Roman remains and Tunisians
By Cathy Mercer, Associate Lecturer in Region 1
Roman Africa, covering most of Tunisia, western Libya and Eastern Algeria is full of fantastic Roman sites: to name but a few, think of Leptis Magna, rebuilt by the first African emperor, Septimius Severus, and Timgad, the best preserved Roman legionary fort, tantalisingly inaccessible in war-town Algeria. Fortunately peaceful Tunisia has more than its share of stunning Roman sites. Amongst many others, there’s the third largest Roman amphitheatre anywhere in the world, at El Djem; the Roman towns of Dougga, Sbeitla, Oudna and Boulla Reggia, the latter complete with underground summer villas, adorned with mosaics, designed to keep out heat and dust from the nearby marble quarries at Chemtou; the rebuilt city of Carthage, now a suburb of Tunis, complete with its own metro station; and the fantastic mosaic collections in the Bardo Museum in Tunis www.bardomuseum.tn and in the stunningly rebuilt kasbah –
Palm orchard in the Sahara at Douz. The complete lack of local tourists in previous visits in 2007 and 2011 had been striking, although the distraction of the revolution that sparked the Arab Spring may have had some influence when we visited in January 2011. We returned two years later, in January 2013, and the mood everywhere was celebratory during the long revolutionary bank holiday, Friday-Monday 11-14 January, not least on the many Roman sites. We visited Sbeitla on the Friday morning and there were lots of locals walking around: families and young couples strolling handin-hand. On the Saturday afternoon we met lots of young families visiting the recently restored mosaic museum in the stunningly restored kasbah in Sousse (EU money well spent) www.patrimoinedetunisie.co ??B??V?r??W6VW2?6?W76R??F?V????F?R6V6??B&W7B??6?26???V7F?????GV??6?gFW"F?R?v??f?6V?B&&F???W"6?6?G&?fW"&V?&?VBF?BF?R&???6?FW2?B&VV??V?VBg&VRF???6?2f?"F?R&Wf??WF???'?vVV?V?B?FF??rF?B?Bv2v??Bf?"6???G&V?F?W???&RF?V?"?W&?FvR?B?V&?F?V?"66??????7F?'?v?F?&?B?b( ???G2??( ??F?Rf??W2vW&R6?V&?fW'?&?VB?bF?V?"f'V??W26???V7F?????F?R?Wr?W6WV??BvW&RV??????rF?V?"?W&?FvR??W7B2vRvW&R?F?W?vV?6??VBW2v?F?6??W2?6????r?W"??G2?6???r( ?6??W?&?V?fV?W2 ( ?f?'GV?FV?F?RGV??6??2&R????&???wV???g&V?6??B&&?2?6?vR6?V?BV?FW'7F?BF??2vV?6??R???F?R7V?F??bF?R&Wf??WF???vVV?V?BvRf?6?FV@??f?'B???6?W76R??G'V?WGV?&?'F??6R?bv?V?B?&RV?W&?"6??F?W2?&??W3?6VR??F??b?6&??BV??v???VF???&r?v????6FVv?'??&????6?FW5????GV??6?GV??6??2fW'?F?W&?7B?g&?V?F??B??FVVBF?RGV??6??6?FW2&R??F?R?F??W&&?W2?b????VF?FW'&?V?7'V?6W2???vWfW"?F?R?6??b??6???FW&W7B??F?W6R&???6?FW2?2?v?2&VV?7G&????r??Bv2F?67W76VBB6??R?V?wF???3??7V?GW&R??FV?F?G??B?vW"??F?R&???V??&R??B6WfW&?&V6??2vW&R?6?FVC???F&?F?Bg&V?6?6?????7G2???RF?R'&?F?6???gFV?6rF?V?6V?fW227V66W76?'2?bF?R&???2??( ?6?f??6??~( ?g&?6?BF?V?"V?F?W6?6?2?gFV?&Vf?V7FVBF??2?W?6?VF??rF?RGV??6??2g&??6V?6R?bF?V?"?v??W&?FvR?F?W6R76?6?F???2v?F?6??????'V?R??Wf?F&?F?V?VBGV??6????FW&W7B??F?V?"&???&V???2???vWfW"?F?W&R6VV?VBF?&R&?r6??vR??GF?GVFW2F?v&G2&???&V???2v?V?vRf?6?FVBGV??6?f?"F??&BF??R????V'?#2?6?W76R?6&??&V6V?F?&W7F?&VB?B??r??6?2?W6WV??@???