Dougga: Africa's Best-Preserved Roman City

[@bobfrog4836]

Dougga is one of my favorite sites. I love how you can follow the main road and the different passages winding around and in between the different buildings. I used my picture of the latrines as a background for Zoom meetings at work.

[@Gersemi_Trader]

haha thats amazing!

[@feiorn]

I visited Dougga last year. It is an absolutely stunning site that you can fully explore and beautiful countryside views.

[@PeculiarNotions]

Thank you for sharing this incredible location.

[@b.a.erlebacher1139]

Great video. I know very little about Roman Africa and its non-Roman cultures, and now I know more.

[@MegaFreedom2006]

Most of the historical sites are not Roman's in nature by the way, a major mistakes that we still don't know .

[@Sam97979]

I like how you can see the ruts in the road at 6:11, from thousands upon thousands of carts wheeled through that street.

[@darrenkeenan8307]

Your journeys are wonderful! I have thoroughly enjoyed all your channels and applaud your desire to keep Hellinistic, Greco-Roman and Roman civilization alive. I only hope our younger generations will see the value in what you are doing.

[@rickb3078]

Super high quality content!

[@barrymoore4470]

It's remarkable how even the smaller communities of the Roman world were still endowed with permanent theatres, entertainment and this particular brand of it being obviously of prime concern to the state. I wonder where the performers came from (local or touring), and what kind of fare they offered to the audiences (high literary classics or lowbrow ephemeral farces, or some mixture thereof).

[@bobfrog4836]

It's quite the infrastructure for such a small population.

[@robertjones9193]

What, and forgive the lack of knowledge, are "lowbrow ephemeral farces?" ('Made up' material?)... Thank you very much for your help and explanation!

[@MegaFreedom2006]

It’s fascinating to think about how everything we see today was originally built by the native Carthaginians, only to be taken over by the Romans later on. This history really gives us insight into the cultural transitions that have shaped our world.

[@Reginmund]

Going tomorrow! I first heard about Dougga on this channel - keep up the good work!

[@qarljohnson4971]

I found Tunisia to be dripping with ancient ruins. Just scuffing a flat spot in the ground might reveal a mosaic.

[@macrinus-mauri]

Since the second half of the first century BC and as a result of increasing communities of Roman citizens living in the North African centers, Rome started to create colonies in North Africa. The main reason was to control the area with Roman citizens, who had been legionaries in many cases.

[@redbullhamster]

My guy. You're filling this Rick Steves shaped hole in my heart. Thanks for that.

[@canelo1728]

Libya also has some amazing Roman and ancient greek cities i wish to visit

[@bobfrog4836]

Someday....

[@JimIBobIJones]

I really wouldn't go unless you also want to get carjacked and kidnapped for ransom.

[@SpicyCreamy]

this makes me so hungry for some travelling

[@rossl2344]

Fantastic! So informative, good camera work. Thank you so much

[@cherylwood5202]

Thank you for this very educational video! Great site.

[@CaptCanuck4444]

Nice work, very interesting and well presented.

[@evangelieabs]

Beautiful.thanks😊 for sharing

[@ogrejd]

Oooh, the communal sponge-on-a-sticks. Been a while since I heard someone mention those. :P

[@Breakfast_of_Champions]

The experts are actually not so sure they were used the way it's being suggested here😉

[@wurldtravlr620]

Was there several years ago. Amazing destination.

[@williamlloyd3769]

What was the water source for the city? Any ruins associated with this infrastructure? Thanks for posting this fascinating video?

[@alaingadbois2276]

There’s an aqueduct coming into the city from the southwest. Arches over a small valley remain.

[@armisteadab]

Wonderful.

[@acolyte1951]

What a lovely environment.

[@morgan97475]

Very cool. Thanks for this.

[@josephtrahan8045]

Absolutely amazing & cool!!!

[@Jsmith2024]

Wonderful. I really like your videos.

[@dc1397]

That is incredible.

[@JohnOwens-h1j]

Been there twice! Super place!

[@12TribesUnite]

Wow ! Thanks 4 the great video!

[@dianespears6057]

Oh, hi. I knew that voice. Glad to see another video from you. Thank you.

[@RaterProTrickster]

My favourite part of Dougga is the trip you take to get there. It really is in the middle of nowhere even for Tunisia and when you get there despite being so well preserved there is no limits on where you can walk really. It truly fits a town on the edge of the empire as well as giving you such a vivid feel as to how these people were living.

[@MikeGill87]

It's on my list for the Autumn trip

[@cerracarmine]

Keep ip the great work

[@ChannelWright]

A very evocative presentation! Thank you!

[@wbstone4388]

Fascinating! Thanks for the great, informative video along with your Timgad video, I wonder how old the olive trees are and if they still fruit? I read they can live thousands of years.

[@kimberlyperrotis8962]

Wonderful, thanks🙂

[@stevekindler]

Really good!

[@dziban303]

wish I'd been able to go

[@marcoterranova3679]

Very nice .

[@connor8873]

Do you plan on visiting Sufetula/Sbeitla Roman ruins too? They’re just as impressive as Dougga. It’s in Tunisia as well.

[@mike4468]

Do you ever have 'Ron Swanson in Home Depot' moments when guides approach you to offer a tour at these sites?

[@teslaoliveira2195]

Super!

[@notamoose231]

So many interesting conversations must have taken place, with everyone facing each other, pooping.

[@1905juan]

Hey do you have any videos on Timgad? are you planning on visiting?

[@scenicroutestothepast]

One is coming out tomorrow! Stay tuned...

[@rickb3078]

He just did

[@1905juan]

wow! what a coincidence haha ❤️

[@T_Mo271]

Wow, fascinating.

[@Berter007]

Thanks. Please make a similar video about Volubulis (Morocco).

[@Zatara47]

Feel like Roman Africa is not talked about enough. It was super urbanized and the cavalry from the region was super famous.

[@dhammapalatan360]

The tower-like building at the last scene reminded me of Buddhist pagoda or cetiya that houses the remains of cultivated Buddhist practitioners or monastics.

[@saltyshanker]

3:57 beautiful stone masonry work

[@eclecticx]

This video is a bit longer than typical. That's terrific. Don't be afraid to expound. Too much Roman history is never enough, IMO. :)

[@obsidianjane4413]

That area must be very tectonically stable for those columns or towers to have survived. Or are they "restored" by the Italian or French? I know that the mausoleum was restored after being demolished by an English asshat in the 19th century, but it was apparently intact previously.

[@scenicroutestothepast]

Although the site has not suffered extensively from earthquake damage, most of the columns had to be set back up by the French

[@fredyair1]

Very comprehensive walk around a fantastic Roman city. North Africa has always been in our interests list to visit, how safe is Tunisia to travel all by yourself? Maybe rent a car?

[@scenicroutestothepast]

Tunisia is very safe, though renting a car is not for the faint of heart

[@dmitryivanoff2799]

Thank you for this wonderful video. Obviously , the climate was different in Roman times how do you think the surrounding area looked? More trees, etc. May i ask what's the logistics of travelling there. Hiring a car, guide? Thank you.

[@historywizardusa]

I was impressed with Tebessa (thevest) 😊

[@LookingforRomans]

Great video! I really like the way to cover the placement of the Capitolium. I am starting to become a doubter in the sponge stick for ancient TP. Seems more likely the keyhole, which sort of resembles our current public toilet seats, were more likely to help prevent urination on the seating surface. This is my only contribution to ancient archeology thus far.

[@bridgetkeyes6170]

Theatres and baths get the best outlooks often.

[@munbruk]

Great. Did you go to El-Jem?

[@scenicroutestothepast]

Yes - I'll be releasing that video in about a month

[@munbruk]

@@scenicroutestothepast You will not be far from where I was born lol. Many roman sites in Tunisia.

[@zeiddouak9833]

Oh my GOD very interesting thank you for sharing such site. I BELIEVE GOD GIVEN GIFTS for HUMANS WERE GREAT SINCE THE BEGENING

[@kaloarepo288]

I often wonder how any of these kind of places survive at all - the urge to use the building materials for new constructions in later epochs must have been immense. Our modern sensibility for the past did not apply in previous times.

[@EllieMaes-Grandad]

Even post-WW2, parts of Hadrian's Wall were being destroyed by quarrying in the search for quality stone . . .

[@Cre80s]

Super interesting. It looks fantasticly preserved and doesn't appear to have a load of modern development encroaching on it from all angles, unlike pretty much all the rest of Roman cities.

[@lesliea7394]

Sure wish we could make time travel a reality so we could visit Dougga, as it was.

[@EllieMaes-Grandad]

In such a hot climate, how was the frigidarium made to be cold, or was that just relative to other rooms?

[@youonlylivetwice5555]

👍👍❤

[@DragonsAndDragons777]

Did they ever clean the sponges? 🗿 I hope they did

[@EllieMaes-Grandad]

High up as it is, some reference to water supply would be useful.

[@shapesinaframe]

7:15 “…said to be a brothel, but there is no evidence for this” .. said as a pool in shape of phallus fills the frame 😂

[@karimjerbi7084]

I can provide pictures and locations of other lesser known roman cities in Tunisia if you are interested.

[@MegaFreedom2006]

I wanted to clarify a point regarding Dougga or Thugga. It is important to note that this site is not Roman in nature. In fact, Dougga was established in the 6th century BC, which predates the Roman presence in the region. In fact there was no Roman's during that time : Roman Empire (27 BC - 476 AD) and Dougga is more than 500 years before that.

[@triedzidono]

I have a friend, who's name is all over this place. Doug - ...

[@casek6930]

My guess is that the first "dry wipe" was the best and the rinse-dip would have been for successive wipes or a courtesy equivalent to flushing to toilet if you were leaving the sponge-stick behind. No doubt there were a few phantom poo-stickers in every town. The misanthrope or comedian, who could guess? Trying to deduce the culprit would have supplied great gossip material.

[@gregorybowden1515]

Remember a healthy diet produces a firm stool so less likely they had runny situations in ancient times again due to their healthy diet also a well-known fact that cavities were rare

[@golgumbazguide...4113]

Explore Golgumbaz Deccan india

[@ericschmuecker348]

I've never seen such a fine 12-holer! Honest, that's a pretty nice toilet for Arkansas standards!

[@v.britton4445]

Restore !!

[@paladinkhan]

Anyone else still using their sponge stick ✋

[@BarrySuridge]

Ooo .. I'm first! 🤣👍

[@thislittlelightofmine8776]

I have to ask, were the sponges on a stick a one time use thing, or did some poor slave have to clean all the sponges at the end of the day, just saying, that's a shitty job

[@ArtHistoryProfessor]

Dougga is NOT the best preserved Roman city in Africa. Categorically, that honor belongs to Leptis Magna, the birthplace of Septimius Severus (founder of the Afro-Syrian Severan Dynasty), followed by its smaller sister city in Lybia, Sabratha.

[@canelo1728]

Founder of the Libyan-Syrian Severan dynasty**

[@ArtHistoryProfessor]

@canelo1728 Your bullsh!t racist revisionist tactics don't work on me. I said Afro-Syrian because that's what the dynasty was! Severus was the first and only African-born Roman emperor. The Romans NEVER used the term Lybia! Furthermore, western Lybia was a vital and important part of the Roman province called Africa Proconsularus, the bread basket of the Roman Empire, which included Leptis Magna (and Sabratha), where SS was born! Go back to school, clown! And clear tf off my comments.

[@canelo1728]

@ArtHistoryProfessor The only one who uses revisionist tactics are black americans who are ashamed of their fufu munching sub saharan history. You use Syrian for one term, but why not Asian? Syria is located in Asia, might aswell call him Asian at this point. North africa is a Medditeranean region and doesnt have anything to do with you sub saharans.

[@Gersemi_Trader]

Interesting how the byzantines did quite a bit of damage to ancient Rome, look at many cities and they demolished to build churches , forts etc. And lets not forget the gothic wars, that truly laid waste to Rome and Milan. Its almost a meme, "we are here to save Rome"

[@kidmohair8151]

nothing pertinent to add. just feeding the algo-deities of the tube-y'all

[@speakupriseup4549]

Architecture and art were designed to elevate the human spirit right up until the blight of 20th century"modern" styles.

[@giorgosmassaros5572]

What can i say....evry where Greeks

[@whome1636]

None of these, including the great Italian and Greek architectures, were built by the Romans. A lost global civilization had built them all over the world. They simply "founded" them and tried to copy, but their weak copies were all destroyed by earthquakes and war. You can find these "Roman" architectures in Asia and the Americas too, which most also destroyed by war, "city fires" or just demolished.