TunisiaTourismTV – Utica was one of the oldest cities in the west of the Mediterranean basin. It was founded by the
Phoenicians in 1101 BC.
But it was Carthage, another Phoenician city founded three centuries later, which became the capital of Punic Africa.
Utica took its revenge after the Roman conquest. For a century and a half it was the capital of the new province until the reconstruction of its rival.
Known for its wealth, Utica was nicknamed ‘the Splendid’.
Formerly on a promontory on the seafront, the site of Utica is now 12 km away.
You can still see the remains of sumptuous Roman dwellings, their marble or mosaic floors, their interior gardens with waterfalls and fountains, and even stables with feeding troughs.
Beneath the Roman level, vestiges of the Punic period have been found: the necropolis (‘city of the dead’) with tombs and stone sarcophagi.
The small museum, very rich, has magnificent marble statues, mosaics, Punic jewellery of great finesse.
Utica is located halfway between Tunis and Bizerte, 30 km north of the capital.
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