Today, the city of Annaba is an essential transport, commercial, and industrial centre of Algeria. Founded in the 7th century by Arab warriors, the city attracted many European empires, Portugal, Spain, and France, until the latter one succeeded to annex its territories at the beginning of the 19th century. However, the Arabs were not the first people who founded a city in these lands. They built it on the site of another ancient city, whose age is estimated for centuries from the time of BC. The first settlement appeared here in the 13th century BC and was called Hippo Regius. In those years, it was the residence of the Numidian kings, and now, the ruins of the ancient city are one of the main attractions of modern Annaba.

Over the centuries, the city was built and destroyed. As a result, almost nothing has left of it. Only Sidi Bou Meruan Mosque of the 11th century and a medieval fortress have been preserved to these days. But during the Roman Empire, it was a large, prosperous city with a network of streets and squares, theaters and baths, a shrine and a palace. It is proven by numerous finds discovered during excavations. Nowadays, you can see them in the Hippo Museum, opened in Annaba in 1968.

The museum's collection includes more than 20 thousand cultural objects of Ancient Rome. These are ceramic and bronze items, rare coins and gold jewelry of the Phoenicians, vases and sculptures, including statues of Numidian kings and Roman emperors, marble busts, and artistic mosaic panels. 

Of particular interest are the statues of the Roman gods, the legendary Hercules, the beautiful Venus, the god of medicine Aesculapius, the god of winemaking Bacchus, and the goddess of wisdom and war Minerva. The central place belongs to a two-meter bronze sculpture of a military breastplate, lying on a chest. It was made in honor of the great Julius Caesar's victory over the king of Numidia.