The indigenous Berber peoples developed agriculture, trade, and political organization, forming loosely governed kingdoms. Phoenician traders established coastal footholds around 900 BCE, and Carthage grew into a dominant regional power before its destruction by Rome in 146 BCE.
Classical & Roman
146 BCE – 642
Rome absorbed Numidia and Mauretania, transforming the region into a vital granary of the empire and driving rapid urbanization. Berber resistance to Roman rule remained persistent, even as Christianity spread widely by the fourth century, producing influential theologians such as Augustine of Hippo. The Vandal conquest of 439 CE ended Roman authority, ushering in a period of instability before the Arab arrival.
Islamic & Dynastic
642 – 1518
Arab military expeditions beginning in 642 spread Islam across the Maghrib, and by 711 the Umayyads had consolidated control with significant Berber participation. Successive dynasties — including the Rustumids, Zirids, Almoravids, and Almohads — competed for dominance, each reshaping the region's political and cultural landscape. Large influxes of Arab bedouins gradually Arabized the Berber countryside, forging the linguistic and religious identity that defines Algeria today.
Ottoman Algeria
1518 – 1830
The corsair captain Khayr ad-Din (Barbarossa) placed Algiers under Ottoman suzerainty in 1518, establishing it as a formidable Barbary state and a base for Mediterranean privateering. Ottoman regencies governed through a succession of deys and janissary corps, maintaining relative autonomy from Istanbul while generating revenue through piracy and ransom. Repeated European naval punitive expeditions, including Lord Exmouth's 1816 bombardment, gradually weakened the regency's power.
French Colonial
1830 – 1962
France occupied Algiers in 1830 and over subsequent decades dispossessed vast numbers of Algerians of land, imposing a settler-colonial order that treated the Muslim majority as subjects rather than citizens. Rigged elections in 1948 extinguished Algerian hopes for meaningful political participation, catalyzing the National Liberation Front's (FLN) armed uprising in 1954. After a brutal eight-year war of independence marked by widespread atrocities on both sides, Algeria gained sovereignty on 5 July 1962.
Independent Algeria
1962 – present
The FLN established a single-party state, guiding Algeria through socialist-oriented development and nationalization of its substantial oil and gas wealth. Mounting discontent over unemployment and political exclusion culminated in 1988 riots, forcing multiparty reforms, but the army's cancellation of the 1992 elections — after the Islamic Salvation Front's (FIS) first-round victory — plunged the country into a devastating civil conflict lasting through the 1990s. Algeria has since maintained authoritarian stability under military-backed governments while grappling with continued demands for democratic reform, most recently expressed in the 2019 Hirak protest movement.
Timeline Preview
The first 7 key events. View the full chronology on the timeline page.
4000 BCE – 2500 BCE
A rock painting illustrates a battle between 2 prehistoric groups.
A rock painting from this time in Tassili n’Ajjer, southeastern Algeria, illustrates a battle between 2 prehistoric groups armed with bows and arrows.
105 BCE
The heart of ancient Numidia lay in the eastern region of what is now Algeria in Northern Africa.
The heart of ancient Numidia lay in the eastern region of what is now Algeria in Northern Africa. The Numidians were originally nomadic horsemen. They were defeated by Roman troops in the Jugurthine War in 105 BC and conquered by Rome in 46 BC. The Vandals and Byzantines ruled successively before Arabs conquered the area in the seventh century AD. Jugurtha was the king of Numidia.
49 BCE
Mauretania (now northern Morocco and Algeria) became a client kingdom of Rome.
Mauretania (now northern Morocco and Algeria) became a client kingdom of Rome.
46 BCE
Numidia was conquered by Rome.
Numidia was conquered by Rome. The Vandals and Byzantines ruled successively before Arabs conquered the area in the seventh century AD.
40
Mauretania was divided into the provinces of Tingitana and Caesariensis.
Mauretania was divided into the provinces of Tingitana and Caesariensis.
200 – 400
Christianity spread rapidly in Numidia and the diocese of Lamiggiga was established.
Christianity spread rapidly in Numidia and the diocese of Lamiggiga was established. It was later abandoned and just the name was used as an honorary jurisdiction for Catholic auxiliary bishops
439
In Mauretania (now northern Morocco and Algeria) Roman rule ceased.
In Mauretania (now northern Morocco and Algeria) Roman rule ceased in the mid 5th century when barbarian incursions forced the legions to withdraw.