THUBURBO MAJUS lies ina beautiful valleysurrounded by hills, and is –along with Dougga, BullaRegia, Makthar and Sbeïtla –one of the most importantRoman remains in Tunisia,with many impressivemonuments. A café and toiletare at the entrance.The Roman settlement was established in 27 BC, close tothe Punic town. In AD 128,after a visit by the EmperorHadrian, Thuburbo Majus wasgranted the independentstatus of a municipium, andlater, in AD 188, it becamea colony.
Located on the tradingroute betweenSousse and Carthage,surrounded byfertile land,Thuburbo Majusgrew rapidly. Mostof the public buildings andhomes decoratedwith mosaics datefrom the 2nd and3rd centuries. In the4th century some ofthe buildings wereextended and thetown’s name waschanged to ResPublica FelixThuburbo Majus.However, thecontinuing conflicts between Donatists andCatholics, Vandal raids andfinally the Arab invasion ledto the town’s downfall.On this site, immediatelypast the gate is the forum(each of its sides is 49 m/161ft long), which is flanked onthree sides by vast Corinthiancolumns. Its most importantfeature is the Capitol temple(one of the largest in Africa),which is dedicated to Jupiter,Juno and Minerva. Fragmentsof the 70-m (230-ft) statue ofJupiter are kept in the BardoMuseum, in Tunis (seepp88–9). On the forum’s south western side stands theTemple of Mercury (3rdcentury), which has eightcolumn bases arrangedin a circle. The southeasternside of the forum features a small temple and was oncethe site of the town’sadministrative buildings.
Located on the tradingroute betweenSousse and Carthage,surrounded byfertile land,Thuburbo Majusgrew rapidly. Mostof the public buildings andhomes decoratedwith mosaics datefrom the 2nd and3rd centuries. In the4th century some ofthe buildings wereextended and thetown’s name waschanged to ResPublica FelixThuburbo Majus.However, thecontinuing conflicts between Donatists andCatholics, Vandal raids andfinally the Arab invasion ledto the town’s downfall.On this site, immediatelypast the gate is the forum(each of its sides is 49 m/161ft long), which is flanked onthree sides by vast Corinthiancolumns. Its most importantfeature is the Capitol temple(one of the largest in Africa),which is dedicated to Jupiter,Juno and Minerva. Fragmentsof the 70-m (230-ft) statue ofJupiter are kept in the BardoMuseum, in Tunis (seepp88–9). On the forum’s south western side stands theTemple of Mercury (3rdcentury), which has eightcolumn bases arrangedin a circle. The southeasternside of the forum features a small temple and was oncethe site of the town’sadministrative buildings.
Beyond the forum, just to theright, are the Summer Baths.These occupy an area of 2.8sq km (1.1 sq miles). They were once decorated withstatues of Aesculapius,Hercules, Mercury and Venusand with exquisite mosaicsthat can now be seen in the Bardo Museum. The entranceled to the changing room;further on was thefrigidarium with three pools,the tepidarium (the warmroom), the caldarium (thesteam baths) and thesudatorium (the sweat room).Adjacent to it was thePalaestra of the Petronii(AD 225), an exercise yardenclosed within Corinthiancolumns that is named afterthe rich family who funded it.The letters engraved on thepavement at the south endform the board of the “36letters” game that was widely used to learn the alphabet.Higher up the hill are theWinter Baths, a well preserved complex with a black-and-white mosaic floor.
The southern section ofThuburbo Majus contains atemple dedicated to Baal –the layout indicates Romanand Punic influence in equalmeasures. To the east of itstood the sanctuary ofCaelestis, which was laterconverted into a three-aislechurch. The Roman cellarbecame the baptistry andthe forecourt of the templewas turned into a cemetery.Occasionally, a procession isheld here in honour of StPerpetua, a saint who died amartyr’s death at Carthage.
