Dougga Attractions
Thugga is the best preserved Roman city in Africa. In a setting of great scenic beauty, surrounded by pastureland and olive-groves, the remains are prominently situated on a plateau on the edge of the Monts de Téboursouk, steeply scarped on the north side but sloping gently down on the south side to the valley of the Oued Khalled. Nearby is the spring of Ain Mizeh, which is still in use.
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Must-see attractions nearby:
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The town, which in Roman times was not walled, occupied an area of some 25 hectares/62.5 acres. It was not laid out on any definite plan, and - in contrast to most Roman towns with their regular street grid - was a labyrinth of paved streets suitable only for pedestrians. A theatrical festival is held here annually in June.
History
The choice of site, on a steeply sloping hillside (hence the town's name, from tukka, a sheer rock), suggests that this, like Sicca Veneria and Bulla Regia, was a Numidian foundation. In the second century B.C. the settlement was enlarged by the Numidian king Masinissa to form a royal residence. The remains of megalithic walls, a temple of Baal, dolmen tombs and a Numidian mausoleum date from this period.
Around 105 B.C. the first Romans settled round the town, which according to the Greek historian Diodorus Siculus (first century B.C.) was already "large and handsome".
In 46 B.C. Caesar incorporated the town in the province of Africa Nova. The Numidian settlement on the hill remained, while the Romans settled in the plain below. In the course of time the two settlements amalgamated, and in A.D. 205 the town was raised to the status of a municipium and all its free citizens were granted Roman citizenship. In 261, when Thugga was renamed Colonia Licinia, the city was at the peak of its development. From this period date most of its magnificent public buildings, financed by wealthy Roman landowners, as well as the many private houses of which remains survive.
Decline set in at the end of the third century. Under Byzantine rule the town was fortified, using stone from ancient buildings. At some later period it was abandoned. Later still refugees from Andalusia settled in the area and re-established the cultivation of olives.
The site was rediscovered in the 17th century. Excavation began in 1899 and is still continuing.
Access
GP 5 (Tunis-Béja). At Medjez el Bab, 60km/37mi from Tunis, GP 5 branches off on the left and runs southwest via Testour and Téboursouk to Le Kef. Some 50km/31mi down this road, soon after the turning for Téboursouk, a narrow road on the right (signposted) runs 7km/4.5mi north to the site of Dougga (ancient Thugga).
History
The choice of site, on a steeply sloping hillside (hence the town's name, from tukka, a sheer rock), suggests that this, like Sicca Veneria and Bulla Regia, was a Numidian foundation. In the second century B.C. the settlement was enlarged by the Numidian king Masinissa to form a royal residence. The remains of megalithic walls, a temple of Baal, dolmen tombs and a Numidian mausoleum date from this period.
Around 105 B.C. the first Romans settled round the town, which according to the Greek historian Diodorus Siculus (first century B.C.) was already "large and handsome".
In 46 B.C. Caesar incorporated the town in the province of Africa Nova. The Numidian settlement on the hill remained, while the Romans settled in the plain below. In the course of time the two settlements amalgamated, and in A.D. 205 the town was raised to the status of a municipium and all its free citizens were granted Roman citizenship. In 261, when Thugga was renamed Colonia Licinia, the city was at the peak of its development. From this period date most of its magnificent public buildings, financed by wealthy Roman landowners, as well as the many private houses of which remains survive.
Decline set in at the end of the third century. Under Byzantine rule the town was fortified, using stone from ancient buildings. At some later period it was abandoned. Later still refugees from Andalusia settled in the area and re-established the cultivation of olives.
The site was rediscovered in the 17th century. Excavation began in 1899 and is still continuing.
Access
GP 5 (Tunis-Béja). At Medjez el Bab, 60km/37mi from Tunis, GP 5 branches off on the left and runs southwest via Testour and Téboursouk to Le Kef. Some 50km/31mi down this road, soon after the turning for Téboursouk, a narrow road on the right (signposted) runs 7km/4.5mi north to the site of Dougga (ancient Thugga).
Related Attractions
Excavations
The access road to Dougga ends at the entrance to the site, where visitors buy their tickets and are offered the services of a guide. When engaging a guide, care should be taken to agree the fee in advance. The following description takes the form of a tour of the site, which can be undertaken without a guide.
Arch of Septimius Severus
The Arch of Septimius Severus (5m/16ft wide) in Dougga was erected in A.D. 205 to mark the town's promotion to the status of municipium, which carried with it the right to its own constitution, administration and civic law. The arch leads into the road from Carthage to Theveste (Tébessa).
Arch of Severus Alexander
Northwest of the Forum in Dougga is the Arch of Severus Alexander, known in Arabic as Bab er Roumia (Gate of the Christian Woman). It was erected about 223-235, probably to celebrate the granting of further privileges to the city.
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Baths of the Cyclopes
Adjoining the House of the Trifolium in Dougga is the complex of buildings known as the Baths of the Cyclopes, with vaulted rooms in the basement. On the south side of the complex are the baths proper, in the frigidarium of which was a mosaic of the Cyclopes (now, like the others, in the Bardo National Museum). A feature of the baths is the well preserved public latrine (entered from a side street), with twelve seats on a horseshoe-shaped bench and a drainage system feeding into the town's main drain.
Circus
Beyond the Temple of Minerva in Dougga is the 170m/185yd long Circus, constructed in A.D. 204 in a natural hollow in the ground. Although it has been excavated, there is little to see.
Cisterns
Beyond the Arch of Severus in Dougga can be seen the Ain el Hammam cistern, with five basins, each 33m/108ft long by 5m/16ft high, with a total capacity of 6,000 cubic meters/1.3million gallons of water. 150m/165yds north is the Ain Mizeh cistern, with seven basins and a total capacity of 9,000 cubic meters/2million gallons. From here water - brought in an aqueduct from a spring 12km/7.5mi west of the town - was distributed to the town's baths and fountains and to some private houses.
Dar el Acheb
Southwest of the Temple of Tellus in Dougga is a building known as Dar el Acheb, thought to be a temple built in A.D. 164-166, with a rectangular doorway leading into a walled courtyard.
Forum
To the west of the Capital in Dougga is the Forum, laid out between A.D. 14 and 37, which is of modest size (38.5m/126ft long by 24m/79ft wide). It was originally surrounded on three sides by porticoes of red-veined marble columns with Corinthian capitals of white marble. Opening off it were a number of public buildings. In the sixth century the Forum, the Capitol and the Temple of Saturn were all incorporated in a Byzantine fortress with two added towers, built with stone taken from surrounding buildings.
Market
On the south side of the Place de la Rose in Dougga is the Market (Macellum), probably built in the A.D. first century and converted into a meat market at the end of the second century. It was largely destroyed during the construction of the Byzantine fortress in the sixth century. On the east side of the square are two dwelling-houses, the House of the Cupbearers (named after a mosaic found in the basement and now in the Bardo Museum in Tunis) and the House of the Steps.
Place de la Rose des Vents
Just beyond the Temple of Augusta in Dougga lies the Place de la Rose des Vents, a square with a semicircular east end, paved with limestone slabs and surrounded by colonnades, which was built around A.D. 190 as an extension to the forum. It takes its name from the "rose of the winds" incised in the paving in the third century, with the names of the twelve winds (Septentrio, Aquilo, Euraquilo, Vulturnus, Eurus, Leuconotus, Auster, Libonotus, Africus, Favonius, Argestes and Circius).
Summer Baths
At the southwest corner of the site of Dougga, near the Ain Doura spring, are the so-called Summer Baths.
Temple of Concord
Beyond the main entrance to the baths in Dougga are the temples of Concord, Frugifer (Pluto) and Liber Pater (Dionysus/Bacchus), built between A.D. 128 and 138 by wealthy citizens of the town. At the southeast corner can be seen a small theater, originally roofed, which was unfortunately obstructed by a later town wall.
Temple of Mercury
On the north side of the Place de la Rose in Dougga is the Temple of Mercury, dedicated to the god of trade. A ten- columned portico leads into the sanctuary, with three cellae - perhaps pointing to the worship of an African trinity of gods.
Temple of Minerva
Little is left of the Temple of Minerva, built in Dougga between A.D. 138 and 161, or of the nearby pre-Roman town walls. Also in this area are a number of Roman tombs and prehistoric dolmens.
Temple of Pietas Augusta
Returning to the Theater in Dougga from the Victoria Church, follow a paved street running southwest, lined by the remains of shops and houses. Rainwater was carried off by gutters in the middle of the street connecting with underground drains. The street leads to the little semicircular temple of Pietas Augusta (second century A.D.), of which there remain two columns with Corinthian capitals. Beyond this are the substructure of a temple of Fortuna and a small mosque.
Temple of Tellus
Below the Forum in Dougga is a temple (probably built in A.D. 261) dedicated to Tellus, a fertility goddess.
In three niches in the cella wall can be seen statues of Tellus, Pluto and Ceres.
In three niches in the cella wall can be seen statues of Tellus, Pluto and Ceres.
Victoria Church
Immediately east is of the Temple of Saturn in Dougga is the Victoria Church, a small aisled building with remains of mosaics. In a crypt below the raised presbytery was found a sarcophagus bearing the inscription "Victoria". This little church with its irregular ground-plan was built in the fifth century A.D. with stone from the Temple of Saturn.
