Gigthis
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جكتيس | |
 Portrait of Augustus (Gigthis) | |
Shown within Tunisia | |
| Location | Medenine Governorate, Tunisia |
|---|---|
| Region | Gulf of Boughrara |
| Coordinates | 33°32′20″N 10°40′24″E / 33.53888889°N 10.67333333°E Fatal error: The format of the coordinate could not be determined. Parsing failed. |
| Type | Ancient city |
| History | |
| Periods | 6th century BC – 7th century AD |
| Cultures | Punic, Roman |
| Site notes | |
| Condition | Ruins |
| Public access | Yes |
Gigthis (Arabic: Script error: The function "langx" does not exist., also transliterated *Jektiss* or *Jektis*) is an ancient Punic and Roman archaeological site located in southern Tunisia, within the modern Medenine Governorate. The site lies at the bottom of the Gulf of Boughrara, facing the island of Djerba, along the ancient coastal route linking Carthage to Leptis Magna.
Originally founded as a Phoenician trading post, Gigthis later became part of the Numidian kingdom before being incorporated into the Roman province of Africa Nova in 46 BCE following the Battle of Thapsus. It was subsequently attached to Africa Proconsularis and, after Diocletian’s administrative reforms, to the province of Tripolitania. [1]
Covering approximately 50 hectares on a coastal plateau about 10 metres above sea level. The site opens eastward toward the Gulf and preserves extensive remains from the Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine periods. Its urban layout, monumental centre, and associated necropolis illustrate the development and prosperity of the ancient city, particularly during the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE. [1]
Toponymy
Variously reported in the sources: Githis (Γιχθίς).[2] which appears under the variant spelling Gyethis in early modern cartography, [3] Giti municipium [4], Gigti (Gıgтı) , [5] Gitti [6] Gigthi, [7] Gittit, [8]
History of excavations
Topography and Urban Layout
The ruins occupy a gently sloping plateau descending from west to east, from the area identified as the market district toward the sea. The city’s forum and its annexes were located on the northern slope of this valley.
Northern Sector
To the north, along the shoreline, lie the remains of a Byzantine citadel and a large necropolis containing burials dated to the 3rd or 2nd centuries BCE. [9]
Western and Northwestern Sector
On the inland side, the western and northwestern edges of the site include additional necropolis as well as baths and gymnasia, reflecting the city’s social and cultural infrastructure. [9]
Southern Sector
The southern boundary, facing the sea, is lined with several large and luxurious villas. Inland from these structures stands a temple dedicated to Mercury, indicating both elite residential occupation and religious activity. [9]
City Centre
The centre of Gigthis was organised around the forum and its associated public buildings, forming the administrative, commercial, and religious core of the city. This central district occupied the northern slope of the valley that descends from the western market area toward the sea. Its position allowed the forum to dominate the surrounding urban landscape while remaining accessible from the principal circulation routes connecting the necropoleis, residential quarters, and coastal installations.[9]
Monuments
Archaeological remains at Gigthis include:
- the forum and its annexes
- the Capitol
- domestic quarters with mosaic pavements
- public buildings and porticoes
- Punic and Roman inscriptions
- remains of a small harbour adapted to the tidal variations of the Syrtes.
The Forum
The forum formed the civic centre of Gigthis. It consisted of a paved rectangular esplanade measuring approximately 32 × 23 metres. The square was bordered on the north, south, and east by a 7‑metre‑wide portico. The façade featured 11 red marble Corinthian columns, with an additional 19 columns lining the longer sides. [9]
Shrine
Among the buildings bordering the northern side of the forum is a small limestone shrine located just east of the northern entrance. It is accessed through two broad, low passages beneath the portico. A narrow pronaos (2.70 × 5.50 m), paved with the same slabs as the portico, leads into the cella, which is approximately 6.50 metres deep. The cella floor is well preserved and decorated with a geometric pattern of polychrome limestone and sandstone in yellow and red. At the rear of the cella stands a basement measuring about 1.10 m in height, 2.70 m in width, and 0.42 m in depth. Its upper portion deepens into a small apse. The base, adorned with yellow limestone facing and a red limestone moulding, supported an aedicula with a triangular pediment in yellow limestone and two twisted columns. [9]
Findings
Statue of Concordia
In 1902, excavators discovered a large marble statue identified as Concordia, lying among the debris of the shrine. The sculpture, more than 2 metres tall, is carved from fine‑grained white marble and represents a veiled female deity crowned with ears of corn. She wears a long robe, holds a cornucopia in her left hand, and likely carried a spear in her right, of which only the lower portion (63 cm) survives. The statue is now housed in the Bardo National Museum. [10]
History
Gigthis was originally a Punic settlement and formed part of the territory controlled by Carthage as early as the 6th century BC. By the 1st century, the city had already developed a structured urban layout. It became a municipal town in the 2nd century under the emperor Antoninus Pius.
From this period onward, Gigthis experienced significant economic and urban growth. It became one of the most prosperous trading centres on the Gulf of Boughrara and served as a regional hub for neighbouring coastal settlements.
Gallery
-
Entrance to the site -
Ruins of the forum
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Benedetti 2024, p. 113.
- ↑ Ptolemaei, Claudii (1838). "IV.3". In Wilberg, Frid. Guil. Geographiae. p. 263. Search this book on
- ↑ See Ptolemy’s map
- ↑ Augustus, Antoninus (1848). Itinerarium Antonini Augusti et Hierosolymitanum. Impensis Friderici Nicolai. p. 28, 60.1. Search this book on
- ↑ "Tabula Peutingeriana". Retrieved 2026-02-04.
- ↑ Drakoulis, Dimitris P. "The Itinerarium Maritimum. A Geography of the Insular Mediterranean in Late Antiquity". Byzantiaka. 36: 84.
- ↑ "III.5". Ravennatis Anonymi Cosmographia et Gvidonis Geographica (in Ελληνικά). Berolini. 1860. p. 141. Search this book on
- ↑ "V.5". Ravennatis Anonymi Cosmographia et Gvidonis Geographica (in Ελληνικά). Berolini. 1860. p. 351. Search this book on
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 Benedetti 2024, p. 114.
- ↑ Benedetti 2024, p. 115.
External links
Category:Archaeological sites in Tunisia Category:Roman towns and cities in Tunisia Category:Medenine Governorate
Bibliography
- Guérin, Victor (1862). Voyage archéologique dans la Régence de Tunis. 1. Paris: Henri Plon. pp. 225–229. Retrieved 2026-02-16. Search this book on
- Constans, L. A. "Rapport sur une mission archéologique a Bou-ghara (Gigthis) (1914 et 1915)". Nouvelles archives des missions scientifiques et littéraires: 1–113.
- Reinach, Salomon; Babelon, Ernest (1886). "Fouilles exécutées a Gighthis et a Zian". Bulletin archéologique du Comité des travaux historiques et scientifiques (in français): 40. Retrieved 2026-02-08.</ref>
- Conastans, Leopold (1915). "Inscriptions de Gigthis (Tunisie) (suite)". Mélanges de l'école française de Rome (in français): 327–344.
- Merlin, Alfred; Poinssot, Louis. Guide du Musée du Bardo (Musée Alaoui. Search this book on
- Constans, Léopold; Merlin, Alfred (1918). Leroux, Ernest, ed. "Sépultures découvertes à Gigthis (Tunisie)". Bulletin archéologique du Comité des travaux historiques et scientifiques (in français). Paris: 124–133.
- Cagnat, René (1917). "La ville antique de Gigthis, en Tunisie. L.-A. Constans, Gigthis, Étude d'histoire et d'archéologie sur un emporium de la petite Syrie". Journal des Savants (in français): 289–299.
- Ben Taher, Sami (2004). "Quelques réflexions sur les autochtones de Gigthis à l'époque punique" (PDF). Reppal. Institut National du patrimoine. 13: 45–60.
- Ben Taher, Sami; Drine, Ali; Aouadi, Mekki (2024). "Fouilles stratigraphiques sous le forum romain de Gigthis : de l'étude des vestiges et du matériel céramique à l'essai d'histoire régionale". Antiquités africaines (in français). 60: 43–82.
- Benedetti, Ginevra (2024). "The Aedes Concordiae Pantheae Augustae and the "Pantheon" of Gigthis. A Possible Reading of CIL VIII 22692 (2nd c. CE)". ARYS. Antigüedad: Religiones y Sociedades (in en sp). 22: 113.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link)
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