Travels with Olga: Tunisia -- El Djem

This Roman amphitheater was built in 238 C.E. in the ancient city of Thysdrus, which is now called El Djem.

It is the third largest in the world, best preserved, and most complete. It held 35,000 people whereas the Coliseum in Rome had a capacity of 50,000-80,000 people. The amphitheater is built of stone blocks over a flat ground.

Amphitheaters were part of the Roman dictators' quest to keep the mobs quiet and happy by offering them "bread and circuses". It was a distraction so that they wouldn't think about politics and allow the government to do what it wanted to do. As I see these Roman ruins I think about my own country's flirtation with dictatorship. It's easy to see it will not end well, but it's hard to see the end of its nonsense. In my opinion, our civilization is not as grand as the Roman civilization, nor as long lasting.

Amphitheaters also served as an advertisement to others that the Roman Empire was a supreme and advanced civilization. They helped to make the cities where they were built famous.

In the Middle Ages, this North African amphitheater served as a fortress where the population sought shelter during the attacks of the Vandals in 430 and the Arabs in 647. Then in 1695, during the Revolutions of Tunis, Mohamed Bey El Mouradi opened one of the walls to stop the resistance of his brother's (Ali Bey al-Muradi) followers who gathered inside the amphitheater for safety.

At the end of the 18th and into the 19th century, it is believed that the amphitheater became a saltpetre factory. Around 1850, the breach in the wall that Mohamed Bey El Mouradi had made was enlarged by Ahmad I ibn Mustafa to approximately 98 feet. It was used for shops, dwellings, and grain storage.

What made the construction of these two- and three-story buildings possible was stone, concrete, and sand.

The cavea (Latin for "enclosure") were the seating sections of Greek and Roman theaters and amphitheaters designated by social class. In Roman theaters, the cavea is traditionally organized in three horizontal sections:

the ima cavea (in blue) is the lowest part that surrounds the arena. It was usually reserved for the upper echelons of society.
the media cavea (in red) above the ima cavea was open to the general public but mostly reserved for men.
the summa cavea (in yellow) was the highest section for women and children.

Near the amphitheater I was able to buy some miniature mosaics. Later our group went to a modern mosaic shop and learned how mosaics are made. The small staff of men and women produced some beautiful pieces. Some were stand-alone portraits and scenes that could be placed on a wall. Some were table tops. And some were the miniatures that I had just purchased. Here are a couple samples.

I really love mosaics, and this area has been producing them for millennia. They are durable and their colors are vibrant especially when water is poured on them. It is fascinating that they are composed of such small pieces that when put together they create a unique and beautiful artwork. By the way, the Roman mosaics were designed as floor decorations. Only in museums (and modern homes) are they placed on a wall.

El Djem

Thysdrus was a Carthaginian town and Roman colony. It had Berber roots. Under the Romans, it was the center of olive oil production and quite prosperous.

In 670 the Arabs founded Kairouan, forty miles north of Thysdrus, and made it the capital of the area. This fact, associated with the arrival of Arab nomadic tribes led to the abandonment of farming, and caused the decline of Thysdrus.

In the next centuries, Thysdrus largely disappeared as the worsening arid climate apparently damaged its olive oil production. By the 10th century, many of Thysdrus' buildings were dismantled for use in the construction of buildings in Kairouan. The 19th century French colonizers found only a small village named El Djem left where Thysdrus had been and a few hundred inhabitants living around the remains of the amphitheater eking out a living from their farms.

El Djem was historically a center for trade, and it still is today. The difference is that people buy smuggled goods that are more affordable so they can have a reasonable life with modern conveniences. It's a lifestyle that is cobbled together through some enterprising ways as people access information about where to find these goods.

For example, they buy car tires that were smuggled from Libya or Algeria. Sometimes the cheaper tires are from China. Gasoline and electronics are also popularly traded goods. Cars will carry 23-liter containers of gas and hope they are not caught because the penalty is severe. Anas told us about one instance where a car tried to hide from police by reversing the headlights and taillights. Many cars will trek across the Sahara Desert much like the caravans did in the old days.

These practices are all a part of the culture. People learn how to do it in order to survive. All trades are done in cash so there is no trace. It is also a way of avoiding taxes. It turns out that about 50% of the economy is this informal trade.

With couples that are about to marry, the groom will plan to buy a refrigerator, microwave, washing machine and other necessities for his bride through smuggling. Word of the products to buy are through word of mouth and on FaceBook.

Museum of Mosaics

We had some extra time so we made an unscheduled stop at The Villa Africa, a Roman African house that was reconstructed on the ruins of a Roman house that existed around 170 CE. It has been restored to suggest its true size as a grand aristocratic residence. It was discovered by chance in the 1990s and named after two mosaics found inside: the "Princess Africa" and the "Province of Africa", the only known representation of the African continent. Below are some outstanding examples of mosaics and sculptures the house contains. Their themes reflect the mythological characters and stories of antiquity.

Princess Africa

The nine Muses are represented in this mosaic: Cleo--history; Uranie--astronomy; Melpomene--tragedy; Thalie--comedy; Terpischore--dancing; Calliope--epic poetry; Erato--love poetry; Polymnie--religious songs and rhetoric; Euterpe--lyric poetry and music.

(second half of 3rd century)

Dionysus leads a procession where he is riding a lion. Around him is a Bacchanta dancing and playing the tambourine. Included are two Satyrs, drunken Silenus perched on top of a camel, a panther, and Mystis his nurse. (mid-2nd century CE)

The crowning of Dionysus. Even during this solemn ceremony we find Silenus drunk being carried towards a donkey. This panel is one of eight that represents the life of the god.

(late 2nd to early 3rd century CE)

Sometimes a complex decoration was enough.

Animals were often depicted in the mosaics. Above is an animal fight that was a form of entertainment in the amphitheater. Below two lions devour a wild boar.