THUBURBO MAIUS		Quality of Remains
		Ease of Access
		Atmosphere & Setting

History & Occupation:

Near the city of El Fahs lie the remains of one of Tunisia's most outstanding Roman sites. Thurburbo Maius is an archaeological park that is already massive and impressive and yet permanently under excavation. The city was founded in the reign of Augustus as a Roman colony for veterans of the 3rd Augusta Legion though, given the Numidian roots of the name, there must have been a native settlement on the site previously. The city was an economic success and sat at a junction of trade routes, ensuring its power and wealth. A series of public buildings in the Antonine period were augmented and restored in the fourth century and Thurburbo Maius remains as an outstanding example of a well-preserved Roman African city. The lack of later building on the site have allowed many buildings to remain to a good height.

Remains and Visit:

There are simply too many remains to walk you through in this brief paragraph and it is essential for a visitor to acquire a map in order to gain the most from a visit to the site. The main area of excavation and visit centres on the city's forum, capitol buildings, temples and baths and many central town houses. These are all in one grouped area and easy to visit. Less visited buildings lie scattered around other areas of the large site and also deserve a visit. The unexcavated amphitheatre stands next to an equally impressive-but-buried cistern and they are worth a walk up the hill. Other temples and a lovely Christian basilica stand away from the centre, on a rough par with the direction of the amphitheatre. The extremely ruinous and unexcavated Temple of Saturn stands on a different hill, with the remains of an arch or gate next to it and at least two other gates are visible on the periphery. Take time to explore Thurburbo Maius. It is well worth it.

Images:

Capitol	Capitol	Forum	Pegasus altar in the Curia	Temple of Mercury
House of Neptune	Winter Baths	Summer Baths	House of the Labyrinth	Sanctuary of Baal
Arch of Baal	Palaestra of the Petronii	Sanctuary of Caelestis	Byzantine Basilica	Baptismal Bath
Cistern	Amphitheatre	Amphitheatre	Altars at the Amphitheatre