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| Written by Taous Khazem Show all records by this user |
| Monday, 31 May 2010 |
I am here in Algiers, the capital of Algeria, participating in the National Theatre Festival. During my stay I will visit two different sites built by the Romans. The first site is located in the town of Tipasa over looking the Mediterranean and was built in the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE. The Roman Empire expanded into North Africa after the Punic Wars with Carthage. Rome and Carthage fought for power in the Mediterranean. More land meant more power! The Emperor Trajan is the most well known for his invasion of North Africa.
From the hotel we couldn’t find a taxi so a security guard drove us to the bus station. We found a bus immediately leaving for Tipasa. The trip took about one hour. Tipasa is a small fishing town with one long main street. The Roman ruins make up a big part of the town. They are in a protected area and are considered a UNESCO world heritage site. The area is so large we spent almost 3 hours walking around and observing how Romans lived. They had a beautiful location over looking the Mediterranean. Their water was collected from the sea, from wells and from the rain.
Just after entering the city we came upon two temples. The temples have a main hall or “calla” for ceremonies. At the end of the calla is a great staircase leading up to the altar where the God or Goddesses statue was situated. Can you name two Roman gods or goddesses? Share you answer in the comments section!
Then we saw the Roman baths! They created a three-temperature system with three different bathing rooms. The Frigidarium, the tepidarium and the caldarium. Which is hot, cold and warm? Can you guess from the Latin root of the word? Write your answer in the comments section!
The Romans of Tipasa built their houses overlooking the sea. Each house had a large main room with a beautiful tiled mosaic floor called the Compluvium. Here rain water entered from an opening in the roof and was collected in a center basin that also served as decoration.
Almost hidden in the woods we found the most magnificent part of the city: the Forum. This large area housed the senate, the tribunal, and the commerce department.
Later this week I will head out further to another Roman settlement called Cherchell.
