El Djem - Archeological Museum

Outside the town center of El Djem, on the road to Sfax (past the post office, on right), is the interesting Archeological Museum (Musée Archéologique). Round a colonnaded courtyard are fragments of sculpture and terracotta panels with relief decoration from the walls of Christian churches. Within the museum itself are displays of small Roman objects (terracottas, oil lamps, coins, etc.) and a number of very fine mosaics with geometric, plant and animal decoration from the villas of wealthy landowners. Among them are two lions tearing a wild boar to pieces and a tiger attacking two wild asses (both second century). Numbers of fine mosaics from El Djem are now in the Bardo National Museum in Tunis.