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The Arch Of Caracalla
Modern tourists walk along the 1st century Roman road through the ruins of Volubilis in Morocco.
The breadth and impact of the Roman Empire always amazes me.
And I marvel at the remarkable endurance of the artefacts left behind. Walking on roads that were laid over three thousand years ago never ceases to fill me with awe.
I was travelling around Morocco in a bus with a small group of seasoned travellers. We had spend our morning exploring the historic streets of Meknes (see: The UNESCO-listed City of Meknes) and were now driving across the northwest of the country en route to the mountain city of Chefchaouen.
After walking through the winding maze of narrow streets that make up the medina – the traditional old town – of Meknes, being chaffeured across a fertile agricultural plain dotted with olive trees and other crops was a delight. Stopping for lunch within site of the well-preserved and important Roman ruins of Volubilis was a bonus.
Although I felt as if I was a world away from Rome, I shouldn’t have been surprised that – so close to the other shore of the Mediterranean Sea – the Roman Empire was well established for over three centuries.
From the 3rd century BCE, Volubilis was a Berber settlement that grew in an area that had been inhabited since at least the Late Atlantic Neolithic age. For a time, it was the capital of the Berber Kingdom of Mauretania, which became a Roman client-state in 146 BCE. From the first century through to the third, the city and the surrounds were under direct Roman control.
Under the Romans, the city was expanded considerably over time, and came to cover roughly 42 hectares (100 acres) surrounded by 2.6 km (1.6 mi) of walls. Most of the city’s public buildings were constructed in the original part of the city, while the grand houses for which Volubilis is famous are in the newer part. The Arch of Caracalla marks the point at which the old and new cities merge.
The ruins are UNESCO-listed for their graphic illustration of the interface between the Roman and indigenous cultures at the very frontiers of the Roman Empire.
It was this very distance that led to the decline in Roman influence. The city fell to local tribes about 285 CE; Roman rule collapsed across much of Mauritania around the same time – in part, because of the region’s remoteness and indefensibility at the very south-western edge of the Empire.
The city continued to be inhabited long after the Romans left. Volubilis was probably deserted around the 11th century, when the seat of regional power moved to Fez.
Much of what we see today in Volubilis was excavated by the French during their rule over Morocco between 1912 and 1955, but French archaeologists had taken an interest in the site decades earlier.
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Countryside from the Bus
The almost-claustrophobic walls of the old medina give way to rolling hills and fertile plains as we drive north out of Meknes. (iPhone15Pro)
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The Archaeological Site Of Volubilis in Mauretania
A wide, gravelled walkway leads us from our lunch spot up to the Roman ruins on the hill. (iPhone15Pro)
The Basilica of Volubilis
As we get closer to the ruins, the early afternoon light catches the columns of the partially-reconstructed basilica.
Local Guide
Shaded against the strong afternoon sun, our guide is a personable wealth of knowledge.
Arched Remains
The Abduction of Hylas
The mosaic floors that have been uncovered in the mansions of Volubilis are quite extraordinary. This one in the House of Venus – once the home of King Juba II – dates to the 3rd century, and tells the story of how Hercules’ companion Hylas was lured away by two beautiful nymphs.
Looking over the Volubilis Ruins
The whole site is a bit wild and wonderful.
Dionysus and the Four Seasons
In this house, we are looking over the triclinium, or dining room, towards the entry. In the central panels of the mosaic, we have representations of the four Seasons in female form.
Moulay Idriss or Moulay Idriss Zerhoun
A short distance to the north, we can see what is considered the holiest city in Morocco: this is where Moulay Idriss I arrived in 789, bringing Islam with him.
“Follow The Roman Brick Road”
Here, we are looking along Decumanus Maximus (Main Street), which runs south to the Arch Of Caracalla, bisecting the Roman-built parts of the city. Back in the day, the decumanus was paved, with footways on either side and an underground aqueduct running parallel. (iPhone15Pro)
Bacchus and Ariadne
This beautiful mosaic in the House of the Knight shows the god Bacchus (Dionysus), the Roman god of wine, fertility, and celebration, as he discovers Ariadne asleep on the island where Theseus had abandoned her.
Stone Lintel
Explaining the Buildings
Our guide does a great job of bringing the old buildings back to life.
Arch Of Caracalla
The Triumphal Arch of Volubilis was built in marble in 217 CE as tribute to Emperor Caracalla and his mother. Largely destroyed by an 18th-century earthquake, it was restored some time in the early 1930s. The inscription at the top was reconstructed from the fragments of stone found in the viscinity.
Demonstrating the Communal Toilet
Our guide sits in one of the communal toilets typical of Roman infrastructure. These public foricae are seats in long benches, with holes that let out into a channel of flowing water to carry waste into the nearby river.
Stones and Columns and Fields
Outside the old boundary of the site, patterned fields stretch across the richly fertile plane to Mount Zerhoun on the horizon.
Head of a Column
Many of the still-standing columns around the ruins are topped by elaborately-decorated Corinthian-style capitals.
Columns of the Capitoline Temple
This elegant temple atop a raised podium was dedicated to the Capitoline Triad of Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva: the most important deities in ancient Rome. Some of these columns have been restored.
The Basilica
Built in the early 3rd century, the basilica was a Roman administration building,
The Bones of the Basilica
Marble from the basilica and other buildings around Volubilis was pillaged to build palaces in Meknes in the 18th century. It was – somewhat controversially – partially restored under the French during their rule in the 1900s.
Like A Dream
Back in the bus after our visit, the countryside floats off into the distance as we continue north to Chefchaouen. (iPhone15Pro)
It was not the largest Roman ruin I have ever visited, but it was one of the nicest, and certainly well worth the stop.
And as these ruins always do, it made me think of Reg’s query in the Life of Brian: All right, but apart from the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, a fresh water system, and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?
They certainly left a legacy, not just in history, but in stone.
Until next time,
Safe Travels!
Pictures: 15October2024
