Gardens of the Roman Empire

House of Flavius Germanus (La maison de Flavius Germanicus)

Mon, 16 Nov 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Province

Province Description

An ancient district of Africa in Roman times, Mauretania lay west of Numidia and covered most of present-day Morocco and western Algeria. By the second century BCE, when Jugurtha of Numidia was rebelling against Rome, Jugurtha's father-in-law Bocchus had most of Mauretania under his control. In 25 BCE Augustus appointed Juba II as ruler of Mauretania. Claudius divided it into two provinces: Mauretania Caesariensis, with Caesarea (modern Cherchel) as capital, and Mauretania Tingitana, with Tingis (modern Tangier) as capital. By the end of the 5th century CE, the province had disappeared.

Location

Volubilis

Volubilis Pleiades: 275740

Location Description

Volubilis was the capital of the province of Mauretania Tingitania. The city was of Punic foundation, located on the edge of a plain that slopes down from the Zerhoun hills. During the reign of Juba II, king of Mauretania, Volubilis knew a prosperous period. He was succeeded by his son, Ptolemy of Mauretania, who was assassinated in 40 CE by Caligula. The kingdom was then divided into two provinces, and Volubilis was elevated to the rank of municipium as a reward for taking the side of Rome during the conflict.

The city rapidly developed and expanded; new temples, baths, civic buildings and luxurious houses lining the porticoed decumanus maximus were built. The olive press and the mills attached to the houses attest to the rural character of the region. The city reached its climax in the beginning of the third century CE and survives today as a well-preserved archaeological site. The city walls and gates, Caracalla's triumphal arch, the Capitolium temple, and the Basilica law courts survive. A number of houses known for their floor mosaics and bronze sculpture also persist to the modern day.

Garden

House of Flavius Germanus (La maison de Flavius Germanicus)

Keywords

Garden Description

The House of Flavius Germanus, dating to the third century, is located between the decumanus maximus, the decumanus north I, the House of the Labors of Hercules, and the House of Dionysus and the four Seasons. The peristyle was enclosed on four sides by a portico supported by 14 columns (Plan view, Fig. 1). The space between the columns was spanned by a low wall. Along the north portico, a rectangular pool, curved at its center, extended into the garden and faced the oecus (label 12) opening into the garden. At the southeast corner was a domestic shrine with an inscription giving the name of the owner. During the second phase of the house, a large garden was added at the rear, bounded by a wall on the southern side.

Plans

Dates

Third century CE

Excavation Dates

Bibliography

R. Etienne, Le quartier Nord-Est de Volubilis, Paris, 1960, 34-8, Pl. V, XLVI, 2. (haithitrust)
R. Thouvenot, "Maisons et hydraulique dans le quartier NE de Volubilis", p. 27-58, Plan I, Pl. IV. (worldcat)

Places

House of Flavius Germanus Pleiades: 814800402

House of the Columns (La maison aux colonnes)

Mon, 16 Nov 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Province

Province Description

Location

Volubilis

Volubilis Pleiades: 275740

Location Description

Garden

House of the Columns (La maison aux colonnes)

Keywords

Garden Description

The House of the Columns, approximately 1880 square meters, is located to the north of the triumphal arch along the decumanus. The large Rhodian-type peristyle was enclosed on four sides by a portico supported by 14 columns. The space between the columns was spanned by a low wall (Plan view, Fig.1). A large circular pool filled most of the courtyard. Plants may have been grown in the space between the portico and the pool. The central space of the north portico was framed by two taller, twisted Corinthian columns in between which was a pedestal that supported a fountain sculpture. The elevated north portico permitted a good view into the garden from the triclinium (label T).

Plans

Dates

Excavation Dates

Bibliography

Ichkhakh," Recherches sur les Maisons du Quatier de l'arc de Triomphe (Volubilis)", to be published in PSAM 2010, Fig. 7. (worldcat)
Thouvenot, R., "La maison aux colonnes", PSAM, 7, 1945, 132-145, fig. 4. A. (worldcat)

Places

House of the Ephebe (Maison de l'Ephebe)

Mon, 16 Nov 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Province

Province Description

Location

Volubilis

Volubilis Pleiades: 275740

Location Description

Garden

House of the Ephebe (Maison de l'Ephebe)

Keywords

Garden Description

The House of the Ephebe, approximately 1972 square meters and dating to the third century, is located to the north of the triumphal arch along the decumanus (Plan view, Fig. 1). The large rectangular garden peristyle, 28 by 15 m, was enclosed on four sides by a portico supported by 17 smooth Corinthian columns. The space between the columns was spanned by a low wall, 0.60 m high. The north part of the garden contains a square shallow pool, with water spouting from semicircular recesses placed along the inner sides of the pool. The overflow drained through a recess carved in the north external side of the pool facing the main reception room (label T). The peristyle is of Rhodian type; the north side of the portico was elevated in order to give more light and air to the reception room. Additionally, the low wall that enclosed the peristyle was interrupted on the north side to allow a better view of the garden from the reception room.

Plans

Dates

Third century CE

Excavation Dates

Bibliography

A. Ichkhakh," Recherches sur les Maisons du Quatier de l'arc de Triomphe (Volubilis)", to be published in PSAM 2010, Fig. 7. (worldcat)
R. Thouvenot, "La maison de l'éphèbe.", PSAM, 7, 1945, p. 115-31, fig.2. (worldcat)

Places

House of the Ephebe Pleiades: 125904446

House of Venus (Maison du cortège de Vénus)

Mon, 16 Nov 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Province

Province Description

Location

Volubilis

Volubilis Pleiades: 275740

Location Description

Garden

House of Venus (Maison du cortège de Vénus)

Keywords

Garden Description

The House of Venus, approximately 32 by 37 m and dating to the middle of the third century, is located between the south decumanus I, the south decumanus II, the south cardo V, and the House of the Portico. The square-shaped peristyle, 13 by 14 m, was enclosed on four sides by a portico supported by 8 columns. The space between the columns was spanned by a low wall, 0.65 m high. A long I-shaped pool cut the garden along the northeast/southwest axis of the vestibule and the oecus (label 11; 10 by 8 m). Two pilasters framed the north side of the pool that faced the entry of the house. The galleries of the garden peristyle were paved with mosaics, one of which featured a bird-circus. Five rooms opened toward the garden, some of which were reception rooms.

On the south side of the house, adjacent to the oecus, two rooms (labels 14 and 15) opened into a courtyard (label 12) adorned with a curvilinear U-shaped pool. The space limited by the pool may have been planted, a tree grows there today.

Plans

Dates

Third century CE

Excavation Dates

Bibliography

R. Etienne, Le quartier Nord-Est de Volubilis, Paris, 1960, p. 77-80, pl. XVII, LXXII, LXXIII, 1. (haithitrust)
R. Thouvenot., Maisons de Volubilis: Le palais dit de Gordien et la Maison à la mosaïque de Vénus, Rabat, 1958, p. 49-86, fig. 8, pl. 11. (worldcat)

Places

The Gordian Palace (Le palais dit de Gordien)

Mon, 16 Nov 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Province

Province Description

Location

Volubilis

Volubilis Pleiades: 275740

Location Description

Garden

The Gordian Palace (Le palais dit de Gordien)

Keywords

Garden Description

The large domus that belonged to the rich Pompeian family during the second century became the Governor's palace during the Gordian period. The domus, approximately 69 by 74 m, was located on the north side of the decumanus maximus. The vestibule opened into a rectangular peristyle garden enclosed on four sides by a portico supported by 12 columns. A horseshoe-shaped pool faced the large oecus (label 7) on the north and extended into the garden. There was an entrance into the garden on the south, placed along the central axis of the vestibule and the oecus. Two other courtyards (labels 22 and 17) with pools gave light and air to their surrounding rooms. A bath with a courtyard peristyle added to the luxury of the domus.

Plans

Dates

Second century CE

Excavation Dates

Bibliography

R. Thouvenot., Maisons de Volubilis: Le palais dit de Gordien et la Maison à la mosaïque de Vénus, Rabat, 1958, p. 49-86, fig. 8, pl. 11. (worldcat)

Places

The Gordian Palace Pleiades: 762613672

House of the Labors of Hercules (La maison des travaux d'Hercules)

Thu, 01 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Province

Province Description

Location

Volubilis

Volubilis Pleiades: 275740

Location Description

Garden

House of the Labors of Hercules (La maison des travaux d'Hercules)

Keywords

Garden Description

The House of the Labors of Hercules, dating to the beginning of the second century CE, is located between the cardo maximum, the cardo north II, and the decumanus north I in the northeast neighborhood of Volubilis. The peristyle had a trapezoidal shape and was enclosed on four sides by a portico supported by 12 columns. The space between the columns was spanned by a low wall. The peristyle is of Rhodian type with higher columns along the side of the oecus that opened into it. In the center of the garden, set slightly closer to the oecus, was an elaborate pool made of recesses that enclosed a masonry fountain ornamented with rectilinear and curved niches. Five reception rooms opened into the garden, among which is the triclinium 5 with its pavement mosaic featuring the Labors of Hercules.

Plans

Dates

Second century CE

Excavation Dates

Bibliography

R. Etienne, Le quartier Nord-Est de Volubilis, Paris, 1960, p. 31- 4, Pl. IV, XLIV, 2. (haithitrust)
R. Thouvenot, "La maison des travaux d'Hercule", PSAM, 8, p. 69-107, fig. 1. (worldcat)

Places

House of the Labors of Hercules Pleiades: 297059709