The oldest town, laid out as a square camp (comp. p. [286]) of 384 yds. each way, in conformity with its original destination as a frontier-fortress, has four central gates, between which ran the two main streets, the Cardo Maximus and the Decumanus Maximus, intersecting each other at right angles. The ‘Cardo Maximus Nord’ opens into the Decumanus at the Forum, where it stops owing to the unevenness of the soil. Some 90 yds. farther to the W., however, the ‘Cardo Maximus Sud’ leads out of the Decumanus. The rapid increase of the population, especially on the E. and W. sides, on the busy roads to Tebessa (p. [315]) and Lambæsis, led as early as the 2nd cent. to the construction or extensive new streets on a less regular plan. By the 5th cent. the population, which had greatly declined, withdrew from the suburbs into the ancient walled precincts, which by this time had been much built over at places.
The main streets are bordered with Doric colonnades and paved with bluish limestone slabs; the smaller streets have sandstone pavement. The waggon-ruts are deep, especially in the Decumanus Maximus, and are slightly farther apart than at Pompeii (4 ft. 3 in. and 4 ft. 1 in.). The excellent drainage-system is now utilized anew, as may be seen from the gutters at the street-corners.
The usual building material was concrete (opus incertum, small stones mixed with mortar), often faced with brick, or stone-framework (the interstices being filled with brick or rubble-work). The private houses usually occupy an Insula, as the square block enclosed by four streets was called. The shops (tabernae) in the main streets were all entered from the street, except when the trader lived in the same house. As a rule the houses, like modern Moorish houses, have their backs turned to the street, looking into an arcaded court (peristyle) in Oriental fashion, instead of opening into a roofed atrium in the ancient Roman style.
We begin our walk at the N. end of the town. On the right, just outside the old town-wall, lie the—
*Grands Thermes du Nord (Pl. D, 1), the largest Roman baths in N. Africa. They form a rectangle of 88½ by 70½ yds., and contain thirty-five different chambers, all symmetrically constructed like others of the later Roman period. Parts of the walls are still 23 ft. in height.
A flight of ten steps on the E. side of the building leads to the Vestibulum, the main entrance to the baths. The adjoining chamber on the left opens on to a suite of three spacious halls. The two outer ones were probably the Palaestra for gymnastics and games. In the corner, obliquely opposite the entrance-wall, is a kind of shaft or passage leading to the Apodyterium (undressing and dressing room). The central hall is the largest Frigidarium, containing three basins (piscinae). The chamber on the S. side, between the two smaller basins, served as a passage to the Tepidarium, for hot-air baths and massage. Adjoining the tepidarium on the S. is the largest Caldarium, with three hot-water basins (alvei). Two side-rooms were the Laconica or sweating-baths. Adjacent to them were two smaller Caldaria, to the N. of which, next to the palæstra, were two other Tepidaria. The two rooms at the S.E. and S.W. corners of the baths, each with an ante-room (apodyterium?) and large semicircular niche, are supposed to have been Frigidaria.—As to Heating Apparatus, comp. p. [294].
A little to the left of the main entrance to these Thermæ is the quaint Mannikin Fountain (Pl. D, 1), restored from ancient fragments.
The insignificant building on the E. side of the road is the Agence-Musée (Pl. D, E, 1), containing the offices of the directors of the excavations and a collection of objects found at Timgad. These, however, with the exception of some mosaics, the chief adornment of the African-Roman dwelling, show a provincial and mechanical style of art.
Along the outside walls are ranged the larger sculptures, a great stone vase, fragments of buildings, and Saturn stelæ.
The Entrance Room (I) contains pottery, including numerous lamps.—Room II. Smaller fragments of sculpture, bronze implements, etc.—Rooms III & IV. Desk-cases containing the most valuable finds, notably glass, clay-vases, small implements in bronze and bone. Under the cases are water-pines, etc.—Against the walls are placed mosaics: in R. III, Diana and Actæon, with the name of the artist (Selius), and Neptune in a quadriga; in R. IV, Jupiter and Antiope (inscription, ‘Filadelfis vita’), and Amphitrite on a marine centaur.