Description of the attraction
35 kilometers from the capital are the ruins of ancient Carthage, founded in 814 BC. e., the capital of one of the great states of antiquity. Here was the center of the Phoenician trade empire, which included almost the entire Mediterranean, trade routes through the Sahara and Western Asia converged here, the famous battles of the Punic wars thundered here.
Most of the structures that have survived to this day date back to the 1st century - the Roman period, and during the excavation of the Birsa hill, structures from the Phoenician times were discovered.
The exposition of the National Museum of Carthage is located in the building of a former monastery. Here you can see stone sarcophagi of the Roman and Punic periods, Roman mosaics, sculptures, as well as a collection of ceramics, funeral vases and stone tombstones.
The archaeological park of Roman villas occupies the eastern slope of the Odeon hill. Here you can see a Roman house of the 3rd century, called the House of the Poultry because of the mosaic depicting birds. Nearby are fragments of the 3rd century Odeon, built under Septimius Severus for poetry competitions, and the 2nd century theater, where the performances of the international festival are now held.
Next to the sea is the Archaeological Park of the Terme Antonina Pia. Here you can see small sarcophagi for the burial of children sacrificed to the god Baal; underground cisterns, remains of houses with fragments of mosaics; ruins of huge baths built during the reign of Emperor Antonin.
From later eras, there are ruins of numerous Byzantine churches, the Cathedral of St. Louis (1890) in the back aisle of which is located the National Museum, the Cathedral of St. Cyprian and the Lavigerie Museum.
