The remains of the ancient Roman city of Thamugadi, also known as Timgad, are located northeast of present-day Algeria, in the Batna province. Originally called Colonia Marciana Ulpia Traiana Thamugadi, it was founded as a Roman military colony around AD 100, during the reign of Emperor Trajan. Often described as Africa’s Pompeii, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is considered one of the best urban examples from Roman times, featuring all the elements of a large Roman town, including an orthogonal grid plan, two main oriented streets, a large forum, baths, markets, a library, a theatre, and an imposing Capitol.
The founding of Thamugadi was closely linked to the presence and activities of Legio III Augusta, which had been stationed at Lambaesis since AD 81. Under the command of the legatus augusti pro praetore Lucius Munatius Gallus, the Third Augustan Legion received orders from Trajan to establish a colony for its veterans. The new city lay on the road coming north from Cirta (Constantine), and on the west-east road stretching from Lambaesis to Theveste (Tébessa), then north-east to Ammaedara (Haïdra) and Carthage. The city was named after Trajan’s sister, Ulpia Marciana (AD 48-112), and the name Thamugadi likely originated from the Berber word for the location where the city was established.
The Emperor Caesar Nerva Trajan Augustus Germanicus, son of the Divine Nerva, High Pontiff, holding the Tribunician power for the fourth time, Consul for the third time, Father of the Country, founded the Colonia Marciana Trajana of Thamugadi, through the efforts of the Third Augustan Legion (under the command of) L. Munatius Gallus, Imperial Propraetorian Legate. Dedication marking the founding of the city, AD 100
Together with Lambaesis, Diana Veteranorum and Mascula, Thamugadi formed part of a network of military settlements responsible for monitoring and controlling the military routes through the mountains.
Roman Rule in North Africa (146 BCE to 395 CE). Hadrian ordered the soldiers of the Third Legion to pave the military road between Carthage and Theveste (CIL VIII 10081) and to construct a road from Rusicada to Cirta (CIL 08 10296). Map created by Simeon Netchev (link)
Initially, Thamugadi occupied an area of 12 hectares. Its regular grid, inscribed in a square with sides of 355 meters, was divided into four parts by two intersecting main streets that run north–south (cardo maximus) and east–west (decumanus maximus). Over the next 300 years, the city expanded beyond the original grid, increasing from 12 hectares to 50 hectares, and added new quarters, totalling 111 blocks (insulae), each measuring 20 meters square. At its peak, the city’s population reached 15,000. An inscription in the forum sums up life in Timgad: “venari lavari ludere ridere occ est vivere” (“to hunt, to go to the baths, to play, to laugh: this is to live”).
Christianity prevailed in Thamugadi in the 4th century AD, and it was one of the most prominent centres of the Donatist movement, a Christian sect that challenged the Catholic Church and the Roman Empire. The Vandals destroyed the city in 430. Some years later, in 484, it suffered attacks from the Mauri, causing the population to leave. The Byzantines recaptured and rebuilt the city, integrating it into Byzantine North Africa until the Arab invasion devastated the region. By the 8th century AD, Thamugadi had become uninhabited.
The museum, located at the site’s entrance, features a collection of over 80 mosaics, including the mosaic of Neptune on his chariot, Artemis and Actaeon, and Venus riding on the back of a marine centaur.
PORTFOLIO
The Cardo Maximus (north–south-oriented street), looking towards the North Gate. The Cardo Maximus was 180 m long and 5 m wide. It was paved with slabs of bluish limestone and lined with porticoes.Side street with wheel ruts.The Small Northern Baths, one of the fourteen public bathing establishments which have been identified in the city.The Public Library, built in the late 3rd century or early 4th century AD on the site of a pre-existing private house.A certain Marcus Julius Quintianus Flavius Rogatianus donated 400,000 sesterces to his hometown to fund the Public Library.Inscription recording that M. Quintianus Flavius Rogatianus left the sum of 400,000 sesterces in his will for the construction of the Public Library. (AE 1908, 0012). The inscription, which once surmounted the entrance to this building, now lies against the rear wall of the courtyard.One of the small city blocks measuring 20 square metres.A secondary street separating two small city blocks near the Forum.A very well-preserved public latrine next to the Forum with seat armrests carved in the form of dolphins.The Forum, a vast square (50 × 43 m), paved with blue limestone and surrounded on all four sides by Corinthian colonnades raised two steps above the central area.Laid out when the colony was founded, the construction of the Forum took place progressively during the first half of the 2nd century AD. In the Forum were important buildings such as the curia, a basilica and a small tetrastyle temple dedicated to Victoria.Board game carved into the pavement with Latin inscription Venari, lavari, luderi, rideri, occ (=hoc) est vivere (to hunt, to bathe, to play, to laugh, that is life). CIL VIII 17938.The Forum was full of statues, of which a number of bases remain in position.Statues in the Forum included those of the gods Mercury, Marsyas, Fortuna Augusta, Victoria Augusta, Concord, as well as several statues of emperors, including those of Trajan, Antoninus Pius, Septimius Severus, and Caracalla.Building/dedicatory inscription in the Forum dedicated to Antoninus Pius and set up by consul designatus Lucius Matuccius Fuscinus, dated AD 158/9.The East Market lining the decumanus maximus with an internal courtyard featuring two intersecting semicircles, each adorned with its own portico.The peristyle, featuring Corinthian porticoes, of the House of the Raised Flower-Beds, which was accessed from the decumanus maximus adjacent to the Forum.View from the Forum looking south.The Theatre, located south of the Forum. Cut into the side of a natural hillock, it had a capacity of 3,500 to 4,000 spectators.The lower part of the cavea of the theatre is reasonably well preserved, as is the orchestra. Nothing, however, remains of the stage building (scaenafrons).View of the city from the theatre with the so-called Arch of Trajan in the background.One of the small city blocks with the Capitolium and the so-called Arch of Trajan in the background.The Great South Baths, founded in the 2nd century AD and enlarged in AD 198 by decree of the decurions.The caldarium of the Great South Baths with the remains of the hypocaust underfloor heating system. Twelve statues decorated the baths, including portraits of the emperors Valerian and Gallienus (left statue base) and Crispina, the wife of Commodus (right statue base).Semi-circular latrine in the Great South Baths. It had 28 seats and was originally paved with a fine mosaic of aquatic creatures.The Great South Baths, located at the intersection of four roads, featured a fountain at the corner where the southbound cardo curves to the west.One of the streets running parallel to the Cardo Maximus.View of Thamugadi looking north with the so-called Arch of Trajan on the west side.The road leading towards the Capitolium and the so-called Arch of Trajan.The ruins of the Capitolium, dedicated to the Capitoline triad of Jupiter, Juno and Minerva, built outside of the Forum in the mid-2nd century AD. The temple was not part of the original city layout.The Capitolium stood on a massive podium (53 × 23 m in plan and 6.7 m high) approached by a flight of 38 steps. The cella (17 × 11 m), of which only the foundations remain, was surrounded on three sides by columns 14 m high, on top of which were huge Corinthian capitals (in two parts) 1.6 m high.View of Thamugadi from the area of the Capitolium, looking north.Columns from the east portico of the Capitolium.View of Thamugadi from the area of the Capitolium, looking north.View of Thamugadi from the area of the Capitolium, looking northeast.Market of Sertius, built in the beginning of the 3rd century AD.The rectangular peristyle court of the Market of Sertius terminating in an apse. Three permanent stalls with stone counters stood on either side of the entrance at the north end, while nine more were arranged around the apse.Shop counters in the apse of the Market of Sertius. The roof of the apse was supported by the columns of the main portico, extending across the diameter and around the hemicycle, via engaged colonettes and architraves, which were in turn supported by elaborately carved console brackets.The rectangular peristyle court of the Market of Sertius with the theatre in the background.Temple dedicated to the Genius of the Colony, built in AD 169 under Marcus Aurelius.The so-called Arch of Trajan, a triple arch built on the Decumanus Maximus at the beginning of the 3rd century AD during the reign of Septimius Severus, on the site of the West Gate of the Trajanic colony. Its modern appellation is the result of an erroneous interpretation of an inscription at the beginning of the twentieth century.The so-called Arch of Trajan was 12 metres high and had three arches, with the central one used for wheeled traffic, while those on the side were for pedestrians.View from the Decumanus Maximus towards the Forum and the Theatre.The Great North Baths.View of the city from the Great North Baths.
Timgad Museum
The museum of Timgad is located at the entrance of the site. It features a particularly impressive collection of over 80 mosaics and other significant artefacts discovered at the site.Mosaic of the Philadelphi. The central panel depicts the pursuit of Antiope (represented as a Maenad) by Zeus, disguised as a satyr, and bears the inscription “FILADELFIS VITA” (Long life to the Philadelphians). Dated early 3rd century AD.Neptune in his chariot, from the East Baths of Thamugadi. The god brandishes his trident as he stands in his chariot, which is drawn by four sea horses. Dated 3rd century AD.Artemis and Actaeon Mosaic, from a private house in Thamugadi. Dated 3rd century AD.Mosaic with vegetal and floral designs.Museum of Timgad.Marine Venus mosaic, depicting the goddess as naked, seated on the back of a marine centaur, accompanied by another sea centaur. From a private house in Thamugadi. Dated 3rd century AD.Mosaic with vegetal and floral designs.Mosaic with fruits.Funerary stelai dedicated to Saturn.Carved offering table from a stele dedicated to Saturn.
Blas de Roblès, Jean-Marie; Sintes, Claude; Kenrick, Philip. Classical Antiquities of Algeria: A Selective Guide (p. 127). Society for Libyan Studies. pp. 375-444
Thuburbo Majus is a well-preserved Roman site in northern Tunisia, located on a fertile plain just 60 kilometres southwest of Tunis. The city was founded as a Roman veteran colony by Augustus in 27 BC and features impressive ruins, including a forum, capitolium, amphitheatre, temples, baths, and houses.
The city, whose name Thuburbo indicates Berber origins, experienced a period of Punic occupation from the 3rd to 2nd centuries BC. The Romanisation process started during Augustus’ reign when he established a Roman veteran colony. This allowed military veterans to begin their post-army lives with land of their own. Hadrian elevated the city to the status of a municipium, known as Municipium Aelium Hadrianum Augustum, which encouraged an urban boom. A few decades later, Commodus declared the city a colonia, which was given the more impressive title of Colonia Julia Aurelia Commoda.
The town’s elevated status led to further construction projects, including the Forum and the Capitolium. Thuburbo Majus thrived and developed into a significant provincial metropolis with around 10,000 inhabitants. Luxurious residences adorned with intricate mosaics and a variety of public monuments were built.
Several ruins in Thuburbo Majus indicate the presence of Christianity, including a temple that was converted into a church in the late 5th century AD. The city began to decline in the early 6th century AD and appears to have been gradually abandoned during the 7th century AD.
The site has been partially excavated, with the initial work carried out by French archaeologist Charles Joseph Tissot in 1857. The significance of the discoveries was so great that excavations continued for another century (1936). Many mosaics were unearthed and removed from the site, now housed in the Bardo Museum in Tunis.
PORTFOLIO
The House of the Trussed Animals, the Baths of the Capitol and the Capitolium.The House of the Trussed Animals. The house was laid out around a peristyle (9 x 1.80m) that enclosed a garden bounded by eight columns. A large triclinium, an oecus and a cubicula opened toward the garden.The well-preserved Forum was built between AD 161 and 192. It was a vast square covering an area of about 1,400 m², surrounded by porticoes of cipollino green columns on three sides. The northwest side of this square is occupied by the Capitolium, in front of which a large masonry altar was erected.The Forum.The Capitolium was built on a massive podium in AD 168 and was dedicated to the Capitoline Triad of gods: Jupiter, Juno and Minerva.The Capitolium stood on a high podium with then fluted Corinthian columns of pink limestone. The building included carved Latin dedications to Marcus Aurelius, Commodus and the triad of Jupiter, Juno and Minerva. It was reached by a wide flight of stairs leading up from the Forum.The Capitolium’s vaulted basement rooms were converted into cisterns, while the basement of the cella was transformed into an oil mill. The pressing platform, counterweight, and settling basins of the oil mill still remain.The Temple of Peace, northeast of the forum. The temple had a marble-paved courtyard and a peristyle leading to a large marble hall. A statue of peace is thought to have once stood here.Stone relief of Pegasus in the Temple of Peace with the Capitolium in the background.View towards the Macellum (market), the Temple of Mercury and the Capitolium.The House of Bacchus and Ariadne. This large house, occupying most of an insula, dates to its current form from the early 5th century AD. The rooms were arranged around a peristyle garden. The mosaic depicting Bacchus and Ariadne in the large room that opens off the northwest portico gave the house its name. The southwestern part of the house was dedicated to business activities, including the production of olive oil.The Palestra of the Petronii, built in AD 225 at the expense of Petronius Felix and his sons.The Palaestra of the Petronii was a square courtyard surrounded by a Corinthian portico located between two baths. It was used for games and gymnastic activities (wrestling, boxing, pankration) before bathing.The Corinthian portico of the Palaestra of the Petronii with a relief depicting a Maenads, a female follower of Bacchus.Part of the dedicatory inscription that stood on the portico. It indicates that the construction of the palaestra was also financed by the decurions. ILAfr 00271The Summer Baths. They covered an area of approximately 2800 m² and were restored in AD 136.The Summer Baths had cold, warm, and hot rooms, fed from three large cisterns. The rooms were all lavishly decorated with marble, mosaics, and fountains.The Temple of Caelestis (Tanit). Very little remains of the Temple of Caelestis, originally the Carthaginian goddess Tanit (the wife of Baal Hammon), except the gate and a Punic column. The temple was turned into a church in the 6th century AD.The Temple of Baalat, a small square temple dedicated to the Punic goddess Baalat, chief goddess of the ancient city of Byblos (Gebal) in Phoenicia.The Temple Baalat, whose plan shows both Roman and Oriental influence, features a semicircular porticoed courtyard with an angular outline, preceded by a small prostyle temple that stands on a podium.The Temple of Ceres, turned into a church. The temple had a 900m2 courtyard decorated with mosaics and a portico with three gateways. Later, this portico became a church, and the cella became the baptistery.The Temple of Ceres, turned into a church. Numerous tombs were placed in the church, one of which revealed jewels.The Eastern Gate. Thuburbo Majus was not fortified, so it had no walls. The entrance to the town was marked by celebratory arches, one of which still stands on a hill to the east of the site.The ruins of the amphitheatre on the outskirts of the site.The south entrance of the amphitheatre.A massive cistern that supplied the town with water. It was once vaulted in concrete.The Western Gate.The Winter Baths, completed between AD 392 and 408. The bathhouse had more than 20 rooms organised around the frigidarium and covered an area of approximately 1600m².A hall in the Winter Baths with columns from Simitthus (Chemtou).Latrines in the Winter Baths, located to the southwest of the frigidarium.The House of Neptune (Maison de Neptune) is one of the best-preserved houses in Thuburbo Majus. It is a large residence in the early 3rd century AD. The house was laid out around a peristyle garden, with four porticos supported by twelve columns. A low wall separated the porticos from the garden.The peristyle garden of the House of Neptune (Maison de Neptune) has a semicircular basin on the east side, originally decorated with a scene showing Oceanus.Fountain basin from the House of Neptune with a scene showing Oceanus surrounded by sea monsters carrying Nereids. National Museum of Bardo.A room paved with polychrome geometric mosaic in the House of Neptune (Maison de Neptune).
following hadrian photography 