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Current excavations: INSAP/UCL
In 2018, the Institut National des Sciences de l’Archéologie et du Patrimoine (INSAP) and the Institute of Archaeology of University College London (UCL) began a new project, focusing again on the medieval town of Walīla directed by Elizabeth Fentress, Corisande Fenwick and Hassan Limane. The project aims to investigate how the town was transformed from a Berber settlement to the base of a new Arab-Islamic state; how local communities engaged with new Arab immigrants from the East and Al-Andalus; and, the impact of Islam on the consumption practices, diet, health, lifestyle, origins and mobility of its medieval inhabitants.
This project is currently investigating two zones: area A, within the walls at the centre of the Berber town, and area E, just outside the northwest gate. In the first, we are examining a large enclosure, which appears to date to the 14th century. Measuring almost 20 x 20 m., the enclosure is built of huge blocks of stone, over which walls in pisé would have protected the space within. The function of this space is not yet clear, but underneath the fourteenth-century phase we have domestic buildings of the eighth century. In area E, outside the northeast gate, is found a large cluster of buildings, partially excavated during the 60’s and 70’s of the last century, and never published. Careful cleaning and the excavation of the islands of stratigraphy that remains have revealed a number of individual buildings. The first phase of these structures dates to the late seventh or early eighth centuries. We suggest that they were occupied by incoming Arab troops or migrants, a suggestion supported by the find of a ring with the engraving ‘Bismillah’, and the possible identification of one of the buildings as a mosque.
Preliminary project reports can be found under the tab ‘research’. Excavations took place in 2018 and 2019, but were interrupted by the COVID 19 pandemic: they should begin again in October 2021.
We are very grateful for the funding received from the Barakat Trust, Gerald Avery Wainwright Fund, the Society for Antiquaries, UCL Institute of Archaeology Fieldwork Fund and the UCL Official Development Assistance/ Global Challenge Research Fund. The project is currently funded by a European Research Council (ERC) grant to Corisande Fenwick under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (Grant agreement No. 949367).
The 2000-2005 project
Between 2000 and 2005, a first collaborative project took place between the Institut National des Sciences de l’Archéologie et du Patrimoine and the Institute of Archaeology of University College London, directed by Hassan Limane and Elizabeth Fentress. These excavations were published by Fentress and Limane in 2018 with the title Volubilis après Rome: Les fouilles UCL/INSAP, 2000-2005 (Leiden, Brill). Concentrated on the western half of the city, where the Roman buildings are covered by their own destruction and by the early medieval town, two sites were excavated, At site D, within the walls, the rural settlement of the Awraba was revealed, a series of one- or two-roomed houses, with simple beaten earth floors. Pottery and evidence from faunal and botanical remains revealed an agricultural lifestyle, with sheep and cattle reared and butchered on site, and wheat and barley cultivated on the plain below. At site B, outside the walls, the headaquarters of Idris I were revealed. These consisted of a series of courtyards, built around a hammam or bath which is one of the earliest in the Maghreb. Each courtyard had a different function – storage and artisanal production, reception, and domestic occupation. The identification with Idris I was confirmed by coins and radiocarbon dating. The contrast between the two contemporary sites was evident: in Idris I’s compound cotton was traded and iron smelted, while grain was stored in enormous silos cut into the ground of the largest courtyard. On site D, in contrast, silos were small and clearly domestic, intended for the family that lived in the house. Coin usage was common on site B, almost absent on site D. Even pottery was slightly different, with large platters for communal dining more common on site B. The excavation revealed two very different settlements, inhabited by two very different groups of people – on the one hand the Berber Awraba, and on the other the Arab followers of Idris I.
Urban Economy of Volubilis Architectural Survey: INSAP/Old Dominion University
This project aims to provide a synthetic description of economic activity and investment in Roman-era Volubilis by combining a close examination of the architectural remains of workshops with archaeobotanical analysis and petrology. The project is directed by Jared Benton (Old Dominion University) and Christy Schirmer (University of Texas/American Academy in Rome), with team members including Basma Mejrihi a graduate student at INSAP, Phil Orlandini and Derek Weller geologists from the Jackson School of Geosciences at UT Austin, and Giancarlo Filantropi an Italian draftsman and architect. The project is sponsored by Old Dominion University and the University of Texas at Austin and has been funded by the Archaeological Institute of America (The Ellen and Charles Steinmetz Endowment Fund for Archaeology), the Roman Society of London (Donald Atkinson Fund), Old Dominion University’s Internal Granting, and the Andrew J. Messing Charitable Fund.
Focusing initially on the bakeries, in 2017 the team cleaned, 3D modelled, and planned six bakeries with ovens excavated in the early 20th century. The first publication on that work came out in February 2021. In 2019, the team focused entirely on the bakery in the Maison a la Citerne, which was excavated by a French team in the 1950s and published in the 1960s by Zehnacker and Hallier. Team members removed the backfill, identified undisturbed strata in the packed earth floors and sampled them for flotation and archaeobotanical analysis. This work revealed concentrations of carbonized olive stones behind the oven, which suggests the use of pomace as fuel in the ovens, a possible link between bakers and olive presseurs in the city. A report on that work is forthcoming. Part of the 2019 season was an effort to sample the stone technologies in workshop and conduct a comprehensive petrological analysis that linked workshops with primary-sector production of millstones and other stone implements. The project’s article on that subject is currently under-review with Journal of Archaeological Sciences: Reports. Future aims of the project are to focus on the partially excavated and unidentified workshops of Volubilis, deploying the same techniques to try to detail the nature of commercial and industrial activity in these spaces to better understand the diverse nature of production in the city. In 2021, the team has identified several possible quarries using aerial photography and digital elevation models; from August 1 to 26, team members will be surveying the Middle Atlas mountains searching for the quarry or quarries from which the Roman-era volcanic millstones of Volubilis were possibly taken.
At this level, you can show all the public buildings to see how they relate.
Hover over the image to zoom in closer.
The Arch of Triumph is situated according to the usual architectural layout. It is found in the decumanus maximus (the principle axis), at the junction of the northeast, central and western sectors of the city. It was erected sometime between December 216 and April 217 C.E. by the council of Volubilis in honour of the emperor Caracalla, who bestowed Roman citizenship on its inhabitants and exempted them from paying taxes.
Volubilis was visited in the XVIII century by the English travellers Boyd and J. Windus, and by the Austrian Von Augustin in 1830. They left drawings of the arch, which permitted its restoration between 1930 and 1934, although the restoration remains incomplete and there is some doubt about its details. At the start of the 1915 excavations the arch and the judiciary basilica were the only monuments still visible.
The two identical inscriptions found on its façades were reconstructed from fragments found scattered on the ground. The conception of the monument is typical of Roman triumphal arches of the third century. It is built in ashlars and has two rectangular pillars connected by a vault.
The rectangular forum has a surface area of 1300m2 and is situated in the centre of the monumental area, at the junction of the north and south sectors. It is accessible via three gates. Enclosed and paved, this building represents the centre of the political, administrative and religious structures of the city. To its east stands the judiciary basilica with its eight arches; to its south is the capitol and the tribunal from which speeches were made; to its west is a series of shops (tabernae), while to the north-east is found a temple with four cellae, with its temenos surrounded by a portico. The forum was cluttered with all sorts of statues dedicated to emperors, magistrates and to elite men and women who had rendered some service to the town. Of these statues only the pedestals remain in situ.
The basilica (court of law and seat of the magistrates) lies on the eastern side of the forum.
This monument imposing building is 42.2m long and 22.3m wide. Its interior is divided into three parts, a central nave outlined to its north and south by an apse, and two lateral aisles framed by Corinthian columns.
The design of Volubilis’ basilica resembles that of Leptis Magna in Libya, which dates from the Severan period. However, recent excavations suggest that it may have been built as early as the second half of the first century C.E.
To the south of the basilica stands the capitol, a temple dedicated to the Roman Capitoline triad, Jupiter, Juno and Minerva. It is composed of a single cella reached by thirteen steps. Four other chapels complete the complex, of which one was dedicated to the goddess Venus. The temple was reconstructed in 218 C.E. by Macrinus, as is indicated by an inscription found in 1924. The temple’s porticos were restored in 1955. In 1962, restoration work started again under the direction of A. Luquet; the stairs were restored (only three steps remained out of the original thirteen), and the walls of the cella as well as the architectural elements (column drums, bases and capitals) were restored.
The house was named because of the discovery of a gold coin. It occupies 1691 square meters and comprises both a private house and a commercial complex.
The plan of this house is exceptional for Volubilis. It is lacking shops on the front, and at the center is a small courtyard with a central basin, lacking the columns of a peristyle. To the east, an enfilade of three rooms probably served as storage space or warehousing.
The house covers around 992 square meters. At the center of its peristyle is found a trefoil pool. A baker’s shop is found on the northwest side of the building.
The name of the house comes from the statue representing a marble Bacchus, discovered inside it. It occupies 1106 square meters, and comprises two separate apartments, one built around a large peristyle and the other around a small ‘atriolum’, or secondary peristyle. There is also a baker’s shop.
A sundial discovered in 1934 gives its name to the house, which measures 1059 square metres. It is composed of a sector open to the public, with a more private section to the southwest. There is also a storage room, a small bath complex, and latrines.
The name of the house comes from a bronze bust of the Mauretanian king Juba II found inside. However, the bust may have originally come from the house of Venus. The building covers 1406 square meters, between the cardines IV and V south.
The name of the house comes from the statue representing a marble Bacchus, discovered inside it. It occupies 1106 square meters, and comprises two separate apartments, one built around a large peristyle and the other around a small ‘atriolum’, or secondary peristyle. There is also a baker’s shop.
The name of the house comes from the statue representing a marble Bacchus, discovered inside it. It occupies 1106 square meters, and comprises two separate apartments, one built around a large peristyle and the other around a small ‘atriolum’, or secondary peristyle. There is also a baker’s shop.
At this level, you can show all the mosaics to see how they relate.
Hover over the image to zoom in closer.
Baths were an essential component of the ancient urban landscape. Along with the forum and the shops they were part and parcel of the social life of the town. The baths all followed a typical plan. One entered through a vestibule, then proceeded to the changing room (apodytermium). Through the cold room (frigidarium) one passed into a warm room (tepidarium) and through it into the hot rooms (caldaria, laconica). Here one remained until a sweat had been worked up, which was scraped off with an instrument called a striglium. The bather then returned to the cold room, to rince himself off in the plunge baths and to relax. A palestra served for exercise and sports, which would take place before the baths.
Volubilis possesses four baths: the large baths of Gallienus, the baths of the Capitol, the northern baths and the baths of the House of the Cistern. These were all substantial buildings, destined for a large number of bathers. The hot rooms were heated by ovens from which hot air passed underneath the pavements and up through the walls through pipes made of hollow bricks. Brick pillars supported the floors of the hot rooms, creating spaces (hypocaust) for the circulation of the air.
The same techniques were used for the little bath to the southeast of the town built in the eighth century C.E. This structure is extremely important insofar as it demonstrates the technical continuity between the Roman period and the early Middle Ages. It is the only bath of this date in North Africa
Volubilis possesses four baths: the large baths of Gallienus, the baths of the Capitol, the northern baths and the baths of the House of the Cistern. These were all substantial buildings, destined for a large number of bathers. The hot rooms were heated by ovens from which hot air passed underneath the pavements and up through the walls through pipes made of hollow bricks. Brick pillars supported the floors of the hot rooms, creating spaces (hypocaust) for the circulation of the air.
The same techniques were used for the little bath to the southeast of the town built in the eighth century C.E. This structure is extremely important insofar as it demonstrates the technical continuity between the Roman period and the early Middle Ages. It is the only bath of this date in North Africa
58 oil-pressing complexes are known from Volubilis, distributed throughout the town. In general, a pressing complex comprises the following elements: a mill for crushing the olives, a press composed of a counterweight, a cross bar (prelum), a pulley the upright supports for the prelum, and a decantation basin. These structures are found within a clearly defined working space.
The presses of Volubilis use the same principle as the majority of the presses in the Roman Mediterranean. After crushing, the olive paste was loaded into woven baskets. These were then stacked in the centre of the press, and the prelum was cranked down on top of the stack with the aid of the pulley. The oil that ran out of the baskets was channelled into the decantation basin. Here water was added, and the oil that floated to the surface was ladled directly into amphorae. The decantation basins were periodically emptied through run off channels. We can see some development in the technology at Volubilis: the counterweights for the prelum seem to have shifted from a rectangular block to a cylindrical form around the beginning of the second century C.E. so as to increase their efficiency.
The uniform technology of the Volubilis oil complexes seems to testify to the cultural coherence of the community. There number, however, is striking, as is their integration into most of the largest houses. Oil was clearly one of the major sources of wealth for the town. The production of transport amphorae from the end of the second century B.C.E. demonstrates the early growth of the oil trade.
The religious stuctures of Volubilis are spread across the site and the chronological periods of its occupation. Some of these structures testify to a continuous evolution from the Mauretanian period onward. Six temples have been found: temple B, known as the temple of Saturn, temple C to the east of the tumulus, temple D in the monumental center, the twin temples of the western quarter and the Punic temple to the east of the Capitolium, and the Capitolium itself.
These structures show very different plans, and bear witness to a wide variety of inspirations, as well as to the individual styles of the local artisan tradition.
This seems to be the oldest religious structure in Volubilis. It is composed of a vast open courtyard in the middle of which is found a square altar in tufo.
With the exception of the altar itself, the complex was hidden and profaned by the construction of an oven and other structures in the middle of the first century C.E..
Situated by itself on the left bank of the oued Fertassa, temple B comprises a temenos delimited by four porticos. To the north and the south are underground chambers, serving as storage for the chapels on the north, west and south sides. Archaeological research currently underway has revealed more than eight hundred stele, a the only such series in Mauretania Tingitana. These anepigraphic stele represent figures in different attitudes: salutating, offering, listening and praying are typical of sanctuaries dedicated to the god Saturn, whose worship replaced that of the Punic Baal Hammon.
Built over the pre-Roman city wall, the sanctuary is composed of a shallow vestibule, a little temple with its cella built onto a raised podium, and a three-sided portico built along the surrounding wall. An independent water supply was assured by a well to the southeast, just outside the temple.
Lying to the northwest of the forum, the sanctuary was modified many times in its history. In its first phase, the monument was composed of two oblong cellae which can be dated to the Mauretanian period. The last phase of its life, probably dating to the Severan period, was characterized by the construction of four cellae proceded by a pronaos oriented north-south, and accessible from the forum.
These twin temples are situated on the western edge of the Mauretanian city. Like temple A, they are constructed of local limestone and are oriented east-west, which were reached by stairs.
An aqueduct leading from a large spring to the northeast brought water for the town.
It was reconstructed a number of times, but its earliest phase may be dated to around 60-80 C.E.
Water from secondary channels fed the larger houses, the baths and the public fountains.
The Mauretanian rampart (GREEN) is seen for a short stretch of 77m. under the tumulus, and in its immediate vicinity. The visible sections are composed of foundations in cut stone, with an elevation in mud brick. The collapse of this upper section is clearly visible in the section cut into the tumulus by previous excavations.
(RED) An irregular polygon 2,613 metres long, the Roman rampart encloses 40 hectares. Built of rubble masonry faced with ashlars, it had 6 main gates flanked by towers and 24 other towers. Its construction dates from 168/169 C.E., during the reign of the emperor Marcus Aurelius, who also built the city walls of Rome
(YELLOW) Oriented north-south, this rampart was constructed with blocks reused from earlier constructions. It delimited the later town, now reduced to the southeast slope of the hillside, separating it from the early Roman town center which was now occupied by cemeteries. A recent excavation has demonstrated that it was built in the fifth or sixth century A.D
Baking and milling flour was one of the principle activities for which we have evidence at Volubiulis. This daily activity linked the city to its countryside, rich in cereal cultivation. By the 1980’s sixteen baker’s shops had been found in the city, along with around twenty mills and querns found scattered around the city. The grinding elements themselves present a variety of types and forms. They were cut from a volcanic stone found in the Middle Atlas, outside of the zone of Roman control.
The best-preserved installations are that of the Pre-Roman Forum, the shop near the House of the Bronze Bust, those of the House of Flavius Germanus, and those of Insula 10.
The milling area occupies a large room near the House of the bronze bust. There were three mills of different types (annular, cubic and domestic) made of basalt and placed in three corners of the room. There were also two querns. The rectangular oven is found in the fourth corner : the heating platform was constructed with bricks.
The milling area is found in the northwest corner of the building. There was an annular mill in basalt and a grinding stone in grey limestone. The oven is largely destroyed. To the east of the bakers’ three paved rooms probably served as granaries or storage areas.
Situated to the west of the pre-Roman forum, this shop contained two mills, two limestone kneading basins and an oven. The mills compose two elements, an annular base with a central cone, and a grinding stone in the form of a double cone, which covered the central cone of the base. Grain was poured into the upper element, which was turned by donkeys.
The oven was found in the northeast corner of the room; it consisted of a rectangular platform constructed on a masonry base. Its surface was covered with refractory tiles. Annexes to the bakers consisted of granaries and shops for the sale of bread.
The installation is part of an artisan complex that occupied the building. There was a single annular mill, and a cubic kneading trough in grey limestone. The oven was built in the center of the room, and had a floor of refractory tiles.
The Roman town seems to have collapsed suddenly, due to an earthquake in the first quarter of the fifth century. The Roman structures were covered by a huge mass of debris from their collapse, and we have no trace of occupation until the late sixth century, when the western part of the town was enclosed by a wall running along the top of the slope. The new wall, together with the older western Roman walls, enclosed 18 ha. within the old Roman town. Outside were cemeteries, particularly in the area of the Arch of Triumph. Christian funerary inscriptions from this cemetery show that some of the population still spoke Latin, and used dates based on the foundation of the Roman province. According to medieval tradition, the conquering Uqba Ibn Nafi, having made peace with the Romano-Berber Julian at Tangiers, continued on to Walila, where he found the tribe of the Awraba, who had probably arrived towards the end of the sixth century. On the slope of the hill, inside the new wall, the Awraba had built a number of rectangular houses with large rooms, sometimes flanked by an annex. Two of them certainly had loft spaces above the main room.
Around the end of the seventh century Arab soldiers seem to have settled at the site, and the population was converted to Islam. The soldiers settled outside the northwest gate of the town, separate from the Berber population. Sources speak of an Abbasid ribat, and coins were struck with the name Walila. However, this settlement was apparently abandoned by the middle of the eighth century.
In 787 the ‘Alid Idrīs I arrived at the town, where he was welcomed by the chief of the Awraba tribe. Idrīs settled on the plain by the Oued Khomane, just outside the walls, and built a complex of connecting courtyards. The little baths excavated by Rosenberger and El Khayari clearly form part of this expansion, and are part of the complex. To the east of them a large courtyard contained workshops and large silos, while to the south a large courtyard was flanked by long, narrow rooms with red wall plaster, that may be understood as reception spaces. A further courtyard lies to the south of this, and was probably residential. North of Idrīs’ headquarters an artisanal quarter sprang up in the ruins of the old soldiers’ settlement.
During his brief reign Idrīs I united the Berber tribes and took control of all of northern Morocco. His success was short-lived, for in 891 he was murdered by an Abassid spy. His posthumous son, Idris II, was brought up at Walila, although on achieving his majority he moved his capital to Fez. Occupation continued at Walila, still the capital of the little principality. Al Bakri relates that exiles from Cordoba arrived there in 818 C.E.: their descendents were still on the site in his day. However, Al Idrisi refers to it as in ruins.
Current excavations: INSAP/UCL
In 2018, the Institut National des Sciences de l’Archéologie et du Patrimoine (INSAP) and the Institute of Archaeology of University College London (UCL) began a new project, focusing again on the medieval town of Walīla directed by Elizabeth Fentress, Corisande Fenwick and Hassan Limane. The project aims to investigate how the town was transformed from a Berber settlement to the base of a new Arab-Islamic state; how local communities engaged with new Arab immigrants from the East and Al-Andalus; and, the impact of Islam on the consumption practices, diet, health, lifestyle, origins and mobility of its medieval inhabitants.
This project is currently investigating two zones: area A, within the walls at the centre of the Berber town, and area E, just outside the northwest gate. In the first, we are examining a large enclosure, which appears to date to the 14th century. Measuring almost 20 x 20 m., the enclosure is built of huge blocks of stone, over which walls in pisé would have protected the space within. The function of this space is not yet clear, but underneath the fourteenth-century phase we have domestic buildings of the eighth century. In area E, outside the northeast gate, is found a large cluster of buildings, partially excavated during the 60’s and 70’s of the last century, and never published. Careful cleaning and the excavation of the islands of stratigraphy that remains have revealed a number of individual buildings. The first phase of these structures dates to the late seventh or early eighth centuries. We suggest that they were occupied by incoming Arab troops or migrants, a suggestion supported by the find of a ring with the engraving ‘Bismillah’, and the possible identification of one of the buildings as a mosque.
Preliminary project reports can be found under the tab ‘research’. Excavations took place in 2018 and 2019, but were interrupted by the COVID 19 pandemic: they should begin again in October 2021.
We are very grateful for the funding received from the Barakat Trust, Gerald Avery Wainwright Fund, the Society for Antiquaries, UCL Institute of Archaeology Fieldwork Fund and the UCL Official Development Assistance/ Global Challenge Research Fund. The project is currently funded by a European Research Council (ERC) grant to Corisande Fenwick under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (Grant agreement No. 949367).
The 2000-2005 project
Between 2000 and 2005, a first collaborative project took place between the Institut National des Sciences de l’Archéologie et du Patrimoine and the Institute of Archaeology of University College London, directed by Hassan Limane and Elizabeth Fentress. These excavations were published by Fentress and Limane in 2018 with the title Volubilis après Rome: Les fouilles UCL/INSAP, 2000-2005 (Leiden, Brill). Concentrated on the western half of the city, where the Roman buildings are covered by their own destruction and by the early medieval town, two sites were excavated, At site D, within the walls, the rural settlement of the Awraba was revealed, a series of one- or two-roomed houses, with simple beaten earth floors. Pottery and evidence from faunal and botanical remains revealed an agricultural lifestyle, with sheep and cattle reared and butchered on site, and wheat and barley cultivated on the plain below. At site B, outside the walls, the headaquarters of Idris I were revealed. These consisted of a series of courtyards, built around a hammam or bath which is one of the earliest in the Maghreb. Each courtyard had a different function – storage and artisanal production, reception, and domestic occupation. The identification with Idris I was confirmed by coins and radiocarbon dating. The contrast between the two contemporary sites was evident: in Idris I’s compound cotton was traded and iron smelted, while grain was stored in enormous silos cut into the ground of the largest courtyard. On site D, in contrast, silos were small and clearly domestic, intended for the family that lived in the house. Coin usage was common on site B, almost absent on site D. Even pottery was slightly different, with large platters for communal dining more common on site B. The excavation revealed two very different settlements, inhabited by two very different groups of people – on the one hand the Berber Awraba, and on the other the Arab followers of Idris I.
Urban Economy of Volubilis Architectural Survey: INSAP/Old Dominion University
This project aims to provide a synthetic description of economic activity and investment in Roman-era Volubilis by combining a close examination of the architectural remains of workshops with archaeobotanical analysis and petrology. The project is directed by Jared Benton (Old Dominion University) and Christy Schirmer (University of Texas/American Academy in Rome), with team members including Basma Mejrihi a graduate student at INSAP, Phil Orlandini and Derek Weller geologists from the Jackson School of Geosciences at UT Austin, and Giancarlo Filantropi an Italian draftsman and architect. The project is sponsored by Old Dominion University and the University of Texas at Austin and has been funded by the Archaeological Institute of America (The Ellen and Charles Steinmetz Endowment Fund for Archaeology), the Roman Society of London (Donald Atkinson Fund), Old Dominion University’s Internal Granting, and the Andrew J. Messing Charitable Fund.
Focusing initially on the bakeries, in 2017 the team cleaned, 3D modelled, and planned six bakeries with ovens excavated in the early 20th century. The first publication on that work came out in February 2021. In 2019, the team focused entirely on the bakery in the Maison a la Citerne, which was excavated by a French team in the 1950s and published in the 1960s by Zehnacker and Hallier. Team members removed the backfill, identified undisturbed strata in the packed earth floors and sampled them for flotation and archaeobotanical analysis. This work revealed concentrations of carbonized olive stones behind the oven, which suggests the use of pomace as fuel in the ovens, a possible link between bakers and olive presseurs in the city. A report on that work is forthcoming. Part of the 2019 season was an effort to sample the stone technologies in workshop and conduct a comprehensive petrological analysis that linked workshops with primary-sector production of millstones and other stone implements. The project’s article on that subject is currently under-review with Journal of Archaeological Sciences: Reports. Future aims of the project are to focus on the partially excavated and unidentified workshops of Volubilis, deploying the same techniques to try to detail the nature of commercial and industrial activity in these spaces to better understand the diverse nature of production in the city. In 2021, the team has identified several possible quarries using aerial photography and digital elevation models; from August 1 to 26, team members will be surveying the Middle Atlas mountains searching for the quarry or quarries from which the Roman-era volcanic millstones of Volubilis were possibly taken.
At this level, you can show all the public buildings to see how they relate.
Hover over the image to zoom in closer.
The Arch of Triumph is situated according to the usual architectural layout. It is found in the decumanus maximus (the principle axis), at the junction of the northeast, central and western sectors of the city. It was erected sometime between December 216 and April 217 C.E. by the council of Volubilis in honour of the emperor Caracalla, who bestowed Roman citizenship on its inhabitants and exempted them from paying taxes.
Volubilis was visited in the XVIII century by the English travellers Boyd and J. Windus, and by the Austrian Von Augustin in 1830. They left drawings of the arch, which permitted its restoration between 1930 and 1934, although the restoration remains incomplete and there is some doubt about its details. At the start of the 1915 excavations the arch and the judiciary basilica were the only monuments still visible.
The two identical inscriptions found on its façades were reconstructed from fragments found scattered on the ground. The conception of the monument is typical of Roman triumphal arches of the third century. It is built in ashlars and has two rectangular pillars connected by a vault.
The rectangular forum has a surface area of 1300m2 and is situated in the centre of the monumental area, at the junction of the north and south sectors. It is accessible via three gates. Enclosed and paved, this building represents the centre of the political, administrative and religious structures of the city. To its east stands the judiciary basilica with its eight arches; to its south is the capitol and the tribunal from which speeches were made; to its west is a series of shops (tabernae), while to the north-east is found a temple with four cellae, with its temenos surrounded by a portico. The forum was cluttered with all sorts of statues dedicated to emperors, magistrates and to elite men and women who had rendered some service to the town. Of these statues only the pedestals remain in situ.
The basilica (court of law and seat of the magistrates) lies on the eastern side of the forum.
This monument imposing building is 42.2m long and 22.3m wide. Its interior is divided into three parts, a central nave outlined to its north and south by an apse, and two lateral aisles framed by Corinthian columns.
The design of Volubilis’ basilica resembles that of Leptis Magna in Libya, which dates from the Severan period. However, recent excavations suggest that it may have been built as early as the second half of the first century C.E.
To the south of the basilica stands the capitol, a temple dedicated to the Roman Capitoline triad, Jupiter, Juno and Minerva. It is composed of a single cella reached by thirteen steps. Four other chapels complete the complex, of which one was dedicated to the goddess Venus. The temple was reconstructed in 218 C.E. by Macrinus, as is indicated by an inscription found in 1924. The temple’s porticos were restored in 1955. In 1962, restoration work started again under the direction of A. Luquet; the stairs were restored (only three steps remained out of the original thirteen), and the walls of the cella as well as the architectural elements (column drums, bases and capitals) were restored.
The house was named because of the discovery of a gold coin. It occupies 1691 square meters and comprises both a private house and a commercial complex.
The plan of this house is exceptional for Volubilis. It is lacking shops on the front, and at the center is a small courtyard with a central basin, lacking the columns of a peristyle. To the east, an enfilade of three rooms probably served as storage space or warehousing.
The house covers around 992 square meters. At the center of its peristyle is found a trefoil pool. A baker’s shop is found on the northwest side of the building.
The name of the house comes from the statue representing a marble Bacchus, discovered inside it. It occupies 1106 square meters, and comprises two separate apartments, one built around a large peristyle and the other around a small ‘atriolum’, or secondary peristyle. There is also a baker’s shop.
A sundial discovered in 1934 gives its name to the house, which measures 1059 square metres. It is composed of a sector open to the public, with a more private section to the southwest. There is also a storage room, a small bath complex, and latrines.
The name of the house comes from a bronze bust of the Mauretanian king Juba II found inside. However, the bust may have originally come from the house of Venus. The building covers 1406 square meters, between the cardines IV and V south.
The name of the house comes from the statue representing a marble Bacchus, discovered inside it. It occupies 1106 square meters, and comprises two separate apartments, one built around a large peristyle and the other around a small ‘atriolum’, or secondary peristyle. There is also a baker’s shop.
The name of the house comes from the statue representing a marble Bacchus, discovered inside it. It occupies 1106 square meters, and comprises two separate apartments, one built around a large peristyle and the other around a small ‘atriolum’, or secondary peristyle. There is also a baker’s shop.
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Baths were an essential component of the ancient urban landscape. Along with the forum and the shops they were part and parcel of the social life of the town. The baths all followed a typical plan. One entered through a vestibule, then proceeded to the changing room (apodytermium). Through the cold room (frigidarium) one passed into a warm room (tepidarium) and through it into the hot rooms (caldaria, laconica). Here one remained until a sweat had been worked up, which was scraped off with an instrument called a striglium. The bather then returned to the cold room, to rince himself off in the plunge baths and to relax. A palestra served for exercise and sports, which would take place before the baths.
Volubilis possesses four baths: the large baths of Gallienus, the baths of the Capitol, the northern baths and the baths of the House of the Cistern. These were all substantial buildings, destined for a large number of bathers. The hot rooms were heated by ovens from which hot air passed underneath the pavements and up through the walls through pipes made of hollow bricks. Brick pillars supported the floors of the hot rooms, creating spaces (hypocaust) for the circulation of the air.
The same techniques were used for the little bath to the southeast of the town built in the eighth century C.E. This structure is extremely important insofar as it demonstrates the technical continuity between the Roman period and the early Middle Ages. It is the only bath of this date in North Africa
Volubilis possesses four baths: the large baths of Gallienus, the baths of the Capitol, the northern baths and the baths of the House of the Cistern. These were all substantial buildings, destined for a large number of bathers. The hot rooms were heated by ovens from which hot air passed underneath the pavements and up through the walls through pipes made of hollow bricks. Brick pillars supported the floors of the hot rooms, creating spaces (hypocaust) for the circulation of the air.
The same techniques were used for the little bath to the southeast of the town built in the eighth century C.E. This structure is extremely important insofar as it demonstrates the technical continuity between the Roman period and the early Middle Ages. It is the only bath of this date in North Africa
58 oil-pressing complexes are known from Volubilis, distributed throughout the town. In general, a pressing complex comprises the following elements: a mill for crushing the olives, a press composed of a counterweight, a cross bar (prelum), a pulley the upright supports for the prelum, and a decantation basin. These structures are found within a clearly defined working space.
The presses of Volubilis use the same principle as the majority of the presses in the Roman Mediterranean. After crushing, the olive paste was loaded into woven baskets. These were then stacked in the centre of the press, and the prelum was cranked down on top of the stack with the aid of the pulley. The oil that ran out of the baskets was channelled into the decantation basin. Here water was added, and the oil that floated to the surface was ladled directly into amphorae. The decantation basins were periodically emptied through run off channels. We can see some development in the technology at Volubilis: the counterweights for the prelum seem to have shifted from a rectangular block to a cylindrical form around the beginning of the second century C.E. so as to increase their efficiency.
The uniform technology of the Volubilis oil complexes seems to testify to the cultural coherence of the community. There number, however, is striking, as is their integration into most of the largest houses. Oil was clearly one of the major sources of wealth for the town. The production of transport amphorae from the end of the second century B.C.E. demonstrates the early growth of the oil trade.
The religious stuctures of Volubilis are spread across the site and the chronological periods of its occupation. Some of these structures testify to a continuous evolution from the Mauretanian period onward. Six temples have been found: temple B, known as the temple of Saturn, temple C to the east of the tumulus, temple D in the monumental center, the twin temples of the western quarter and the Punic temple to the east of the Capitolium, and the Capitolium itself.
These structures show very different plans, and bear witness to a wide variety of inspirations, as well as to the individual styles of the local artisan tradition.
This seems to be the oldest religious structure in Volubilis. It is composed of a vast open courtyard in the middle of which is found a square altar in tufo.
With the exception of the altar itself, the complex was hidden and profaned by the construction of an oven and other structures in the middle of the first century C.E..
Situated by itself on the left bank of the oued Fertassa, temple B comprises a temenos delimited by four porticos. To the north and the south are underground chambers, serving as storage for the chapels on the north, west and south sides. Archaeological research currently underway has revealed more than eight hundred stele, a the only such series in Mauretania Tingitana. These anepigraphic stele represent figures in different attitudes: salutating, offering, listening and praying are typical of sanctuaries dedicated to the god Saturn, whose worship replaced that of the Punic Baal Hammon.
Built over the pre-Roman city wall, the sanctuary is composed of a shallow vestibule, a little temple with its cella built onto a raised podium, and a three-sided portico built along the surrounding wall. An independent water supply was assured by a well to the southeast, just outside the temple.
Lying to the northwest of the forum, the sanctuary was modified many times in its history. In its first phase, the monument was composed of two oblong cellae which can be dated to the Mauretanian period. The last phase of its life, probably dating to the Severan period, was characterized by the construction of four cellae proceded by a pronaos oriented north-south, and accessible from the forum.
These twin temples are situated on the western edge of the Mauretanian city. Like temple A, they are constructed of local limestone and are oriented east-west, which were reached by stairs.
An aqueduct leading from a large spring to the northeast brought water for the town.
It was reconstructed a number of times, but its earliest phase may be dated to around 60-80 C.E.
Water from secondary channels fed the larger houses, the baths and the public fountains.
The Mauretanian rampart (GREEN) is seen for a short stretch of 77m. under the tumulus, and in its immediate vicinity. The visible sections are composed of foundations in cut stone, with an elevation in mud brick. The collapse of this upper section is clearly visible in the section cut into the tumulus by previous excavations.
(RED) An irregular polygon 2,613 metres long, the Roman rampart encloses 40 hectares. Built of rubble masonry faced with ashlars, it had 6 main gates flanked by towers and 24 other towers. Its construction dates from 168/169 C.E., during the reign of the emperor Marcus Aurelius, who also built the city walls of Rome
(YELLOW) Oriented north-south, this rampart was constructed with blocks reused from earlier constructions. It delimited the later town, now reduced to the southeast slope of the hillside, separating it from the early Roman town center which was now occupied by cemeteries. A recent excavation has demonstrated that it was built in the fifth or sixth century A.D
Baking and milling flour was one of the principle activities for which we have evidence at Volubiulis. This daily activity linked the city to its countryside, rich in cereal cultivation. By the 1980’s sixteen baker’s shops had been found in the city, along with around twenty mills and querns found scattered around the city. The grinding elements themselves present a variety of types and forms. They were cut from a volcanic stone found in the Middle Atlas, outside of the zone of Roman control.
The best-preserved installations are that of the Pre-Roman Forum, the shop near the House of the Bronze Bust, those of the House of Flavius Germanus, and those of Insula 10.
The milling area occupies a large room near the House of the bronze bust. There were three mills of different types (annular, cubic and domestic) made of basalt and placed in three corners of the room. There were also two querns. The rectangular oven is found in the fourth corner : the heating platform was constructed with bricks.
The milling area is found in the northwest corner of the building. There was an annular mill in basalt and a grinding stone in grey limestone. The oven is largely destroyed. To the east of the bakers’ three paved rooms probably served as granaries or storage areas.
Situated to the west of the pre-Roman forum, this shop contained two mills, two limestone kneading basins and an oven. The mills compose two elements, an annular base with a central cone, and a grinding stone in the form of a double cone, which covered the central cone of the base. Grain was poured into the upper element, which was turned by donkeys.
The oven was found in the northeast corner of the room; it consisted of a rectangular platform constructed on a masonry base. Its surface was covered with refractory tiles. Annexes to the bakers consisted of granaries and shops for the sale of bread.
The installation is part of an artisan complex that occupied the building. There was a single annular mill, and a cubic kneading trough in grey limestone. The oven was built in the center of the room, and had a floor of refractory tiles.
The Roman town seems to have collapsed suddenly, due to an earthquake in the first quarter of the fifth century. The Roman structures were covered by a huge mass of debris from their collapse, and we have no trace of occupation until the late sixth century, when the western part of the town was enclosed by a wall running along the top of the slope. The new wall, together with the older western Roman walls, enclosed 18 ha. within the old Roman town. Outside were cemeteries, particularly in the area of the Arch of Triumph. Christian funerary inscriptions from this cemetery show that some of the population still spoke Latin, and used dates based on the foundation of the Roman province. According to medieval tradition, the conquering Uqba Ibn Nafi, having made peace with the Romano-Berber Julian at Tangiers, continued on to Walila, where he found the tribe of the Awraba, who had probably arrived towards the end of the sixth century. On the slope of the hill, inside the new wall, the Awraba had built a number of rectangular houses with large rooms, sometimes flanked by an annex. Two of them certainly had loft spaces above the main room.
Around the end of the seventh century Arab soldiers seem to have settled at the site, and the population was converted to Islam. The soldiers settled outside the northwest gate of the town, separate from the Berber population. Sources speak of an Abbasid ribat, and coins were struck with the name Walila. However, this settlement was apparently abandoned by the middle of the eighth century.
In 787 the ‘Alid Idrīs I arrived at the town, where he was welcomed by the chief of the Awraba tribe. Idrīs settled on the plain by the Oued Khomane, just outside the walls, and built a complex of connecting courtyards. The little baths excavated by Rosenberger and El Khayari clearly form part of this expansion, and are part of the complex. To the east of them a large courtyard contained workshops and large silos, while to the south a large courtyard was flanked by long, narrow rooms with red wall plaster, that may be understood as reception spaces. A further courtyard lies to the south of this, and was probably residential. North of Idrīs’ headquarters an artisanal quarter sprang up in the ruins of the old soldiers’ settlement.
During his brief reign Idrīs I united the Berber tribes and took control of all of northern Morocco. His success was short-lived, for in 891 he was murdered by an Abassid spy. His posthumous son, Idris II, was brought up at Walila, although on achieving his majority he moved his capital to Fez. Occupation continued at Walila, still the capital of the little principality. Al Bakri relates that exiles from Cordoba arrived there in 818 C.E.: their descendents were still on the site in his day. However, Al Idrisi refers to it as in ruins.
The site is the result of a collaboration between the INSAP and UCL. It was conceived by Guy Hunt and Elizabeth Fentress in 2002. Its current incarnation was designed by Dan Taylor (dant.design@icloud.com).
Texts by Jared Benton, Abdelkader Chergui, Elizabeth Fentress, Corisande Fenwick, Abdelfetah Ichkhakh and Hassan Limane.
Translations by Elizabeth Fentress and Hassan Limane.
Bibliography by Helen Dawson, Elizabeth Fentress, Raluca Lazarescu and Marie Middleton.
Le site est le résultat d’une collaboration entre INSAP et UCL. Il a été conçu par Guy Hunt et Elizabeth Fentress en 2002. Sa forme actuelle est du à Dan Taylor (dant.design@icloud.com).
Textes de Jared Benton, Abdelkader Chergui, Elizabeth Fentress, Corisande Fenwick, Abdelfetah Ichkhakh et Hassan Limane.
Traductions d’Elizabeth Fentress et Hassan Limane.
Bibliographie de Helen Dawson, Elizabeth Fentress, Raluca Lazarescu et Marie Middleton.