Imperial Cities, Middle Atlas & the East - Morocco - page 678

you're pressed for time. If you prefer to wander on your own, allow at least two hours to
see the essentials, and up to a full day for the real enthusiast.
The better-known monuments are in the northern part of the site, although the entrance
is in the south. Once over the Oued Fertassa, the path leads onto the ridge and through the
residential quarter.
Ancient Volubilis
Although the least remarkable part of the site, the olive presses OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP
here indicate the economic basis of ancient Volubilis, much as the plentiful olive groves in
the surrounding area do today. Wealthy homeowners had private olive presses.
Buildings
Next to the House of Orpheus OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP are the remains of Galen's Baths
OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP . Although largely broken, they clearly show the highly deve-
loped underfloor heating in this Roman hammam. Opposite the steam room are the com-
munal toilets - where citizens could go about their business and have a chat at the same
time.
The capitol, basilica and 1300-sq-metre forum are, typically, built on a high point. The
capitol OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP , dedicated to the Triad of Jupiter, Juno and Minerva,
dates back to AD 218; the basilica OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP and forum OFFLINE MAP
GOOGLE MAP lie immediately to its north. The reconstructed columns of the basilica are
usually topped with storks' nests - an iconic Volubilis image if the birds are nesting at the
time of your visit. Around the forum is a series of plinths carved with Latin inscriptions
that would have supported statues of the great and good. Keep your eyes out for the
carved stone drain-hole cover - an understated example of Roman civil engineering.
The marble Triumphal Arch OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP was built in 217 in honour of Em-
peror Caracalla and his mother, Julia Domna. The arch, which was originally topped with
a bronze chariot, was reconstructed in the 1930s, and the mistakes made then were recti-
fied in the 1960s. The hillock to the east provides a splendid view over the entire site.
Houses with Mosaics
The House of Orpheus OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP is the finest and largest of the homes, con-
taining a mosaic of Orpheus charming animals by playing the lute, and a dolphin mosaic
in the dining room. Note that the private hammam has a caldarium (hot room) with visible
steam pipes, a tepidarium (warm room) and a frigidarium (cold room), as well as a solari-
um.