Bulla Regia

Jendouba Nord, Tunisia

Greek pottery dating to the 4th c. BCE has been found in this archeological site near north Jendouba, and it may have been a Punic settlement for some time prior to that. The site is located on the upper Mejerda plateau, on the slopes of Djebel Rabia, more than 600 meters above sea level.  Most of the structures built on the site date to the 2nd and 3rd centuries BCE when the town was at the height of its prosperity in under Roman rule.  Houses were partially underground, probably as insulation from the excessive summer heat and harsh winters. Spaces for dining and sleeping were generally centered around a large, columned, underground courtyard.  Houses were decorated with elaborate mosaics, some of which can still be seen in situ.  Others have been moved to the Bardo Museum.

The city declined and was eventually abandoned during Byzantine Rule.  Over time the site was buried under drifting sand.   It was excavated during the first half of the 20th century.  In 2009 the Getty Conservation Institute, the Institut National du Patrimoine of Tunisia, and the World Monuments Fund (WMF) partnered to conserve the site. 

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