House of the Triumph of Neptune (Maison du Triomphe de Neptune)
Dates
150-170 A.D.
Garden Description
The fully excavated House of the Triumph of Neptune (1172 m²) is situated in the northern part of the city. The house has a complete peristyle with one aisle entrance situated indirectly from the northeast (Plan view, Fig. 1). Opposite the entry, the western wing of the house is organized with a vast colonnaded oecus-triclinium in the center. On both sides of the oecus-triclinium there are two apartments with four rooms each and a passage to a non-paved rectangular court. There is another triclinium on the south side of the peristyle and a reception room opening onto the north portico.
A low wall encloses the peristyle (17.50 x 14.50 m) with its garden (VII; 11.40 x 9.10 m). The low wall curves to form three apses facing the tripartite entry of the oecus-triclinium. The preserved walls of the garden show the level of the soil at ca. 0.65 m, which is under the level of the porticos' mosaics. On those walls, there were small remains of paintings depicting a fence with touches of green foliage on black or brown. It was probably a garden view. A small basin was placed later in the northeast corner.
Two open spaces(XXVIII, XXXIV) with an earthen floor, probably small gardens, were arranged in both apartments and were accessible by a passage. It is possible that the north and south walls of the oecus-triclinium might have had a window opening onto these courtyard gardens.
Another possible garden(X) was adjacent to the reception room of the northern aisle of the portico. This house dates from 150-170 A.D.
Plans
Bibliography
- Blanc-Bijon, V., "Peintures murales antiques à Acholla (Tunisie)", in Antike Malerei zwischen Lokalstil und Zeitstil, Tafelband : Akten des XI. Internationalen Kolloquiums der AIPMA, 13.-17. September 2010 in Ephesos, ed. Zimmermann, N., Wien, Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 2015, pp.695-699. (worldcat)
- Bullo, S., Ghedini, F., Amplissimae atque ornatissimae domus: l'edilizia residenziale nelle città della Tunisia romana, Rome: Edizioni Quasar, 2003, pp. 8-11. (worldcat)
- Gozlan, S., Bourgeois, A., La maison du Triomphe de Neptune à Acholla (Botria, Tunisie) ; I – Les mosaïques (Collection de l'EFR, 160), Rome, INAA – EFR, 1992. (worldcat)
- Rebuffat, R., Maisons à péristyle d'Afrique du Nord, Répertoire de plans publiés, II, MEFRA, tome 86, 1974-1. (worldcat)