Architecture and Art

Abstract

Punic, Greek, and Roman traditions are recognizable in many aspects of architecture and art, alongside local manifestations that should be regarded as “North African”. This chapter looks at the architectural and decorative features of public, private, military, and funerary buildings. The Tunisian and Libyan coastal regions of Africa Proconsularis were more directly connected to Rome and the Italian peninsula than other parts of North Africa. The majority of civic and religious monuments in North Africa were built on fora complexes, where people would meet during their daily activities. The most famous construction of the kind in North Africa, the Colonnaded Street at Lepcis Magna, was a highlight of Severus' building program. The Roman army in North Africa has left important traces of its presence: fortresses, forts, watch towers, and other types of defenses, which were part of a vast and mobile military frontier.