House of the Protomes (Maison des Protomés)

Contributor: Nicholas Gill
Published: 2021-04-21
Modified: 2025-09-16

Dates

4th century CE

Garden Description

This very large house on the western edge of the site had two sectors, the Trifolium area and the Protomes area (Plan view, Fig. 1).

The Trifolium sector, was laid out around a peristyle garden (I-V) enclosed on four sides by a portico of 12 columns. The garden, 35 cm lower than the level of the portico, had a deep rectangular pool (1) and a semicircular basin (2, 3) placed at each end of the garden on the axis of the oecus (XI). Eight ceramic vases (8 cm in dia., 30 cm deep) embedded in the sides of the pool provided places for the fish to lay eggs and served as shady retreats for the fish. The pool and the basins were paved with mosaics. These have been mostly destroyed, but pieces of the bottom paving of the basin (3) show birds and a hare among cut branches of flowers.

Plans

Fig. 1: Plan of the House of the Protomes (CMT, V. II, fasc.3, plan 4-5)

Bibliography

  • Ben Abed-Ben Khader, A., Corpus des Mosaïques de Tunisie, Thuburbo Majus, Les mosaïques de la région Ouest, V. II, fasc.3, INA, Tunis, 1987, pp. 27-60, plan 4-5. (worldcat)
  • Bullo, S., Ghedini, F., Amplissimae atque ornatissimae domus: l'edilizia residenziale nelle città della Tunisia romana, Rome: Edizioni Quasar, 2003, pp.245-248. (worldcat)

Keywords

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