There are some relics from prehistoric times proving that cavemen lived on the land that later became Tunisia. The amount of Phoenician and Roman artifacts is huge. Because of the large number of exhibited objects, we highly recommend purchasing a catalog but there are also detailed descriptions in some travel books while the museum guides speak English, French and German. From prehistoric times, mainly skulls, skeletons and primitive weapons are exhibited.
The most interesting artifacts of the museum are those found on a Greek ship which sank five kilometers off the shore of Mahdia. The ship lay undisturbed for a long time until 1907 when treasure hunters found it. The rescue and conservation of the artifacts is a tale on itself. The result of all those years of work gives an authentic picture of the Hellenic arts of the age.
There are pieces from the Carthage excavation in the main hall while in the nearby smaller rooms, the mosaics which made the museum famous worldwide are exhibited. The Carthage excavation site can be reached from Tunis by car or by train in 30 minutes. The ruins of the city are situated in a well protected bay. Its highest point is nearly 70 meters. The location of the city was ideal both for trade in a strategic point of view. It was called Quart Hadash or New Capital and this name was later distorted to become Carthage.
There are no mosaics or statues among the ruins. All the valuable artifacts found here are now at the Bardo Museum so the two places compliment each other perfectly. There are some Phoenician artifacts in the Carthage National Museum near the St. Louis Cathedral in Tunis. There are several buildings from the Roman times like the Amphitheater, part of the aqueduct, a spa, a theater, a monastery, the ruins of a Basilica and the remains of several Roman villas. The thermals of Antonio survived in relatively good shape. Seeing the ancient roads of the city brings up the question, “Where will our highways be in 2000 years?”
Transcription by:
Scribe4you Transcription Services