Archeological Museum, Sousse

In the arcades round the courtyard in the Archeological Museum in Sousse are a variety of exhibits: South side (S): mosaics with geometric designs (second century); torsos, stucco fragments; mosaics depicting animals (fishes, peacocks, gazelles, wild beasts). West side (W): stelae and gravestones, including some from the Catacombs; a fine mosaic of a bearded Oceanus (second century) from the floor of a pool; a mosaic depicting the horses of Sorothus (third century). North side (N): funerary inscriptions, stelae; a relief of the Good Shepherd from the Catacombs; a mosaic of an anchor and a fish, used as a symbol and recognition sign during the persecutions of Christians (the initials of the Greek words "Iesous Christos Theou Yios Soter" ["Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior"] made up the word ichthys, "fish"). East side (E): sarcophagus of a woman named Theodora; Byzantine and Christian ceramic panels; funerary inscriptions.

A narrow groin-vaulted passage runs from the east side of the small courtyard of the Archeological Museum in Sousse into the grand courtyard of the Kasbah, which is also laid out as a garden. Here are displayed a variety of torsos, sarcophagi, columns, capitals, gravestones, etc. From the terrace roof there is a fine view of the Medina. On the far side of the grand courtyard are Rooms 9, 10 and 11, which contain a number of fine mosaics.

Room 3 of the Archeological Museum in Sousse, which opens off the north side of the courtyard, contains a number of masterpieces of the mosaic-worker's art, including (in a clockwise direction) satyrs and bacchantes (third century), a "Triumph of Bacchus" (third century, from Sousse; illustrated page 73), scenes of fishing and seafaring, centaurs and nereids (third century), Zeus as an eagle carrying off Ganymede (third century), Apollo and the Muses (third/fourth century).

Room 4 of the Archeological Museum in Sousse, off the east side of the courtyard, contains material (sixth century B.C.- first century A.D.) from the tophet found near the Great Mosque and the harbor (where the sacrifices of children practiced in Carthage were gradually replaced by animal sacrifices). The exhibits include urns, stelae and lamps; of particular interest are the stelae with various symbols of Tanit.

Immediately beyond the entrance hall of the Archeological Museum in Sousse is Room 2, with one of the finest items in the museum, a mosaic from the Roman baths with a central medallion containing a Medusa's head (second century); round the walls are a head of Trajan, a statue of Apollo and a high relief of an Emperor in a triumphal chariot (third century).

In Room 9 of the Archeological Museum in Sousse are mosaics from the triclinium (dining room) of a house in El Djem depicting the Seasons and the Months (third century) and the second century mosaic of the Tragic Poet from a Roman house to the south of the museum.

The mosaics in Room 11 of the Archeological Museum in Sousse include one from a triclinium depicting preparations for a fight between gladiators and animals (third century).

Room 10 of the Archeological Museum in Sousse contains remains of frescoes on mythological themes (second-third century).

A passage decorated with mosaics leads to Rooms 6, 7 and 8 of the Archeological Museum in Sousse, with finds from Punic, Roman and Early Christian tombs.