Door into the past Photo

Photographer’s Note

Door into the past

Dougga or Thugga (Arabic: دقة‎) is a Roman ruin in northern Tunisia located on a 65 hectare site.

UNESCO qualified Dougga as a World Heritage Site in 1997, believing that it represents “the best-preserved Roman small town in North Africa”. The site, which lies in the middle of the countryside, has been protected from the encroachment of modern urbanisation, in contrast, for example, to Carthage, which has been pillaged and rebuilt on numerous occasions.

Dougga, or Thugga, is undoubtedly the most prestigious of Tunisia’s archaeological sites. Several factors contribute to its standing on the Tunisian archaeological scene: its location on a spur dominating the rich Mejerdah valley (Thugga, in the Libyc language means green), the size of the site extending over several dozen hectares and covering several historical eras, the vegetation – in particular the many centuries old olive grove surrounding it - and of course, the excellent state of conservation of most of its monuments, some of which, such as the capitol or the theatre, were “restored to their upright position” during a campaign undertaken just after the first world war by prisoners of war.Therefore, from the “dolmens” to the Byzantine fortifications, all the stages in the history of ancient Africa are illustrated on the site by outstanding monuments, buildings that figure amongst the most elegant and elaborate of the Mediterranean basin, such as the capitol, the theatre, the Lybico-Punic mausoleum, or the superb patrician villas.

The capitol

The capitol is a Roman temple from the 2nd century CE, principally dedicated to Rome’s protective triad: Jupiter Optimus Maximus, Juno Regina et Minerva Augusta. It has a secondary dedication to the wellbeing of the emperors Lucius Verus and Marcus Aurelius; judging by this reference, the capitol must have been completed in 166-167 CE.
Thomas d’Arcos identified the capitol as a temple of Jupiter in the 17th century. It was the object of further research at the end of the 19th century, led in particular by the doctor Louis Carton in 1893. The walls, executed in opus africanum style, and the entablature of the portico were restored between 1903 and 1910. Claude Poinssot discovered a crypt beneath the cella in 1955. The most recent works were carried out by the Tunisian Institut national du patrimoine between 1994 and 1996.
The capitol is exceptionally well preserved, which is a consequence of its inclusion in the Byzantine fortification. A series of eleven stairs lead up to the front portico. The temple front’s Corinthian columns are eight metres tall, on top of which is the perfectly preserved pediment. The pediment bears a depiction of emperor Antoninus Pius’s elevation to godhood. The emperor is being carried by an eagle. The base of the cella still features alcoves for three statues. The middle alcove houses a colossal statue of Jupiter. (Source: patrimoinedetunisie.com & wikipedia )

AiresSantos, hispic, Wandering_Dan, paura, Gerrit, dareco, vasilpro, pauloog, bergese, mikolaj_kawa, dip, KLB, ChrisJ, dta, JanD, besnard, robertosalguero, Morac, snunney, jlbrthnn, asajernigan, axiotea, TopGeo, subhendu_bagchi, jjcordier, Ola_Kwiatek trouve(nt) cette note utile

Critiques | Translate

mikolaj_kawa (30927) 2009-08-05 0:42

Hello George! Excellent door, amazing frame. Marvelous ruins. Very good lightness, perfect natural colours. Good sharpness. Very good focus. Original work. Well done!

dip (12766) 2009-08-05 0:45

Hi George,
nice image of the Roman ruins,I like the framing and the title too!
well seen and composed,
Regards,
Dimitris.

aadilj (17950) 2009-08-05 0:51

Such a lovely and soothing capture with beautiful hues and lovely stones all over. the framing through the doorway makes it more special

KLB (18227) 2009-08-05 1:06

Hi George

Once again you've done a great use of the arch to frame your marvelous subject... It's your trademark !
That's really a great picture. Colours, hues, the fine sharpness, the light perfectly handled and the striking composition... All is perfect to sublimates these marvelous ruins.
Compliments.

Regards
Karine

sandpiper (1635) 2009-08-05 1:44

Hi George

Great ruin, must get there one day. Good perspective through the door. obvioously a very sunny day, you handled the strong light very well. Good composition.

Chris

ChrisJ (70393) 2009-08-05 1:49

Hi George

Nice use of the rectangular arch, in the fg, to frame the bg scene, with good warm cold colour contrasts, & superb sharpness on the ruins. Tfs!

dta (5843) 2009-08-05 1:50

Hello Georg ,
An outstanding picture ! All is perfect , for me : light , framing , colors ... even the sky is superb .
Congratulations

JanD (15019) 2009-08-05 1:51

Hody Budapestman!
Excellent idea, very good point of view, very sophisticated composition. Nice white frame.
Regards.

besnard (30976) 2009-08-05 1:55

Bonjour George
Une porte ouverte sur un site magnifique à l'architecture intéressante et qui mérite le détour.
Merci pour cette belle image et bonne journée.
Nicole

robertosalguero (110) 2009-08-05 2:26

Hello George,

Your framing of this scene is very good. I think you really chose a good point of view to transmit the idea of entering into the past. Nice light and colours. A beautiful and classical place to photograph. Thanks George :-)

Roberto

gilou530 (35554) 2009-08-05 3:10

salut georges
une porte qui ouvre sur des vieilles pierres sous un ciel et une lumiére idéale pour mettre ce cadrage en valeur et des belles couleurs bon boulot
amitiés
gilbert

TGULUMSER (12514) 2009-08-05 3:23

Hello George,
Your Tunisia views are very special and nice. This one is also great with all the details and POV,
Best regards,
Tulay

nszeretlek (596) 2009-08-05 3:29

Szia George ,

I think the picture is a bit oversharpened as it is shown in the textures of rocks and sky . The frame and the POV are interesting as well as the appealing subject .

Jo napot kivanok ,

M.

Morac (20749) 2009-08-05 3:54

Hi George,
It is a perfect frame to show the beauty of these ruins, and the colors are superb.

Best regards
Marc

snunney (35298) 2009-08-05 4:22

Hello George,
You show us a part of Tunisia I didn't get to visit. A very well chosen point of view on these impressive ruins. I like the framing doorway and the use of the vertical format is just right. Very good colours and sharpness.

jlbrthnn (38667) 2009-08-05 4:45

Hello george,
The composition is sought, thought well, and very succeeded. The abundance of the light with facility the realization of a photo well defined and clear. It is a very useful, descriptive image of these sublimes ruins. The note is it also excellent. Congratulations.
Have a nice day
Cordially
Joël

asajernigan (14246) 2009-08-05 5:20

George,
This is a great shot of these amazing ruins. Your composition is great using the arch to frame the scene. The arch provides nice depth for the scene as well a framing it. The lighting and colors are great with excellent sharpness and detail. The angle of the ruins give us an idea of the depth of the scene.
TFS,
Asa

hay_kes (28562) 2009-08-05 7:07

Hi George,
What a superb historical view.Great POV and excellent natural frame.TFS.
Cheers,

hAyAti

La_Tulipe (402) 2009-08-05 7:36

Bonjour George,
Ta photo nous ouvre les portes sur une architecture intéressante à découvrir !!
La présence de la zone de ciel bleu apporte une belle touche lumineuse à l'ensemble de la composition
Cordialement
Brigitte

axiotea (16227) 2009-08-05 9:44

Hello George
For a split second, I thought it was a painting! Good use of the door as a natural frame, inviting to discover those beautiful ruins in a very favourable light. The blue sky and the clouds are very nice!
Cheers
Marilyn

TopGeo (22089) 2009-08-05 10:07

Hi George !Appreciable picture of classic ancient temple They distinguish in most excellent situation of Corinthian rythm columns and the temple Interesting detail and intense sharpness
Regards
Georgios

bergese (615) 2009-08-05 12:18

Hello George
j'aime beaucoup ce cadrage avec cette porte donnant vers le passé.Le ciel bleu et les nuages mettent en valeur les ruines.
Bonne soirée ISA

francio64 (11560) 2009-08-05 12:27

Ciao George,
bellissima immagine di questi vecchi resti romani, vistri attraverso questa antica porta che fa da cornice naturale.
Molto bello il cielo, il cui colore crea un bel contrasto con le tonalità calde dei ruderi.

Ottimo lavoro. Complimenti!
Francesco

P.S.
Ho tolto il tubo rosso sulla sinistra.
Lo vedevo come un elemento di disturbo.

[workshop] [compare] +

jurek1951 (26026) 2009-08-05 13:22

Hi George,
excellent picture with strong composition.Wonderful door,Perfect contrast, sharpness and focus.
Georg

ophelcia (5498) 2009-08-05 14:15

They've already written everyting:)
I adore the natural frame, you've noticed it very well:)
Still the light management is perfect,
G.

pauloog (6789) 2009-08-05 15:17

Hello George,
A view that is somewhat flattened by the almsot vertical sunshine, but still interesting and brought in a good composition with the frame of the entrance.
Regards,
Paul

vasilpro (9230) 2009-08-05 15:31

Hello George,
Great view to the past!
Best regards, Vasilis.

dareco (17104) 2009-08-05 15:47

I see I've missed alot, and hopefully will get back to them in time. I love this!! Beautiful natural framing and superb detail. TFS

Gerrit (36111) 2009-08-05 16:27

Hi George,
what a fantastic site,
THe composition is perfect and the difficult light is very well handled.
Regards, Gerrit

paura (39002) 2009-08-05 16:40

George,
Excellent photo composition on this roman ruin image. Sharpness and framing are very nice, friend. Well done!

regards

Paulo

Wandering_Dan (3267) 2009-08-05 16:51

Hi, George -

Very nicely done! The doorway gives it a sense of being framed, and there is a painterly texture to the scene overall. The strong colors add to that feeling.

Best,
Dan

hispic (7399) 2009-08-05 20:04

Szia George,
Very well framed capture from the country of Night in Tunisia. It's interesting that the scene has been rendered with a strange tone like reducing extremely the width of dynamic range.
Regards, Hisashi

AiresSantos (42714) 2009-08-06 1:04

Hi George
Another great picture from Tunisia. Beautiful colours and good light management
I like this natural frame, we can see the Roman ruin in northern Tunisia through this door
TFS and have a nice day
Aires

subhendu_bagchi (3414) 2009-08-06 10:02

Namaste George, you have taken a gorgeous historical place with a nice point of view. The framing is fantastic. You have composed it so well that our eye goes through the door and at the end comes to the texture. Good sharp shot. Thanks for sharing.
Regards
Subhendu.

npecanhuk (14456) 2009-08-07 17:27

Hello George!
Excellent title matching so perfectly to this wonderful image!
Composition is truly its highlight! I really like it!
TFS - congratulations!
Best regards,
Neyvan

jjcordier (25086) 2009-08-08 0:06

George
bref passage chez moi. juste le temps d'admirer tes magnifiques photos de ces ruines romaines tunisiennes, trop peu connues et pourtant fantastiques. Depuis mon passage ici il y a près de quarante ans, je constate qu'un réel effort de restauration a été entrepris.
Amicalement
JJ

ahmetgedikli (22040) 2009-08-08 7:41

Very beautiful view... Superb POV, colors and nice frame. Well done!
Have a good WE.
ahmetgedikli

Ola_Kwiatek (2738) 2009-08-27 1:46

Wonderful composition, amazing gate like frame, nice light and bright, perfect sharpness. Superb white frame.
Cheers