Phoenician, Roman, and Byzantine cultural remains at the archaeological site of Tipasa, Algeria

Phoenician, Roman, and Byzantine cultural remains at the archaeological site of Tipasa, Algeria.

Among honeyed beaches, shady pine trees, and gently rolling hills, the sweeping turquoise sea serves as the backdrop for a layered history of golden ruins overlooking the coastal cliff.  Colonized several times over between the 6th century BC and the 6th century AD, Tipasa originated as a trading center for the Phoenicians of Carthage.  The site features a comprehensive Punic necropolis, ancient toilets, another theater, and a Christian religious complex fitted with thermal baths, basilicas, and tombs.  The most notable structure is the nearby royal mausoleum, Kbor er Roumia, which is the funerary monument of Berber King Juba II and Queen Cleopatra Selene II (Cleopatra and Marc Antony’s only daughter).



Ancient remains of the tomb of Juba II and Cleopatra Selene (Cleopatra VII and Marc Antony's daughter) near Tipasa, Algeria.  Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

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