#sbeitla

[wgm-beautiful-world]

The Baptistry basin of the Byzantine Basilica of Saint Vitalis in Sbeitla, TUNISIA

[sheltiechicago]

Ancient Roman Ruins In Tunisia - Baptism Basin Of Basilica Of St. Vitale, Sbeitla

‘World Beauties And Wonders’

[dknuth]

Sbeitla and Mactar

Sbeitla is a small city in west-central Tunisia but in the Byzantine era it was a major city, built on the production of olive oil from the extensive olive groves. In the Islamic conquest of Tunisia, it was a focal point and the first major city to fall.

The ruins are particularly notable for the arch of Diocletian, the capitol temples, and the extensive residential areas.

As you move through the town you pass the theater.

Numerous baths and residential areas and the remains of Christian churches. Since this was mainly a Byzantine town there were quite a few churches.

The arrangement of the walls and the presence of a baptismal font are about the only indications of a church. Although the difference between a baptismal font and a pool in a house can come down to the decorations.

Fish are a good indication of a residential pool.

In the one bath complex the floor of the hypocaust heating can still be seen. This is unusual as these floors usually are crushed when the roof vaults collapse.

As you approach the capitol there is another smaller arch, that of Antoninus Pius.

The three temples of the capitol are particularly well preserved.

As you drive out of town you can see stones of residential ruins all through the olive groves.

Then we headed up into the mountains to Mactar at 3,000 feet. This elevation makes for a very pleasant climate, at least in summer.

From the little museum, we took a winding ancient road up the hill to the ruins of the town center.

The forum was now just a large open paved place with an arch at the end.

The ruins of the baths were the best so far in Tunisia with enough structure to get the feeling of the place.

In an area where marble would have been expensive, it's interesting to see the effect of patterned marble in the mosaic flooring.

It doesn't look that impressive, but when new and polished and the colors bright it was probably very nice.

Then it was back on the bus to Kairouan for the night.

[ukdamo]

Today's Flickr photo with the most hits was taken en route frm Sbeitla to Tamerza, Tunisia.

[ancientcharm]

Triumphal arch of Antoninus and Marcus Aurelius in front of the temples.

(2nd century AD).  Sbeitla, Tunisia

Photographer: Wael Frikha23 /CC BY-SA 4.0/Wikimedia Commons

(1436x2160)

[delicatuscii-wasbella102]

“Ancient Roman ruins in Tunisia - Baptism basin of Basilica of St. Vitale, Sbeitla” by Sanetosane

[han-duet]

The forum and the temples of Sufetula, Africa Proconsularis.  (Sbeitla, Tunisia)

1. Arch of Antoninus Pius that leads to the courtyard of the Forum, and its Capitoline temples, built in 139 AD, according to an inscription at the entrance archway. Photo: Dennis Jarvis

2. Capitoline temples: Minerva (left), Jupiter (center), Juno (right). Photo: Bernard Gagnon

[ateneanike]

Sbeitla, Túnez. Este yacimiento preserva los tres templos de la Tríada Capitolina, es decir dedicados a Minerva, Juno y Júpiter.

[transparentgentlemenmarker]

Ancien bassin de baptême de l'église byzantine St Vitalis. Fin du 6e siècle ap. J.C. Sbeitla, Tunisie

[gentlyepigrams]

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#5

A Roman gold snake bracelet found on the arm of a woman who was killed by Mount Vesuvius’ eruption in 79 CE near Pompeii, inscribed on the inside 'DOMINVS SVAE ANCILLAE' which means "From a master to his slave girl."

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Ancient Greek gold hairnet with a Medusa medallion. From the Greek city of Taras (Taranto, South Italy). ~Late 3rd Century BCE. 📷 Altes Museum, Berlin

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See the full post

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#2

The blending of shades between yellow & black in ombré stripes gives the impression that this early 1890s tea gown is glowing, fired by some unseen force to blaze across the skirt. It is a tea gown that cries out for an audience. Emile Pingat. National Gallery of Australia.

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My #1 post of 2022

The baptistry basin of the Byzantine Basilica of St Vitalis in ancient Sufetula, today known as Sbeitla in Tunisia. 5th-6th century CE

2,627 notes - Posted January 13, 2022

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[ancientoriginses]

La cuenca del baptisterio de la basílica bizantina de San Vitalis en la antigua Sufetula, hoy conocida como Sbeitla, Túnez.

[dukeness01]

“Roman ruins of Sufetula in Sbeitla / Tunisia .”

[mogaiwriters]

ââ?¬Å?Roman ruins of Sufetula in Sbeitla / Tunisia .ââ?¬Â

[dknuth]

Chemtou and Althiburos

Today we visited a couple of sites of interest for singular facets.

Chemtou was the site of a Roman yellow marble quarry. There is an outcropping of this stone above the small town that was shipped all over the empire.

Romans seem to have loved using a wide variety of marble. Was it just the appreciation of the variety or was it showing off the breadth of the empire to have such a variety available. Marble is not light and to ship it all around the Mediterranean can't have been inexpensive.

There is a small museum in Chemtou with samples of the marble in use and information on the trade in marble.

Above the town is the outcropping where the marble was quarried..

So it was a quick stop along the way, but definitely not a destination.

After lunch in Le Kef, we drove on to Althiburos, a site in pretty poor condition and with minimal excavation. The theater has one wall barely standing, and only with props.

The pavement of the forum is defined, but little else to see of the town.

The reason we were stopping was a tophet that was found here. A tophet is an infant burial ground. They were a particular Carthaginian item and a source of great controversy over the last couple of millennia. There were references in Roman and Greek literature of child sacrifice in Carthage. But Carthage was an enemy of both sources, so there was probably a tendency to cast Carthage in a negative light. More recent studies indicate that these burials were for children who died young or in childbirth. Why were the graves gathered in one location? We don't know. Maybe to place them in a place protected by a god? These questions make tophets an object of study. So finding one far from the coast in a location not known to be a large Punic city is of interest. More so to some archeologists than to people with a general interest in archeology like us.

In any case here is the tophet.

Just rows of tightly packed tombstones. It seems likely this is just an expression of grief at losing a child and burying them in a sacred place rather than evidence of child sacrifice. But it's hard to identify ancient motives, especially in a culture that was so thoroughly erased.

The area around the ancient town is pretty dry and so land with moisture is valued. The bottom land in the small stream through the ruins is still farmed.

And with that, we headed on to Sbeitla for the night. Another long day with a lot of time on the bus.

[ozarathustra]

ââ?¬Å?Roman ruins of Sufetula in Sbeitla / Tunisia .ââ?¬Â

[ancientcharm]

Front of the Arch of Emperor Antoninus Pius, 139 AD. Sbeitla, Tunisia.

Photographer: Agnieszka Wolska /CC BY-SA 3.0/ Wikimedia Commons