House of the Viridarium with Niches (Maison du viridarium à niches)
Location
Location Description
Pupput is located about three km to the northwest of Hammamet. Two inscriptions inform the designated title of the city, which became a colony (Colonia Aurelia Commoda Pia Felix Augusta Pupput) under the reign of Commodus. The city benefited from a strategic location at the crossroads linking Clupea to Thhuburbo and Carthage to Hadrumetum. Large residential quarters with houses and baths were excavated as well as a large necropolis.
Garden
House of the Viridarium with Niches (Maison du viridarium à niches)
Keywords
Garden Description
The house was located in the W neighborhood of the ancient city of Pupput and in present day lies in the precinct of a hotel, the construction of which badly damaged the house (Plan view, Fig.1).
The house has had three phases. During the second phase the garden peristyle (V) was bounded by a low wall that curved to make eight to nine semi circular niches (A, C, D, E, F, G, H, I) facing the galleries of the peristyle. The niches were paved with mosaics some of which figure birds among cut branches (D) and marine scenes (A, I). The second phase of the house is dated from the second half of the IV century.
Plans
Images
Dates
4th century CE
Bibliography
- Ben Abed Ben Khader, A., "Mosaïques de la maison du viridarium à niches à Pupput (Tunisie)", in CMGR IV, 1994, pp.265-271, Pl. CLXXI. (worldcat)
- Ben Abed Ben Khader, A., "Les maisons de Pupput (Tunisie)", in Comptes rendus des séances de l'Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, 150ᵉ année, N. 1, 2006. pp. 518-522, fig. 8, p. 519, fig. 9, p. 521. (worldcat)
- Bullo, S., Ghedini, F., Amplissimae atque ornatissimae domus: l'edilizia residenziale nelle città della Tunisia romana, Rome: Edizioni Quasar, 2003, pp. 197-198. (worldcat)