 Uthina Capitol | |
  Uthina Shown within Tunisia | |
| Location | Tunisia |
|---|---|
| Region | Ben Arous Governorate |
| Coordinates | 36°36′25″N10°10′25″E / 36.60694°N 10.17361°E /36.60694; 10.17361 |
Uthina orOudna (Arabic:أوذنة) was an ancientRoman-Carthaginian city located nearTunis,Tunisia.
Uthina was a town in theprovince ofAfrica Proconsularis, now northernTunisia.[1]
Uthina became aRoman colony of veterans ofLegio XIII Gemina during the reign ofEmperorAugustus.[2] Hence, it was mentioned byPtolemy (IV, 3, 34),Pliny the Elder,[3] and theTabula Peutingeriana.[4]
From the accounts given bygeographers the site seems to be theruins that form the archeological site of Oudna, near a station on the railway fromTunis toKef and not far from what was the World War IIOudna Airfield. These ruins occupy a surface nearly three miles in circumference, covering a hillyplateau, and commanding the left bank of theMilian wady; there are remains of afortress,cisterns, anaqueduct, atriumphal arch, atheatre, anamphitheater, abasilica with a circularcrypt, and a bridge. Manymosaics are to be found there as well.
The Uthinaamphitheater is located in the north of the former city. It is half dug into the hill and the seats were addorsed to the slope; only the upper part of the building with the arcs is above ground.
The edifice, which dates from the reign ofHadrian, measures 113mx90m and seated about 16,000. The amphitheater has undergone digging and renovations since the start of excavations in 1993. The central arena measures 58mx35m. An underground vaulted gallery aligned in a major axis provides access to the amphitheater basement with symmetrical vaults and rooms under the central arena.
The site (credited as "Oudhna") served as the filming location for the 2001 filmMurder in Mesopotamia based onAgatha Christie'snovel of the same name.[5]
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