Bulla Regia

Hammam Darradji

Tunisia · Jendouba

Ancient cityIntermittent excavation
Approximate period400 BCE — 1,200 CEFrom the Numidian period to approximately the end of the 12th century AD See on the map ↓

In brief

The city of Numidian origin is known for Roman houses with underground rooms decorated with mosaics. Excavations also investigate the city's Christianization in Late Antiquity and its use into the Middle Ages.

What was found?

  • 1Underground residential floors with mosaics

    The underground floors of the houses contain dining rooms and bedrooms. The mosaic pavement preserved in place in the House of Venüs shows the decorative approach used in the houses.

  • 2Numidian walls

    The remains of walls built with large stone blocks document the defenses of the pre-Roman city. They show that Bulla was already an urban settlement before coming under Roman rule.

  • 3Baths of Memmius

    An inscription states that Iulia Memmia, one of the city's prominent residents, commissioned the baths. The building is a concrete example of elite donations to public services.

  • 4Christian church on the city's outskirts

    Recent excavations uncovered a church outside the center. It provides evidence for the distribution of Christian places of worship around the city.

  • 5Extensive Christian cemetery

    The extensive cemetery found during excavations documents the burial grounds of the city's Christian community. It contributes to understanding the settlement's later history.

What does it point to?

Bulla Regia's houses, public baths and walls show urban life in different periods together. The church and cemetery finds complete the spatial traces left by the Christian community in the city.

What did it teach us?

  1. Bulla was shown to have been a walled city before Roman rule.
  2. The underground floors were documented as residential spaces containing dining rooms and bedrooms.
  3. The bath inscription revealed that a public building was commissioned by a specific donor.
  4. According to researchers, the city's abandonment was gradual; the process probably extended into the late 12th century AD.

Images

Bulla Regia (413045219)
hubbers · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Record

Culture
Numidian, Roman, Vandal, Byzantine and medieval Ifriqiyan cultures
Team / historical
Joint project of Tunisia's National Heritage Institute and University College London
Coordinates
36.5600°, 8.7541°

Sources

  1. ucl.ac.uk
  2. patrimoinedetunisie.com.tn
  3. inp2020.tn
  4. isaw.nyu.edu

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12.000

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