Photos

The glory of past times

Dougga or Thugga (Arabic: دقة‎) is a Roman ruin in northern Tunisia located on a 65 hectare site.

Triumphal arches (Alexander Severus’s arch)

Dougga still contains two Triumphal arches, which are in different states of disrepair. Septimius Severus’s arch, which is heavily damaged, stands close to the mausoleum and on the route leading from Carthage to Théveste. It was erected in 205 CE. Alexander Severus’s arch, which dates from 222-235, is relatively well preserved, despite the loss of its upper elements. It is equidistant from the capitol and the Temple of Juno Caelestis. Its arcade is four metres tall. A third triumphal arch, dating from the Tetrarchy, has been completely lost.

Alexander Severus

Marcus Aurelius Severus Alexander (October 1, 208–March 18, 235 AD), commonly called Alexander Severus, was the last Roman emperor (11 March 222–235) of the Severan dynasty. Alexander Severus succeeded his cousin, Elagabalus upon the latter's assassination in 222 AD, and was ultimately assassinated himself, marking the epoch event for the Crisis of the Third Century—nearly fifty years of disorder, Roman civil wars, economic chaos, regional rebellions, and external threats that brought the Empire to near-collapse.
Alexander Severus was the heir apparent to his cousin, the eighteen-year-old Emperor who had been murdered along with his mother by his own guards—and as a mark of contempt, had their remains cast into the Tiber river. He and his cousin were both grandsons of the influential and powerful Julia Maesa, who had arranged for Elagabalus' acclamation as Emperor by the famed Third Gallic Legion. A rumor of Alexander's death circulated, triggering the assassination of Elagabalus.

Dougga

UNESCO qualified Dougga as a World Heritage Site in 1997, believing that it represents “the best-preserved Roman small town in North Africa”. The site, which lies in the middle of the countryside, has been protected from the encroachment of modern urbanisation, in contrast, for example, to Carthage, which has been pillaged and rebuilt on numerous occasions.
Dougga, or Thugga, is undoubtedly the most prestigious of Tunisia’s archaeological sites. Several factors contribute to its standing on the Tunisian archaeological scene: its location on a spur dominating the rich Mejerdah valley (Thugga, in the Libyc language means green), the size of the site extending over several dozen hectares and covering several historical eras, the vegetation – in particular the many centuries old olive grove surrounding it - and of course, the excellent state of conservation of most of its monuments, some of which, such as the capitol or the theatre, were “restored to their upright position” during a campaign undertaken just after the first world war by prisoners of war.Therefore, from the “dolmens” to the Byzantine fortifications, all the stages in the history of ancient Africa are illustrated on the site by outstanding monuments, buildings that figure amongst the most elegant and elaborate of the Mediterranean basin, such as the capitol, the theatre, the Lybico-Punic mausoleum, or the superb patrician villas. (Source: patrimoinedetunisie.com & wikipedia )