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Sunday, May 12, 2013

Old Rocks Anyone? Part 2


Speaking of rock piles, even the rubble at Uthina deserves attention.
The combination of carved forms, various rocks and marbles, 
and bits of mosaics sparks the imagination.
The elegant lines…
Interesting carvings may be seen here and there.


And mosaics...
 
And then there’s the jewel of this site, which archeologists continue to reconstruct, the amphitheater. It looked like this about six years ago:
And today:
Two thousand years ago, it could contain a capacity crowd of around 16,000, making it the third largest amphitheater in Tunisia. Here’s the other end about six years ago.

It has been dug out now and the lower level has been restored.
I imagined myself down there with the lions—very exciting ! 
And what masonry!

15 comments:

  1. UnknownMay 12, 2013 at 11:32 PM

    It truly is amazing, I for one was so shocked to know that there were populations this large back then...and their abilities to build such huge structures!

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  2. MichelleMay 13, 2013 at 12:09 AM

    That is amazing...and now you've got me picturing the lions.

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  3. MerilynMay 13, 2013 at 12:37 AM

    Truly incredible history and amazing structures, one wonders how on earth they were able to create places like this!!!! Wonderful photos!!!!

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  4. The Idaho BeautyMay 13, 2013 at 4:06 AM

    Yes, indeed, sparking the imagination. Especially when you got to the part about the 16,000-seat capacity of the amphitheater and my mind immediately cringed at the possible bathroom facilities or lack thereof...;-)

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  5. Ms.May 13, 2013 at 5:00 AM

    Oh my--I'm thinking what a theater space that will be if it's ever done. 2000 years ago? AD13? I couldn't sort that out but--suddenly I had to do some research and opted for Wiki which is quite extensive...en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunisia--what a rich, diverse history and no wonder you love the place despite the political instability.

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  6. Ms.May 13, 2013 at 5:04 AM

    I'M BACK WITH THIS FIND
    Le Souk Ceramique
    www.lesoukceramique.com/

    We are a small studio located in Nabeul, Tunisia

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  7. Julie FukudaMay 13, 2013 at 5:37 AM

    So glad to see your post. I am always happy to see that there are people out there who value the "OLD" things.

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  8. UnknownMay 13, 2013 at 6:03 AM

    Excellent tour, Nadine. xxoo, sus

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  9. Stitching LadyMay 13, 2013 at 10:13 AM

    Nadine, thanks for all those detailed photos - it lis so interesting and inspiring!

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  10. Elaine/Muddling ThroughMay 14, 2013 at 2:26 PM

    Thank you for sharing all that restoration, Nadia. It is so impressive. There is a lot of history there. How fortunate you can see it live and in person.

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  11. MarthaMay 14, 2013 at 8:48 PM

    Fascinating! And, as you say, artfully inspirational.

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  12. AnonymousMay 15, 2013 at 10:22 AM

    Hi Nadia
    Lovely and great
    Najlaa

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  13. AnonymousMay 16, 2013 at 1:46 PM

    Wow! Totally cool. It's amazing those precious pieces of art are left strewn about. You are lucky to live among such rich history.

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  14. AnonymousMay 17, 2013 at 12:09 PM

    It's been quite some time since I last visited Tunisia.... maybe sometime after Ramadan.... insha'allah!

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  15. SandyMay 18, 2013 at 3:22 AM

    I miss wandering around old ruins. We visited a few in Europe and Turkey. The intricate detailed art work that has lasted the centuries is truly amazing. Thanks for sharing your great photos.

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