Romans in North Africa...

2009.07.14

Over the next few days I'll be boring you with pictures of my trip to Tunisia last week...

Starting off with a World Heritage archaeological site - Dougga - the best preserved small Roman town in North Africa covering about 65 hectares and dating from the late 2nd century BC when the Romans occupied what was originally a Berber town after the defeat of Hannibal and the crushing of the Carthaginian empire.

Most of the monumental remains date from the 2nd century AD.

My favourite was definitely the theatre - even though it is open-air and I was sitting thirty rows back from the stage it was still perfectly possible to hear the guide's speaking voice and when he dropped a coin the acoustics were impeccable. They knew a thing or two about building did those Romans (even though they nicked the technology off the Greeks!)

Gorgeous set:)

JaCkYe · 2009-07-14: 13:12

I'm always amazed at how acoustics were so much better designed and built centuries ago as compared to today. I went to a comedy show in a huge venue a month ago and sat in a section where I could hardly hear the guy because of the lousy acoustics. This was a multi-million dollar venue that was waaaaay over budget. Great set. Looking forward to more.

smbunation · 2009-07-14: 13:52

these are not boring !
love such places.

pumacat · 2009-07-14: 13:54

Very impressive. Both the architecture and the pictures!

dontblink · 2009-07-14: 13:54

Only when I saw the last one I realized the actual size of the construction !
And how smartly it is made, more efficient than many "modern" theatres .
It's great to see it without the hoards of tourists all over the place.The quietness suits these ruins.

redro · 2009-07-14: 14:17

Fantastic set, David. I can appreciate the wonders of a good acoustic - as a musician I find myself fighting with bad ones on a regular basis! Looking forward to seeing more photos from your trip :-)

girafferacing · 2009-07-14: 15:44