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Utica's District of
Villa District
Praefectus:
Position is currently vacant
A new residential district was established in Utica during the
Imperial period.
On the south side of the avenue that was the main axis of the city, a
residential district was laid out in the typical Roman grid pattern. It
covered part of a Punic necropolis. The ruins of one complete
insula and six houses still stand. These dwellings were built in
the classical style and date from the end of the 2nd century BC. As the
town developed and the population grew and prospered, they were altered
or replaced by something larger and grander. Under Hadrian, a new
aqueduct was built, along with a forum, baths and some elaborate
residences.
The House of the Cascades is a large dwelling centered around a
peristyle courtyard with many basins and fountains. An imposing dining
room and several smaller rooms opened on to it. Adjacent to it was the
House of the Hunt, named for the famous mosaic that was
discovered there: "Diana the Huntress." The House of the Decorated
Capitals had capitals representing human figures, and the House
of the Treasure yielded a hoard of coins.
Dwellings and other structures that had been adequate for urban life in
the Republican period were replaced with larger and more luxurious ones
in the Imperial period.
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For more information about the villas of Utica, consult these resources.
A website entitled Tunisia: Images and Sights
features several photographs from Utica: columns from a Roman house, a
sundial, several mosaics, and a couple of general views.
A newsletter by the Getty Museum on
"Conserving Mosaics in Tunisia" is illustrated with a photograph by
Richard Ross showing the central restored garden from the House of the
Cascades in Utica.
An index to Roman Mosaics in Tunisia offers
clickable thumbnails of mosaics --some from Utica-- organized by
subject: banquets, hunting, games, rural life, and more.
A section of a digitized book by Glenn E. Markoe
entitled Phoenicians describes and illustrates the design and
construction of "The Punic House."
image of the ruins
courtesy Wikimedia Commons
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