Superb Roman mosaic floor extraordinarily preserved in Morocco.

Volubilis overview on Flickr – Photo Sharing!

Those Romans sure got far. Here was a whole city of ruins, complete with sewage systems, impressive floor mosaics (guarded by no more than a simple chain) and what city is complete without a brothel.

Volubilis must have been an awesome bustling city in the first centuries AD. Citizens of Volubilis were exempt of Roman taxes, because they lived so far away. Must have been paradise!

House of Orpheus, Volubilis – Arne Kuilman

Marble mosaic floor ‘House of Orpheus’, Volubilis.

SANY0806 on Flickr – Photo Sharing!

‘House of Orpheus’ marble mosaic floor detail, Volubilis

DSC01819Volubilis on Flickr – Photo Sharing!

‘The Exploits of Hercules’ marble mosaic floor, Volubilis

 

CIMG0444 on Flickr – Photo Sharing!

‘Aphrodite taking a Bath’ marble mosaic floor, Volubilis

CIMG0421 on Flickr – Photo Sharing!

saucy on Flickr – Photo Sharing!

Detail of a mosaic on the floor of the ‘Knight’s house’ in Volubilis, near Meknes, Morocco: Bacchus’ standing behind Ariadne’s bare leg. they went on to have six children together.

 

Hercules with pet Cerberus on Flickr – Photo Sharing!

in the floor of the ‘Labours of Hercules house’ in Volubilis, near Meknes, Morocco. mosaic is about two feet across.

hercules and the Cretan bull on Flickr – Photo Sharing!

in the floor of the ‘Labours of Hercules house’ in Volubilis, near Meknes, Morocco. mosaic is about two feet across, special appearance by dead lion.

4 Photos above taken in the middle of a torrential rain that cleared the ruins of other tourists, and washed all the dust off the mosaics so i could get a decent picture. not long after taking this picture, I shared shelter in an upturned bin with one of the site’s guardians, who walk around with whistles to warm people not to knock stuff over or walk on the walls.

 

Mosaic at Volubilis on Flickr – Photo Sharing!

Roman mosaic on Flickr – Photo Sharing!

Detail of a single mosaic on Flickr – Photo Sharing!

Where is Volubilis?

Volubilis (Arabic: وليلي‎ Oualili) is an archaeological site in Morocco situated near Meknes between Fez and Rabat. The nearest town is Moulay Idriss. Volubilis features the best preserved excavations in this part of northern Africa dating from the Roman Empire. In 1997 the site was listed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

In antiquity, Volubilis was an important Roman town situated on the westernmost border of Roman conquests. It was built about 40 C.E., probably on the site of a previous Carthaginian settlement from the 3rd century B.C.E. Volubilis takes its name from the Berber name Alili meaning Oleander flower, which is common in the area.

Volubilis – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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