Founded in the 3rd century BCE as a Phoenician settlement, Volubilis became a major Roman outpost and the westernmost city of the Roman Empire in Africa. At its peak, it housed 20,000 people. The site preserves remarkable floor mosaics depicting Orpheus, Bacchus, and the Labours of Hercules, along with a triumphal arch built for Emperor Caracalla in 217 CE, a basilica, and one of the largest olive press complexes in the Roman world. The city was abandoned after the 11th century earthquake but never built over, preserving its layout intact. UNESCO inscribed it in 1997.
Sources
- UNESCO World Heritage nomination file (1997)
- Akerraz A. et al. (1981) Fouilles de Volubilis