Utica, Tunisia

37.05652777777810.062258333333Koordinaten: 37 ° 3 ' 23.5 "N, 10 ° 3' 44.1 " E

Utica was founded around 1100 BC, and in ancient times was the oldest Phoenician city in North Africa. The name is the Latinized form of the Utica Punic- Phoenician ˁ Attiq what " the Old (city )" means.

Utica lay at the mouth of Bagradas (now Medjerda ) in present-day Tunisia. With Carthage it was alternately allies and enemies. In the Third Punic War, fought on the side of Rome. In the Roman province of Africa Utica had the rank of a free city with certain special rights and was, until 43 BC under the name municipium Julium Uticense provincial capital. In 46 BC, Cato died there Uticensis from suicide. The heyday Utica in the 2nd century AD

In the 3rd century silted up the harbor - the estuary of Medjerda is now a good ten miles from the former city - Utica and gradually fell into disrepair. Finally, the Vandals conquered it in 439 and 534, the Byzantines the town. After the conquest by the Arabs (about 683 ), the settlement has been finally abandoned.

The titular Utica leads back to this city.

The museum displays exhibits on the area of ​​ruins from the 8th to 5th centuries BC, especially grave goods, steles and urns from the Punic necropolis. Among amphorae, oil lamps, clay figures, goods imported from Egypt and vases from Greece. A special attraction of the Roman period is a Neptune head with a lobster claw in curly hair, surrounded by sea creatures and boats, in the museum garden.