The mosaics
Animals and myths.
IssamBarhoumi — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Miroslav Krejcirik — CC BY 2.0 · Andrew Skudder — CC BY-SA 2.0
A small, lovely museum south of the El Jem amphitheatre, showing the Roman art that came out of the rich houses of Thysdrus, most of it mosaic. It sits in a Roman-style building beside an excavated quarter of ancient villas. Mosaics cover the walls and floors with myths, animals and geometric designs: lions, tigers and birds, the seasons of the year, hunting scenes and banquets. Their precision and colour reveal the taste of the landowners and merchants who grew rich on olive oil. Behind the museum lies a quarter of excavated Roman villas, one of which, the Villa Africa, has been rebuilt with its walls and decorated floors, giving you a sense of a wealthy Roman house with its rooms and courtyard. The same ticket covers the amphitheatre, so pair the two in half a day; they are a short walk apart. The museum is shady and calm after the sun of the arena.
Animals and myths.
A rebuilt Roman house.
Excavated ruins.
Route de Sfax, south of El Jem, about 800 m from the amphitheatre
No, one ticket covers both, and they are about 800 metres apart.
