Wednesday 2 February 2011

VOLOUBILIS: ROMAN RUINS AND FOSSIL REMAINS

Voloubilis, a one of the pivotal cities in the expansion of Roman Empire, boasts a beautifully preserved basilica, triumphal arch, and columns of the Capitol Temple set against a backdrop of olive groves.

The area is also home to paleontological remains from ages past. Massive trilobites and enormous elephant bones have been recovered from the fossil-rich deposits and other sites have yielded clues to our ancestors.

The remains of H. erectus and other ill-defined (it could just be my bad Arabic) species of "archaic Homo sapiens," though not well-publicized, have been found at various sites around North Africa, in Algeria and Morocco.