Last weekend we decided to take an impromptu visit to Oudna. This is the ancient Roman City of Uthina, located south of Tunis towards the aqueduct headwaters of Zaghouan. We had previously visited this site last year but honestly there is so much to see a 2nd visit was certainly in order.
Unbelievably, this site was left almost completely untouched until the late 1940's and it has only been since 1993 that the excavation work began. The site covers many square kilometres (it was a very large city back in 1AD), and there is about 1 square kilometre that is now excavated and can be explored. Many of the floor tiles remain intact. As well, a good part of a temple, an amphitheatre, the public baths and some residences are now available to be explored.
So since a picture is worth "a thousand words" ... here are some photos:
I'll try and upload a video here ... where you can hear a little bit of the music this herder was playing to his sheep ...
Unbelievably, this site was left almost completely untouched until the late 1940's and it has only been since 1993 that the excavation work began. The site covers many square kilometres (it was a very large city back in 1AD), and there is about 1 square kilometre that is now excavated and can be explored. Many of the floor tiles remain intact. As well, a good part of a temple, an amphitheatre, the public baths and some residences are now available to be explored.
So since a picture is worth "a thousand words" ... here are some photos:
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| The mosaic tiles still show pattern detail and colour! |
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| The temple steps, considered one of the largest temples of Roman Africa |
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| Temple's pillars, partially reconstructed |
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| View of the Oudna area from temple |
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| A "newly" discovered room, probably a residence |
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| Same room, showing some of the architectural details |
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| Oudna Countryside, along with a Sheep Herder playing his flute to keep the herd moving |
