Ruins underneath the ruins of Kardago, Tunisia

Sidi Bou Said, known for its stunning Mediterranean views.
With its beautiful blue and white streets, it's a representative tourist destination of Tunisia, and Carthage, where this tourist spot is located, was once a thriving area along the Mediterranean coast.
Carthage first flourished around the 9th century BC.
A Phoenician woman visited this land and received a plot of land the size of a cow's hide from the Berbers, which started its long history (according to various theories).

Byrsa Hill

The starting point is here at Byrsa Hill.
As the history suggests, the hill means 'hide,' and around it, the city-state of Carthage flourished.
        
The ruins in the photo are thought to be Carthaginian! But actually, they are not.
These were built by the Roman Empire after the birth of Christ.
The land of Carthage has had a very intriguing history.
As mentioned at the beginning, the city-state of Carthage initially held Mediterranean supremacy and flourished, but eventually perished after several wars with the Roman Empire.
It was devastated, and to prevent leaving any signs of prosperity for future generations, they reportedly set fire to documents and buildings.
Once a place with nothing left, the Roman Empire took notice of its excellent location overlooking the Mediterranean and built a Roman city-state on the site of the former Carthaginian city-state.
Therefore, the visible majority are the ruins of the Roman city-state, and digging beneath reveals the ruins of the Carthaginian city-state, creating a two-layered ruin.

Even more interesting is that after the fall of the Roman Empire, the remaining marble was taken throughout Tunisia (some were stolen) and used in the construction of mosques and other buildings.
As a result, only parts of the foundation and broken columns remain today, and honestly, there were few impressive areas.
However, the history the guide shared was incredibly interesting, and it was one of the most enjoyable ruins I've visited.

Ancient Roman villa

The next place we visited with the guide was an ancient Roman villa.
In Japanese, 'villa' suggests a vacation home, but this was a residential area for the wealthy at the time.

They explained, 'This is the entrance, this is the courtyard,' but it was so large it was hard to believe it was a house.
The entrance alone was about the size of a typical living room.
Additionally, there are precious Tunisian mosaics everywhere.
The entire floor is covered with mosaics of birds, and from the artwork, you can discern the homeowner's tastes.

More valuable pieces are displayed at the Bardo Museum in the capital, Tunis, so I recommend visiting there as well.

Tophet's Graveyard

Next, we visited the Tophet cemetery, known as the burial site for child sacrifices.
This dates back to the Carthaginian city-state era, and each stone on the ground is an excavated grave.

Sacrifices were performed as a ritual to express gratitude or seek blessings from the gods, especially during significant events like harvests, rain prayers, or victories in war.
Newborn boys were particularly chosen as sacrifices, and it is believed they were cremated and sent to the gods as sacred beings.

Antonine Baths

The last place we visited was the public baths from the Roman city-state era.
It was built by Antoninus Pius, one of the Five Good Emperors familiar from world history.

The guide said, 'It's an easy place to explain to Japanese people. An ancient super sento!'
Indeed, it's very easy to understand.
There is a changing room, hot springs, a cold bath, and even a sauna.

Furthermore, the Roman version of the super sento also had a library and a pool.
What differs from the Japanese version of the super sento is its size.
With a total area of 35,000 square meters, a length of 200 meters, and columns 8 meters high, this enormous bathhouse is the third largest in the Roman Empire.
What remains today is only the foundation of the underground space where slaves heated water and did laundry, but even this space had wide paths, high ceilings, and felt very spacious.
I felt that it must have been a more comfortable working environment for the slaves compared to other places.


When visiting the Carthage ruins, I recommend going with a tour and a guide rather than individually.
The explanatory panels at each site are not comprehensive, and if I had visited alone, I wouldn't have learned about the fascinating aspects of Carthage.
The attractions are somewhat far apart, making it difficult to walk between them, so joining a tour reduces the burden of moving around.
The guide also provides support in terms of safety, allowing you to explore Carthage with greater peace of mind.