| Bulla Regia بولا ريجيا | |
.jpg/250px-Bulla_Regia_(413045219).jpg) | |
| State | Tunisia |
|---|---|
| Region | Northern Tunisia |
| Institutional website | |
Bulla Regia is an archaeological site of the Northern Tunisia.
To know
| The opus africanum |
 Opus africanum to Bulla Regia The Roman sites of Tunisia feature a constructive structure called opus africanum, because it is widely used in the Roman regions of Africa. L'opus africanum it consists of a "frame" obtained by inserting stone pillars and then completed with a filling of smaller and irregularly shaped stones, sometimes tied with earth or mortar. |
This Roman archaeological site features several buildings still standing as well as several perfectly preserved mosaics.
Geographical notes
The site is located in the western part of the country 5 km north of the city of Jendouba. The remains lie on flat ground with some small differences in height, the landscape is bare and with low vegetation.
When to go
It is advisable to visit this site in the middle of the season, in the summer the high temperatures can make the visit exhausting since there are very few shaded spots.
Background
The Berber origins of Bulla Regia probably precede its Punic culture. There are numerous testimonies of an ancient occupation of the site: a megalithic necropolis located south of the current archaeological park and particularly well preserved, tombs with wells and neo-Punic steles. Furthermore, Greek ceramics dating back to the 4th century BC have been found.
In the 2nd century BC the city was under the influence of Carthage. The excavations reveal an integration of the city with Mediterranean trade.
In 156 BC became the capital of the Numidian kingdom of Massinissa which remains a kingdom subject to Rome. The city therefore received its epithet of "real" (Regia). The royal cities of Numidia are secondary capitals with both economic and political roles.
In 46 BC the Romans regained direct control of the city, this is rewarded by Julius Caesar for its conduct and gives it the status of a free city, preserving its territory and its traditional political organization. The city obtains the statute of city Hall on the initiative of Vespasian. Under the reign of Adriano, became an honorary colony with the name of Colonia Aelia Hadriana Augusta Bulla Regia, giving its inhabitants full Roman citizenship and acquiring local political institutions that mimicked those of Rome.
In the period of the emergence of Christianity, the city endowed itself with a bishop from 256, Augustine of Hippo considers the city totally Christianized since 399.
The Aryan persecution of the Vandal era led to the massacre of Catholics in the basilica. The city loses its importance under the rule of the Byzantine Empire.
Aglabid and Fatimid glazed pottery fragments from the 9th and 10th centuries, discovered during excavations, suggest a continuation of the occupation of the site until it was completely abandoned.
The rediscovery of the site took place through the first European explorers who arrived in 1853. The excavations of the tombs and basilicas began at the end of the 19th century, as well as the first explorations of the thermal baths of Julia Memmia. But the first real excavations began only in 1906, then continuing between 1909 and 1924 at the large thermal baths. In 1955, the works stabilized the ruins of the thermal baths, allowing you to move from one monument to another and get an idea of the configuration of the ancient city.
How to get
By plane
The nearest airport is that of Tunis.
By car
The car is the best way to visit the site. From Tunis take the A3 motorway and drive it entirely for 121 km, then take the C59 for 22 km. Travel time is approximately 2 hours.
The car must be parked in the1 special space on the opposite side of the site, where the ticket office and the museum are located.
Permits / Rates
The cost of the ticket is 8 DT. The site is open from 16 September to 31 May: 08: 30-17: 30, from 01 June to 15 September: 08: 00-19: 00, during Ramadan: 8: 30-17: 00.
How to get around
Bulla Regia: full screen map.
Within the site you can move on foot. The terrain can be rough and several areas are not wheelchair accessible.
The site is devoid of indications except at the entrance where the main features are explained and there is a map. In all other parts the explanations have been detached, perhaps by the tour guides themselves who hope to be able to provide a valid service. We suggest using this page or pre-downloading an app with Openstreetmaps to navigate the monuments.
What see
1 Theater of Bulla Regia. The Bulla Regia theater was built underneath Marcus Aurelius is Lucio Vero and renovated in the 4th century. Here St. Augustine around 399 he would have delivered one of his sermons that condemned the propensity of the inhabitants of the city to leisure and theater. The building is well preserved, in one room a group of four statues have been discovered, now exhibited at the National Museum of Bardo representing Marcus Aurelius, Lucio Aurelio Vero and their respective wives, Faustina and Lucilla, represented as Ceres.
- The arcades on the street that supported the upper levels of the steps of the cavea are still visible. The galleries, the cavea and the stage are in a satisfactory state of conservation, while only a few vestiges of the stage wall remain. A flooring in opus sectile and a mosaic depicting a bear occupy the building's orchestra.
- 2 Temple of Apollo (At the forum, near the Capitol). This temple probably stands on a Punic temple dedicated to Baal. The building was renovated in the 3rd century AD. inside, statues were found today on display at the Bardo Museum, while the statues of Apollo Citaredo, Cerere and Asculapio now occupy the Bulla Regia room on the ground floor of the museum. The temple is the union of three shrines because the divinity is the deus patrius poliad. The decoration of the cell is composed ofopus sectile.
- 3 Bulla Regia Museum (next to the ticket office). The museum exhibits some of the finds from Bulla Regia. In the first room there are some Punic and Neo-Punic steles with representations of the symbol of Tanit and human representations. The remains of a temple presumed to be dedicated to Tanit occupy the center, notably an Ionic capital with motifs of the Tanit symbol on one of its faces. In the second room, there are funeral stones. In November 2019 it was closed.
- 4 Terme di Julia Memmia (The first building you meet at the entrance on the right). This building is one of the four baths present in Bulla Regia and is also the best preserved. It was built during the reign of Alexander Severus between 222 and 235 A.D. An inscription found here tells of the high cost incurred for the construction of the baths, while other archaeological researches testify to use of the baths up to the Byzantine era. The elevations are well preserved, there are many visible arches and even mosaics incredibly left open and walkable by visitors. Although this possibility is left, it is still advisable to respect them!
- 5 Hunting house (From the Terme di Julia Memmia proceed north). This house (now underground) has a well-preserved perithylum but does not have an atrium as is typical of ancient but also recent African dwellings. The rooms are located around the peristyle from which they took most of the light and air, in them simple floor mosaics are preserved. In addition, there is a private basilica dating from the first half of the 4th century with an apse and a transept.
- 6 House of Amphitrite (the northernmost house a short distance from the hunting lodge). This house, in addition to maintaining the original walls, has covered rooms (now underground) with splendid internal mosaics from which the house takes its name (erroneously). in fact, one of the figures represented is not Amphitrite but a marine Venus. The error arose from the interpretation given by the first archaeologists who had mistakenly identified the female character as Amphitrite, wife of Neptune. The use of this representation has an apotropaic purpose: that is to ward off the evil eye. The naked goddess is surrounded by tritons, two geniuses who are about to put a crown over her head and two cupids who bring her a mirror and a box of jewels. A large number of fish is represented in the lower part of the composition, their presence contributes to the first misinterpretation of the work.
- 7 Church of the priest Alexander (near the large southern thermal baths, outside the archaeological park). The remains of this building are not very impressive. The excavations of 1914 have brought to light the presence of burnt finds (glass vases, large ceramic plates and above all amphorae). The identification with a religious building is due to a cross offered by a priest named Alexander and in particular to an inscription drawn with a psalm engraved on a door lintel. The aforementioned discoveries and the structure of the building suggest a storage place or a fortified building from the Byzantine era
- 8 Byzantine fort (الحصن البيزنطي).
- 9 Capitol (West of the hole). This was the main building of the city but of which very little remains today.
Church of the priest Alexander
Memorial stone with Tanit symbol and Latin inscription
House of the Peacock
- 10 Peacock house (Next to the hunting lodge). The house takes its name from the mosaic of a peacock with a vase next to it.
- 11 Roman-Punic stones (At the entrance to the site). These stones testify to the syncretism between the two civilizations as there are Punic symbols, such as the crescent of the goddess Tanit and a Latin inscription.
- 12 New hunting lodge (Just north of the hunting lodge, in the same island). Located next to the hunting lodge, and therefore confusing due to the continuity of construction, it is a building with several rooms and still visible rooms that are now underground. Many mosaics including an inscription on display: ΕΝ ΣΕ ΑΥΤΩ ΤΑΣ ΕΛΠΙΔΑΣ ΗΧΗ (put hope in yourself).
- 13 Terme dei Venantii (In front of the house of Amphitrite). What remains of this building important is a pool decorated with mosaic with the inscription Venatiorium Baiae.
- 14 Hole (North of the theater). The forum, with an area of over 1,000 m2, is bordered by the Capitol to the west, the temple of Apollo to the north and a civil basilica to the east. In addition, epigraphic traces of other traditional elements were discovered such as: rostrums or tribunes and a tabularium. The access to the square was through two doors, so the place was a closed and not open space. The square is bordered by a colonnade on three of its sides. The various vestiges are in a bad state of conservation.
- 15 Market (south of the hole). The market is relatively late, its construction dates back to the 3rd century. The relatively modest building is a rectangle of about 11.90 meters by 12.60 meters surrounded by a portico and with an apse on one of its sides. Two sides to the north and south each have six shops, and access to the building could be closed.
- 16 Treasure house. A jug containing Byzantine coins dating back to the 7th century was discovered in the treasure house.
What to do
The site can also be visited with a tour guide who sometimes also speaks Italian.
Shopping
There is a souvenir shop next to the ticket office.
Where to eat
Next to the ticket office there is a restaurant and a cafeteria that are qualitatively questionable, but for emergencies they can be useful. In case of low tourist frequency, the owner should be sought because he may have gone away to chat with someone.
Where stay
There are no hotels near the site. All visitors stay in other nearby locations.
Safety
The safety of the site is guaranteed by the presence of the Armed National Guard who watches over visitors. However, as often happens, they take up conversation explaining the monuments in the hope of being able to pocket some money for the favor rendered. The suggestion is to explicitly say that you prefer to visit alone.
There are public toilets next to the ticket office.
How to keep in touch
Telephony
There is a telephone signal but there are no related services.
Internet
No wifi signal, not even at the bar and restaurant.
Around
- Thugga - The beautiful Roman Unesco site is about 70 km away, about 1 hour and 20 minutes by car.
Other projects
Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Bulla Regia
Commons contains images or other files on Bulla Regia
