Capitol of Thugga - Dougga, Tunisia
Posted by: 
Becktracker
N 36° 25.365 E 009° 13.080
32S E 519542 N 4030861
The Capitol temple of Thugga, as seen from the western (left) side
Waymark Code: WM17YT6
Location: Tunisia
Date Posted: 04/23/2023
Views: 7
On our vacation in Tunisia we had a (in my opinion too short) visit to the ruins of Thugga. It was marvelous to walk through the streets and see the site, everything still standing proud. We snapped a great many photos of the site, but it was still hard to find a matching puzzle. I think this one is close.
From (
visit link)
Staggered over a hillside that finishes in an abrupt cliff, where the first foothills of the Atlas Mountains begin to appear in the northwest of Tunisia, the remains of an ancient city emerge, magnificently preserved with all of its component parts: temples, public institutions, monumental arches, houses, paved roads...
At its summit, the slender silhouette of a Capitoline temple. Below, a tall mausoleum in the form of a tower with an Oriental appearance. The first expresses its devotion to the protector gods of Rome in all its elegance. The second reflects fidelity to the pre-Roman culture, as it is one of the rare known examples of Numidian royal architecture. These two monuments together summarise the history of Thugga, the Numidian city, which went on to become a prosperous city of the Roman empire.
The Capitol of Dougga is also an exceptional specimen. This temple dedicated to the Capitoline triad – Jupiter, Juno and Minerva – boasts tall fluted columns topped with Corinthian capitals, and a delicately carved triangular pediment burnished by centuries of sun. At the other end of the site, the temple dedicated to Juno Caelestis is surrounded by a semicircular gallery held up by columns, a layout seldom seen in Roman Africa. There again, this temple signals the survival of pre-Roman religions as this divinity was none other than the heir of Tanit, the great goddess of Carthage.