Global Treasures: Kerkouane

Television Director: Ullman, Frank

Producer: Scarson, Peter O.

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Catalogue Number: GTR-DVD-1034

UPC: 879061006333

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Global Treasures - History's Most Protected Monuments - Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live today, and what we pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration. Places as unique and diverse as the wilds of East Africa's Serengeti, the Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Baroque cathedrals of Latin America make up our world's heritage. Join us as we explore one of these protected monuments.

Archaeologists attach great importance to the ancient ruined city of Kerkouane. It is the only Punic city that has retained its original form and has not been altered or rebuilt by subsequent cultures. To the present, archaeologists have uncovered a long, horseshoe-shaped area of approximately 500 metres revealing an outline of alleys and streets.

Unlike Roman design, each house had its own private sanitation system, which was connected to an extensive canalization network. The majority of the floors were decorated with mosaics, and most of the dwellings also had their own small well. The buildings were constructed in various ways using many different techniques, and baked bricks and clay were among the main building materials.

Some of the ruins contain floor mosaics that are still in very good condition, and the tiny marble stones of the mosaics were sometimes used in special designs such as the so-called "Tanit" symbol, a recurrent motif in the entrances to the dwellings and gravesites outside the town.