Le Bardo - Bardo National Museum

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is still to be seen in the Bardo. In general, however, the exhibits are labeled, with an indication of provenance and date.

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are 16th and 17th century prints with views of the town and a variety of other prints; a reception room furnished in traditional style (late 19th century); a collection of Jewish cult objects; and a small kitchen in which the Bey's morning coffee was made, with domestic equipment, including copper plates and jugs. In other rooms are finely carved chests, traditional musical instruments with mother-of-pearl intarsia decoration, a collection of richly decorated weapons, beautiful jewelry and garments in traditional style.

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former harem, paved with beautiful glazed tiles, are a model of the Ribat of Sousse and a collection of rare ancient fabrics, some of them imported from Egypt. The early Islamic gravestones have inscriptions in both Kufic and cursive script. One room is devoted to Islamic Tunisia of the early medieval period, with examples - all exactly dated - of pottery, jewelry, coins of various ruling dynasties and beautifully illuminated pages from the Koran and Koran bindings. Also of interest is a small astrolabe of the 13th or 14th century.

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provenance. On the history of mosaics in particular see Art and Culture in the introduction to this guide. Continuing work on the renovation and alteration of the building, the closing of some rooms at certain times and rearrangement of exhibits - to say nothing of the labyrinthine ground-plan - make it impossible to give a detailed plan or description of the Museum. The following account seeks only, therefore, to direct attention to the main features of interest. In any event almost all the exhibits are labeled.

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the "Triumph of Dionysus". In the center of the room is a semicircular fountain.

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type being labeled with its name in Greek and Latin. Other mosaics are from Carthage, El Djem, Radès, Bizerte and Béja. This was originally the music room of the palace. It has an ornate painted ceiling in Italian style and two galleries. One of them, linked by a staircase with the harem of the palace, enabled the princesses of the Bey's family to attend concerts and other performances; the other, to the left of the entrance, was for the orchestra. From the balcony opening off this room there is a view of the 15th century mosque in front of the Museum. On the opposite side of the Great Hall is Room 14.

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the room is to be had from the gallery on the second floor. In the center of the room is an altar of the Gens Augusta, dating from around the beginning of the Christian era, which was found on the Byrsa Hill. It has fine relief decoration; on one side Aeneas is depicted fleeing from Troy with his father Anchises and his son Ascanius. The two large mosaics on the floor come from the country house of a wealthy family of the second century at Oudna (ancient Uthina). One of them depicts scenes of country life; the other shows King Ikarios of Attica being taught by Dionysus. The statues and fragments of statues in the room (Hercules, Hermes, Venus, etc.) came from the Odeon and Theater of Carthage (A.D. second and third centuries).

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frigidarium of the baths. There is also a fine representation of the victorious Eros in the Circus. The fishing scene came from the baths in Carthage (second century). The second century mosaic of the "Triumph of Neptune" is from La Chebba, near Sfax (second century). There are also statues of Saturn, Bacchus, Aesculapius, Jupiter and Venus and fine silver and goldsmiths' work, including a silver dish inlaid with gold from Bizerte (first century). On the left of the doorway into Room 12 is part of a mosaic of Eros driving a chariot which gives the names of two horses, Amandus and Frunitus. To right and left of the doorway are plaster models of the Capitol and theater of Dougga.

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hunting scene depicted in three registers and a mosaic of the nine Muses.

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statuettes, bronzes), vases, glass and pottery. From the gallery there is a good view of the Carthage Room below.

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from Carthage and Thuburbo Majus, including a representation of a stag-hunt and a large semicircular still life.

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Mosaics, including a "Venus Pudica" (Carthage, late third century), "Bacchus and Ariadne" (Thuburbo Majus, fourth century), a peacock displaying its tail (Bir Chana, third century) and "Diana the Huntress" (Oudna, second/third century).

Room 26

Floor mosaic from the baths in Thuburbo Majus (fourth century).

Room 28

Mosaics from Ellès, Carthage and El Djem depicting mythological themes, hunting scenes and scenes in the circus. Second floor (no plan)

Rooms 30-32

Rooms 30-32 contain more mosaics, including representations of Theseus killing the Minotaur (Thuburbo Majus, third/fourth century), Bacchus with a gecko on a leash, surrounded by wild animals (Room 30; El Djem, fourth century), Diana the huntress (Utica, second century) and one from Thuburbo Majus (Room 31; third/fourth century).

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A mosaic from El Djem depicts the musical contest between Apollo and the satyr Marsyas (second century), another the "Triumph of Venus" (Kasserine, third century).

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of Tunis. They include representations of Venus at her toilet and Orpheus surrounded by wild beasts. One mosaic is signed with the name of the artist, Masurus.

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rich cargo from Greece, including statues, vases, bronzes and much else besides (third-second century B.C.). Also on display are fragments of the wrecked vessel, which was around 40m/130ft long by 10m/35ft wide, and items of equipment. Also in Room 19 are mosaics from Utica, El Djem and Thuburbo Majus.

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the floor is a large mosaic (10.25m/34ft by 13.50m/44ft) depicting the "Triumph of Neptune" (late second century). In the center is the sea god in his war chariot, surrounded by sirens, nereids, tritons and nymphs in circular and hexagonal medallions. On the walls are other mosaics giving glimpses of everyday Roman life (fourth-fifth century). Mosaics from Carthage and Tabarka depict various country houses; from Carthage and Gafsa come representations of chariot races and gladiatorial contests. On the rear wall are the head and sandal-clad feet of a statue of Jupiter, originally 7m/23ft high, from the Capitol of Thuburbo Majus (third century). In cases around the room are small finds, including pottery with relief decoration, vases, coins and oil lamps of the A.D. second-fifth centuries. The doorway to the right of the head of Jupiter leads into Room 11.

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various rooms opening off it. Notable features are its cruciform plan and its decoration (19th century). The central dome has rich stucco ornament, and the walls are clad with typical 19th century faience tiles. The room contains a variety of statues (Demeter and Kore/Persephone, first century) and portraits of Emperors. On the wall is a mosaic from Hadrumetum (Sousse) depicting Virgil with the Muses Clio (History) and Melpomene (Tragedy), who are inspiring him to write the "Aeneid". On the papyrus scroll in his lap can be read the words "Musa mihi causas memora, quo numine laeso, quidve ..." ("Muse, tell me the reasons for which the offended divinity. . ."; "Aeneid", Book I, lines 8 and 9). In the center of the room is a hexagonal mosaic (third century) from the Zaghouan area depicting the seven deities of the planets and the days of the week.

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stelae show scenes of sacrifice.

Corridor C

On the walls are terracotta panels from Christian basilicas with relief decoration, mostly of Old Testament scenes.

Room 7

This room originally contained material from the Punic necropolis at Thinissut (near Bir Bou Rekba, Cap Bon), now in the museum of Nabeul. The busts of Roman emperors now displayed here (including Hadrian, Caracalla, Lucius Verus, Marcus Aurelius, Vespasian, Gordian I, Trajan and Augustus) are from various Tunisian sites (first-third century).

Corridor E

Tablets with inscriptions and votive stelae.

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little heads (usually bearded) in colored glass paste (fifth and fourth century B.C.) - amulets designed to ward off evil. Corinthian (seventh-sixth century B.C.), Etruscan (sixth century) and Campanian (sixth-second century B.C.). Egyptian influence can be seen in the clay masks intended either to ward off evil (grimacing heads) or to bring good fortune (smiling women).

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Andromeda from the dining room of a Roman villa (third or fourth century). In niches along the opposite wall are statues of Apollo, Ceres and Aesculapius from the temple dedicated to this divine triad.

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north of Kelibia (Cap Bon). Around it are displayed funerary mosaics from the same church, together with lamps, pottery and coins of the fourth-seventh centuries.

Room 5

Early Christian material of the fourth-seventh centuries from Carthage, Tabarka, Thuburbo Majus and Cap Bon. The mosaic grave-slabs depict the dead person, accompanied by Christian symbols (crosses, pigeons, fishes). Other mosaics depict Old Testament figures like Daniel and Jonah. They come from Early Christian and Byzantine churches and graves. In the center of the room is a cruciform marble immersion font (sixth century) from El Kantara (see Djerba). The mosaics come from Carthage, mostly from tombs. Some sarcophagi have inscriptions giving the name of the dead person.

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or Baal-Ammon), figures of fishes and birds, crescents and fruit. They show that after the fall of Carthage in 146 B.C. Punic influence continued for a time (worship of Caelestis, identified with Tanit) but that Greco-Roman influence steadily increased (worship of Dionysus, Aphrodite, Zeus and Hermes). The material comes from Korba, Dougga, Maktar and Thuburbo Majus. Hellenistic influence can be seen to have reached the Numidians. Also of interest are the cedarwood coffins from Punic tombs of the third century B.C. at Gightis and Ksour Essaf. Just before the entrance to Corridor D is a fine Roman sarcophagus (third century) with relief figures of the nine Muses, with a later (fifth century) sarcophagus above it.

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the wisdom of the dead man (from Carthage, early fourth century). Also notable (in a niche on the left) is an over-life-size statue of an elderly man with an expressive face holding a sheaf of corn and poppies, indicating that he was a devotee of Ceres (late third century). On the floor are mosaics from Thuburbo Majus.

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century). The marble statue of Hercules has an inscription indicating that it was presented to the town by the guild of cloak-manufacturers (Sagarii, from sagum, "cloak", a garment originally introduced from Gaul).

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centuries. The oldest stelae have pyramidal roofs (sixth century), the later ones resemble Greek temples (third century), while in the second century they take the form of obelisks. Many stelae bear the symbol of the goddess Tanit (a triangle with a cross bar topped by a disc) or of Baal-Ammon (a solar disc) and inscriptions in Punic script. Behind protective glass is a stele with the incised figure of a priest holding a child ready for sacrifice (fourth or early third century B.C.). A votive tablet dedicated to Baal-Ammon bears the earliest known Punic inscription (sixth century B.C.).

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derived from the Spanish "Prado", others that it comes from the Moorish berd ("cold" - the suggestion being that it was not sufficiently insulated against the winter cold). The successors of the Hafsids appreciated the advantages of the situation, and each generation altered or added to the palace, creating over the centuries an extensive complex of buildings.

The National Museum itself is housed in the Little Palace, built in 1831-32, and the state apartments of the Great Palace. The mosque opposite the Museum dates from the 15th century (restored). The decision to establish a museum was taken in 1882, and six years later it was opened under the name of the Alaoui Museum (after the reigning Bey, Ali). After Tunisia became independent it was renamed the Bardo National Museum (Musée National du Bardo).