Roman Archeology Guided Tour Thuburbo Majus & Uthina [136275P14]
Along the way, archeology enthusiasts will appreciate the aqueduct and the site of Oudna, a Punic city that has become Roman. The villa called 'Laberii' with its thirty rooms on 2,300 m² deserves a special visit for its mosaics, a well-preserved archaeological site includes an astonishing amphitheater which could once accommodate 20,000 spectators.
Then, we will visit the Andalusian medina of Zaghouan, to finish with Thuburbo Majus, an ancient Roman city that experienced a decline in the middle of the 3rd century before a brilliant renaissance in the 4th century, which led it to proclaim itself Respublica Felix Thuburbo Majus.
Then, we will visit the Andalusian medina of Zaghouan, to finish with Thuburbo Majus, an ancient Roman city that experienced a decline in the middle of the 3rd century before a brilliant renaissance in the 4th century, which led it to proclaim itself Respublica Felix Thuburbo Majus.
ADDITIONAL INFO
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
INCLUDED
NOT INCLUDED
CANCELLATION POLICY
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
ITINERARY
- The ancient city of Uthina is located about 30 km south of the capital, at the place known as Oudhna, at the summit of an eminence which dominates the main access routes to Carthage coming from the south and the West of the country. Its foundation seems to date back to the Berber era as evidenced by its toponymy. As history fluctuated, it was punished and then romanized, before the two brief vandal and Byzantine guardianships - nearly a century each prelude to a definitive decline after the Arab conquest in the 7th century. The backed-up site extends over a hundred hectares. It is 'capitonée' of imposing buildings going back to the Roman time and currently in the course of clearing and consolidation. These are the capitol, the largest in Africa, arranged on three levels; Two groups of very high capacity tanks; Large public baths and small private baths; The remains of patrician residences, an amphitheater with an initial capacity of more than 10,000 spectators.
- It's a Roman aqueduct, which supplied the city of Carthage with water, measured 132 km! The Zaghouan-Carthage hydraulic complex is the largest of its kind ever built. Built at the beginning of the 2nd century AD, the Zaghouan aqueduct testifies to the Romans' mastery of water supply techniques. It crosses a rugged landscape. Sometimes flush with the ground, sometimes underground, the pipeline is, on two portions, raised by arcades sometimes reaching more than 20 meters in height. Its flow has been estimated at around thirty million liters per day. Most of the water was stored in the gigantic vaulted reservoirs visible at Maalga, at the entrance to Carthage, before supplying the Baths of Antonine.
- The ancient city of Thuburbo Majus was founded on the side of a hill, surrounded by a splendid fertile valley landscape, long before North Africa became part of the Roman Empire. However, it is its magnificent remains from the Roman era that make it one of the most beautiful archaeological sites in Tunisia. Its Capitol - the most important temple in Roman cities - is one of the best preserved in Tunisia. Six elegant Corinthian columns formed the facade. Four are still intact and overlook a wide staircase overlooking the Forum. One of the original features of Thuburbo Majus was that it had two bathing establishments: one for winter and the other for summer. The summer thermal baths were completed by a sports field, surrounded by a beautiful covered gallery, called Palestre des Petronii after the Roman family who had built the monument. Another peculiarity of the site is that it has preserved vestiges reminiscent of its pre-Roman past as “temple of Caelestis” or the “temple of Baalat”.
