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This room features a Roman thermae discovered in Acholla, 40km north of Sfax. They have rooms for cold baths (frigidarium) and others for warm baths (caldarium). The frigidarium comprises a large rectangular room flanked by two long wings, two bathtubs, a swimming pool and a room with two apses. The caldarium comprises several rooms all of which are fairly small. The majority of the rooms are paved with sumptuous mosaics (most of them are exhibited in this room), some of which have figurative patterns.
Written Feb 16, 2008
The best and oldest of Africa's mosaics are located on the second floor and come from the Trajan Baths. One mosaic of Ulysses and the Sirens is based on the Odyssey and comes from Dougga, dating from around 260 AD.
Written Feb 16, 2008
When I entered this huge room I was instantly struck by its wonderful domed ceiling. I then looked down and saw a huge 2nd century AD mosaic from a Sousse villa of a wealthy horse breeder covering nearly 140 sq metres. The mosaic is that of Neptune's triumph where he is naked on a charriot pulled by four sea-horses surrounded by 56 medallions and hexagons representing nereids and tritons and sirens on sea-monsters. This room also features a huge marble foot from belonging to a 7.5m statue of Jupiter from Thuburbo Majus.
Written Feb 16, 2008
This room features a reconstruction of a ROman courtyard garden with 4 large urns that have been reconstructed from original remains. In the centre is a small pool. Surrounding the garden are some huge mosaics with nautical themes.
Written Feb 16, 2008
Statues and mosaics from Carthage fill the museums centrepiece room which is a grand, colonnaded reception room with an icing sugar ceiling. There is a huge statue of Jupiter Capitoline from the Odeon in Carthage and one of Venus the goddess of love hiding her bosom under her gown.
Written Feb 16, 2008
This area of the museum was once the ruling beys private apartment which is decorated with tiles and stuccoed and now contains the onlt contemporary portrait of the poet Virgil listening to Clio and Melpomene. This mosaic was found in Sousse and is one of the jewels of the museum.
Written Feb 16, 2008
The last room on the ground floor features heads of Roman emperors such as Auguste from El-Jem, Vitellius, Vespasian from Bulla Regia, Trajan from Thuburbo Majus, Lucius Verus from Dougga, Severus and Gordian from Carthage.
Written Feb 16, 2008
In the centre of this room lies the 6th century cruciform baptismal fonr from El-Kantara. On the surrounding walls are wonderful early Christian mosaics including Daniel in the lion's den from a 5th century mausoleum and other mosaics from chapels. There is also an unusual tomb mosaic covering a sarcophagus containing two skeletons.
Written Feb 16, 2008
After entering through the entrance to the museum on the ground floor, there's a series of rooms on the right where the first exhibits prehistoric remains. One of the most unusual exhibits is a recreation of a 40,000 year old religious monument that looks like a pile of stones! The stones are mixed with bones and teeth of animals and pieces of flint and it all had a connection with the worship of Hermes.
Written Feb 16, 2008
The museum is housed in a wonderful palace that was the former official residence of the Husseinite beys that was built in the 13th century. It was later rebuilt in the 17th century and enlarged by a succession of Husseinites before becoming a museum in 1888. When you're visiting look at the building as well as the exhibits! You get the chance to walk round the private apartments of the Husseinite beys, a banqueting hall, courtyard and a music room.
Written Feb 16, 2008
The Bardo Museum is a must visit whilst in Tunis. Located a few kilometres west of the Medina and city centre, the museum is dominated by a vast collection of wonderful Roman mosaics that once adorned...
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