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The capitol of Dougga


Aerial view of the archaeological site of Dougga and it's capitol.


Situated in the Archaeological site of Dougga (Ancient THUGGA or as mentionned in the old Tifinagh/ Lybian script as TBGG- a World Heritage site in Beja governorate in Tunisia), the Capitol is a Roman temple of the second century, mainly dedicated to the protective triad of Rome: Jupiter Optimus Maximus, Juno Regina and Minerva Augusta. It is dedicated in a secondary way to the preservation of the emperors Lucius Verus and Marcus Aurelius; it was probably completed in 166-167 for their titulature.

Identified as a temple of Jupiter in the seventeenth century by Thomas d'Arcos, the building was studied at the end of the nineteenth century, especially by Dr. Louis Carton in 1893. The walls in opus africanum and the entablature of the portico were restored between 1903 and 1910. Claude Poinssot discovered there a crypt under the floor of the cella in 1955. The last works were carried out by the  tunisian National  Heritage Institute  between 1994 and 1996.

The exceptional state of conservation of the site can be explained by its inclusion in a Byzantine fortification. A staircase of eleven steps leads to the façade portico. The Corinthian columns of the facade rise eight meters high, above which is the pediment in perfect condition. It retains a representation of the apotheosis of the Emperor Antoninus Pius removed by an eagle.


Detail of the Apotheosis of Antoninus Pius.
Photo credit: damian entwistle- Wikipedia.

The bottom of the cella still has the locations for three statues for worship. In the center one stands a colossal statue of Jupiter. For the crypt, the discovery of a statue head of Jupiter made Claude Poinssot consider a dating of the time of the triumph of Christianity. 


Head of the statue of Jupiter discovered in the Capitol and exposed in the National Museum of Bardo in Tunis, Tunisia.
Photo credit: www.wikipedia.org


Sophie Saint-Amans does not exclude a layout of the time of the construction of the Byzantine citadel, the forum and the Capitol constituting the nerve center.

Interior of the cella with the niches for the statues
Photo credit: Jaume Ollé- Wikipedia.

The construction of the Capitol of Dougga is concomitant with that of other buildings of the same type in North Africa. This wave can be explained, according to Pierre Gros, by a greater proximity of the imperial cult and that of Jupiter.

At the edge are the "place of the wind rose" - the name of the various winds blowing at this place and engraved on the pavement - as well as the remains of the Byzantine citadel which takes some of the ruins in the late period of recoil from the city.



The Capitol of Dougga surounded by a green Tunisian nature.
Photo credit: damian entwistle- Wikipedia.


The Corinthian columns of the facade rise eight meters high.
Photo credit: 1001tunisie.com

A short video about the Archaeological site of Dougga:




Source:
- Pierre Gros, L'architecture romaine du début du iiie siècle av. J.-C. à la fin du Haut-Empire, t. 1 « Monuments publics », Paris, Picard,  (ISBN 2708405004).
- Sophie Saint-Amans, Topographie religieuse de Thugga (Dougga) : ville romaine d'Afrique proconsulaire (Tunisie), Bordeaux, Ausonius,  (ISBN 291002346X) .
- www.wikipedia.org
- Tunisian National Heritage Institute's web site on http://www.inp.rnrt.tn.


Location: Tunisia

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