Only about half of the 40-hectare site has been excavated. A major on-site museum displaying Volubilis’ most celebrated finds was about to open when we visited, and will eventually house the prized discoveries (including some fine bronzes) currently in Rabat's archaeology museum.
Although parts of certain buildings are roped off, you are free to wander the site at will. Bar a couple of vague signboards, there’s little in the way of signposting or information on what you’re actually seeing. It’s well worth considering taking a guide, especially if you’re pressed for time. If you prefer to wander on your own, allow at least two hours to see the essentials, and up to a full day for the real enthusiast.
The better-known monuments are in the northern part of the site, although the entrance is in the south. Once over the Oued Fertassa, the path leads onto the ridge and through the residential quarter.
Ancient Volubilis
Although the least remarkable part of the site, the olive presses here indicate the economic basis of ancient Volubilis, much as the plentiful olive groves in the surrounding area do today. Wealthy homeowners had private olive presses.
Buildings
Next to the House of Orpheus are the remains of Galen's Baths . Although largely broken, they clearly show the highly developed underfloor heating in this Roman hammam. Opposite the steam room are the communal toilets – where citizens could go about their business and have a chat at the same time.
The capitol, basilica and 1300-sq-metre forum are, typically, built on a high point. The capitol , dedicated to the Triad of Jupiter, Juno and Minerva, dates back to AD 218; the basilica and forum lie immediately to its north. The reconstructed columns of the basilica are usually topped with storks’ nests – an iconic Volubilis image if the birds are nesting at the time of your visit. Around the forum is a series of plinths carved with Latin inscriptions that would have supported statues of the great and good. Keep your eyes out for the carved stone drain-hole cover – an understated example of Roman civil engineering.
The marble Triumphal Arch was built in 217 in honour of Emperor Caracalla and his mother, Julia Domna. The arch, which was originally topped with a bronze chariot, was reconstructed in the 1930s, and the mistakes made then were rectified in the 1960s. The hillock to the east provides a splendid view over the entire site.
Houses with Mosaics
The House of Orpheus is the finest and largest home, containing a mosaic of Orpheus charming animals by playing the lute, and a dolphin mosaic in the dining room. Note the private hammam has a caldarium (hot room) with visible steam pipes, a tepidarium (warm room) and a frigidarium (cold room), as well as a solarium.
On the left just before the triumphal arch are a couple more roped-off mosaics. One, in the House of the Acrobat , depicts an athlete being presented with a trophy for winning a desultory race, a competition in which the rider had to dismount and jump back on his horse as it raced along.
From the arch, the ceremonial road, Decumanus Maximus , stretches up the slope to the northeast. The houses lining it on either side contain the best mosaics on the site. The first on the far side of the arch is known as the House of the Ephebus and contains a fine mosaic of Bacchus in a chariot drawn by panthers.
Next along, the House of the Columns is so named because of the columns around the interior court – note their differing styles, which include spirals. Adjacent to this is the House of the Knight with its incomplete mosaic of Bacchus and Ariadne. The naked Ariadne has suffered somewhat from the attentions of admirers.
The next three houses are named for their excellent mosaics: the House of the Labours of Hercules , the House of Dionysus and the Four Seasons and the House of the Nymphs Bathing . The first is almost a circular comic strip, recounting the Twelve Labours. Several of Hercules’ heroic feats were reputed to have occurred in Morocco, making him a popular figure at the time.
The best mosaics are saved until last. Cross the Decumanus Maximus and head for the lone cypress tree, which marks the House of Venus , home of King Juba II. There are two particularly fine mosaics here, appropriately with semi-romantic themes. The first is the Abduction of Hylas by the Nymphs , an erotic composition showing Hercules’ lover Hylas being lured away from his duty by two beautiful nymphs. The second mosaic is Diana Bathing . The goddess was glimpsed in her bath by the hunter Acteon, whom she turned into a stag as punishment. Acteon can be seen sprouting horns, about to be chased by his own pack of hounds – the fate of mythical peeping toms everywhere. A third mosaic from this house, of Venus in the Waves , can be seen in the Kasbah Museum in Tangier.
