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Tunisia
has the finest collection of mosaics in the world and the majority of
these can be seen at the Bardo Museum. This Moorish palace in the suburbs
of Tunis was ,at one time, the residence of Tunisia's Beys (kings), and
besides housing the fabulous exposition of mosaics, it contains an
important collection of Prehistoric, Roman, Punic and Islamic artifacts. Classified
by region, Sousse, Carthage, Dougga, Bulla Regia the mosaics date mostly
from the 3rd and 4th century - their golden age. Of particular interest is
the unique portrait of Virgil, and in the Sousse Room, the Triumph of
Neptune, one of the largest in existence. Realistic
scenes of hunting, a panorama of mythological gods and goddesses,
exquisite still lifes of fish and games, the legendary Hercules and the
adventurous Odysseus are portrayed with astonishing mastery of form and
color. What marvelous skill it was of these unknown artists who used tiny
chips of stone to create such beauty!
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