Djebel Zaghouan Roman Water Temple Temple de Eaux

Djebel Zaghouan Roman Water 

Temple Temple de Eaux

This originating pillar is linked to the early 17th-century settlement of Andalusian Moors in the area In Spanish a corridor or hall connecting the exterior and interior of the building on a mountain south of the city houses the Roman Water Temple Djebel Zaghouan Temple de Eaux the origin of an aqueduct that once supplied water to Carthage over 100 kilometers away Situated on a low ridge of the Dorsale Mountains the climate is warm and lush Cold water from here was carried by the Zaghouan aqueduct to Carthage Zaghouan is believed to be the site of the ancient city of Siqa or Siqa from which the city's modern name may have originated This aqueduct carried water to Tunis connecting it to a sacred chamber used for water worship A passageway leads to a central courtyard which opens onto a basin containing spring water

The building was constructed using locally mined stone including a variety of marbles used for decoration and was dedicated to the worship of Neptune the Roman god of fresh water and fountains Statues nestled in niches around the inner courtyard adorn the temple Representing the god Neptune and twelve water nymphs most are preserved in the Bardo National Museum The Temple of the Waters built at an altitude of 289 meters on the northern slopes of Djebel Zaghouan served as a nymphaeum for a spring along with a nearby downstream aqueduct which fed water to Carthage 90 kilometers away 90 kilometers away

Neptune Amphitrite mosaic Herculaneum / image credit : seepompeii

The mosaics in Herculaneum depict Neptune as the god of the sea often represented by the trident dolphins and horses common to both him and Poseidon The preservation of the mosaics and the houses is exceptional depicting him in the ancient Roman city destroyed by Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. In Pompeii there is a temple to Neptune in the Forum and in Herculaneum the house of Neptune In Pompeii there is a temple in the Forum dedicated to Neptune although some scholars have recently suggested that the temple may have been dedicated to Apollo

The remains of what may have been the original nymphaeum a much smaller but simpler basilica-type temple were discovered nearby in 2001 while the larger temple dates back to the Severan period Neptune was the Roman god of the sea and fresh water He was originally the god of fresh water and springs before being combined with the Greek god Poseidon the Greek equivalent of Poseidon He is often depicted as a bearded old man holding a trident The twelve water nymphs associated with Neptune the Roman god of the sea are associated with various groups of nymphs such as the Nereids sea nymphs and water nymphs He is often depicted with Salacia Her husband and important figures like Triton her son and other sea creatures but the group of  12 water nymphs