The archaeological site of Dougga (Latin: Thugga), located in northern Tunisia, is one of the best-preserved examples of a Roman town in North Africa. Spanning approximately 70 hectares, this UNESCO World Heritage Site provides a remarkable glimpse into the region’s urban planning, architecture, and daily life of ancient Roman and pre-Roman civilisations. Its hilltop location offers sweeping views and remarkably intact ruins, which make it one of the most significant and visually striking archaeological sites in the Mediterranean region. The site’s most famous monuments include the Libyco-Punic Mausoleum, the Capitolium, the Roman theatre, and the temples of Saturn and Juno Caelestis.
The ancient city of Thugga was initially a Numidian settlement that became a Carthaginian town. Its strategic location on a hilltop provided natural defences and commanding views of the fertile surrounding plains, making it an ideal site for settlement. By the 2nd century BC, Dougga had become the capital of Numidian King Masinissa, who used it as a base to support the Romans in their war against Carthage during the Second Punic War. When the Romans annexed the region in 46 BC following the Battle of Thapsus, Dougga evolved into a thriving provincial city (civitas) that blended Roman and indigenous influences. The city became a municipium in AD 205 during the reign of Septimius Severus and was raised to the rank of a colonia in AD 261 under Gallien.
Thugga, like other cities in Roman Africa, saw a significant increase in the construction of public monuments during the 2nd century AD. The Roman builders adapted to the rocky terrain and existing structures, altering the typical layout of their settlements. During the Byzantine period, the area around the Forum was converted into a small fort, destroying several important buildings to obtain the materials needed for its construction.
The site is renowned for its good state of preservation and substantial remains. Among its most iconic structures is the Capitolium, a temple dedicated to the Roman gods Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva. Another highlight is the theatre, which could accommodate up to 3,500 spectators and is still used for performances today. There are also remains of public and private buildings, including baths, cisterns and houses. Finally, the Libyco-Punic Mausoleum, a towering structure that predates Roman rule, is a unique example of Numidian architecture and offers valuable insights into pre-Roman funerary traditions. Most of the mosaics and other artefacts from Thugga are on display at the Bardo Museum in Tunis.
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The Theatre of Dougga was completed around the year 166 under Antoninus Pius. It was paid for by Publius Marcius Quadratus, a member of one of the wealthiest families in the city.Quite modest in size, the theatre could seat 3,500 people on its 19 semicircular tiers cut into the hill slope.The theatre stage had a central semi-circular niche with square niches on either side.The seating was divided into different areas by barriers and stairways and could be entered from the top or the sides.The inscription running along the summa cavea of the Theatre of Dougga (Tunisia) is dedicated to the salus of Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus and to Publius Marcus Quadratus, priest of the imperial cult, decurion, and the financier of the theatre. CIL 08, 26528
View of the theatre from the front with the inscription that stood across the frieze of the stage building. It commemorates the theatre donation by Publius Marcius Quadratus in AD 168-9. The inscription tells that he built the theatre with curtains and decorations when he became Flamen for life. He paid for these with his own money.View of Dougga from the Theatre.At the heart of Thugga was the Capitol, with the temples of Augustan Piety and Mercury, the Forum and the Macellum (market).The small Temple of August Piety and the Capitol.The small Temple of August Piety was probably built during the reign of Hadrian. It is composed of a semi-circular cella and a tetrastyle Corinthian portico. Seven steps of stairs provided access to the temple.The Square of the Wind Rose and the Capitol.The Square of the Wind Rose was built between AD 180 and 192. The semicircular square was named after a large compass engraving cut into the paving, naming the 12 winds. To the north stands the Temple of Mercury with its rectangular cella flanked by two exedrae.The Capitolium, dedicated to the Capitoline triad, Jupiter, Juno and Minerva, was built of local hard limestone in opus africanum during the joint reign of Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus in AD 166-167.The Capitol’s tetrastyle façade is characterised by four fluted columns, 8 m high, on the facade and two on the side.On the architrave of the Capitol, an engraved inscription commemorates the completion of the work and provides the names of the sponsors, Lucius Marcius Simplex and Lucius Marcius Simplex Regillianus. The temple is topped by a triangular pediment with a relief depicting the apotheosis of Antoninus Pius, raised to the skies by an eagle.
Statue base in the Forum dedicated to Marcus Aurelius by the late Nanneia Instania Fida, flaminica (priestess of the imperial cult) of Thugga, who promised two colossal statues of Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus costing 30,000 sesterces. Dated AD 173. AE 1914, 0176The Macellum (market), a simple courtyard bordered by small shops on each side, was constructed in AD 54. The market ended in an apse to the south, where a statue of Mercury stood. Two doorways led out to separate stairways, which descended to rooms below.Sanctuary from the time of Hadrian dedicated to Concordia, Frugifer, Liber Pater and Neptune. The complex consists of three parts: a temple (A), a courtyard (B) and a sacred theatre (C). A. Gabinius Datus (father) and M. Gabinius Bassus (son) donated the sanctuary to the city. The sum of 50,000 HS was initially promised and later increased. CIL 08, 01493Complex B (courtyard) of the Hadrianic sanctuary dedicated to Concordia, Frugifer, Liber Pater and Neptune. The square courtyard is surrounded on its four sides by a colonnaded portico. The north side consists of a great central cella flanked by two lateral cellae. The central cella has a central raised apse where the statue of Libe Pater must have stood. CIL, VIII, 26470Complex C (sacred theatre) of the Hadrianic sanctuary dedicated to Concordia, Frugifer, Liber Pater and Neptune. The theatre was built downhill to the south. It had no stage but a large orchestra closed to the southeast by a large wall preceded by a portico with six columns.The small Temple of Tellus, the goddess of crop fertility, built in AD 261. The Temple comprises a courtyard and three cellae occupying the entire northern width of the building. A peristyle, a step higher in level, surrounds the courtyard. The galleries all around were paved with a white tessera mosaic.
The road behind the Capitol leading west to the Arch of Alexander Severus.The Arch of Alexander Severus, built in AD 232, is a 4m-wide arch that once spanned a road that would have led to the city from the west.The Ain El Hammam Cisterns, which received water from an aqueduct. They had a total capacity of 6,000 m³ and were formed by five tanks measuring 34 x 5 meters each.The Temple of Juno Caelestis is dedicated to the Roman goddess Juno (an evolution of the Punic Moon Goddess Tanit). It was constructed between AD 222 and 235 during Alexander Severus’s reign.The Temple was built on the outer edges of the city. Its temenos is shaped like a crescent, a traditional symbol of Juno and Tanit.Inscription from the external frieze of the Temple of Caelestis records that it was financed by several members of the Gabinii family. CIL 08, 01474 Translation: Dedicated to Caelestis Augustus, Quintus Gabinius Rufus Felix Beatianus, increased the generosity of his parents, he had (this sanctuary) built and made its dedication.Thugga’s residential quarter. The layout of the homes is clearly visible.The House of Dionysus and Ulysses was built during the second half of the 3rd century AD. This one-storey house had a stickling rich decoration largely inspired by the Dionysian myths and the episode of the Odyssey referring to Ulysses escaping the sirens’ song.Odysseus and the Sirens, Mosaic from Dougga, 2nd century AD. Bardo National Museum, Tunis.House of the Trifolium is the best-preserved and largest house discovered on the site. It dates from the 3rd century AD.The house of Tripholium was built on two levels, with the entrance at street level and the rooms on the floor below. The rooms on the ground floor were arranged around a large court.The ground floor of the House of Trifolium is composed of a courtyard with a garden, surrounded by a colonnaded portico.
The Aïn Doura Baths, built in either the early 2nd, late 3rd or 4th century AD.The Aïn Doura Baths were constructed of opus africanum and rubble masonry in the Punic–North African style. The structure contained a number of different rooms – such as heated rooms and frigidarium – and latrines. The baths also contain mosaics depicting aquatic animals and Roman figures.The Licinian Baths, donated to the city by the Licinii family in the 3rd century, during the reign of Caracalla, between 212 and 217.The Arch of Septimius Severus was built in this emperor’s honour in AD 205 after Thugga was made a municipium at his command. The arch marked the eastern entrance to the city, and the 5m-wide road made of large limestone slabs was the main road to Carthage.The Libyco-Punic Mausoleum is a remarkable 21-metre-high 2nd-century BC royal tomb. The monument is divided into three levels and showcases a blend of local and Hellenistic elements.The lower level of the Libyco-Punic Mausoleum. According to the Punic-Libyan bilingual inscription on the podium, the mausoleum was dedicated to the Numidian Prince Ateban, son of Lepmatath.The middle level of the Libyco-Punic Mausoleum.The upper level of the Libyco-Punic Mausoleum.
following hadrian photography 