The site of Bulla Regia lies 170 kms away from Tunis. It can be reached either by the Jendouba-Ain drahem road or by Boussalem going in the direction of Balta, by the road to Ain Drahem which  passes by Bulla. A complete tour  of the site and museum requires at  least two hours.

HISTORICAL  BACKGROUND

    The city of Bulla was first mentioned by Latin classical sources when the pursuing Roman armies caught up with the Numidian king Hiarbas at Bulla where he had sought refuge (in 81 BC). It also appeared, much  later, (end of 4th century AD) in one of Saint Augustin's sermons when he reproached  the inhabitants of  the city for continuing to go to such places of debauch as the theatre'' While their neighbours,the inhabitants of Chemtou, had long ago deserted them.In  the writings of Arab travellers, Bulla Regia is referred to as Henchir bul. Archaeology and in particular Latin inscriptions , are much more generous in terms of information supplied.They enable  us to trace the history of the city since the 4th century BC until the Moslem conquest in the seventh century AD.

THE PRE -ROMAN  PERIOD   

Ancient human occupation in the region is attested by the famous Kef al Agueb cave, situated about 5km West to South  West of Bulla .This shelter dates back to the Neolithic age.The Dolmens situated to the south on a line of rocks visible from the site, are also ancient Although they have not been dated with precision.The Dolmens,about a hundred in all, are tombs that were known in North Africa during the whole of the1st  millenary BC.    The date of Bulla's foundation is not  known but imported Greek ceramics dating back to the beginning of the 4th century BC have been found on the site. In the 3rd century, the city and the region of the great plains came under direct Carthaginian control; this domination was, however, preceded by a long period of human and economic exchanges. As a result, the inhabitants gradually became more Punic in their ways until they adopted the Punic civilisation with all its components : Religion, Language, Script funeral rites as attested

   by the votive and funerary stelae discovered on the site. The inhabitants of Bulla venerated Baal Hammon. They buried their deads in Punic style.  The monuments on which figured Punic symbols: the capital on display in the first room of the museum must have belonged to a religious building, perhaps to a temple. It was not until 152 BC that King  Massinissa "recovered the lands of this ancestors". The great plains were part of them .This  marked  the start of the Numidian period .

   It is to this Numidian period that Bulla owes the qualifying REGIA or royal that figures in Latin texts. The most plausible explanation, and also the simplest, resides in the fact that the city had an administrative role and consequently a status that distinguished it from other Regia cities. it might have regional capital like the chief town of a prefecture. In fact we know that the Numidian Kingdom was divided into regions and at the head of each  there was a King  representative. This title conferred upon it by political choice, seems to have been given to Bulla because of its geographical position, probably because of the rich land surrounding it .
It was also during the Numidian era that the walls surrounding the city were built and only a few sections of them remain in the northern part of the site .

THE ROMAN PERIOD    

Caesar rewarded the cities that had rallied to him or remained neutral during the civil war. Bulla Regia, along with other  cities, thus obtained the status of free city. It was authorised to retain its own political organisation, its lands and of course, its inhabitants. This privilege did not shield Bulla from Romanisation. On the contrary, very soon after the destruction of Carthage  in146,relations between Romans and Numidians became closer.

    The long and peaceful reign of Micipa (MKWSN in Libyan and Punic inscriptions)148-118 BC played  an important role in the consolidation of human and economic war opposing the Numidian King Jugurtha to Rome.  Indeed, the citizens of Bulla themselves pushed for Romanisation. Already in the first century, Bulla became a municipium (in addition to the progressive acquisition of Roman citizenship, the city freely appointed the magistrates representing it.) and in the 2nd century,Bulla obtained the status of colony(acquired under Hadrian. This status meant that the Roman citizenship of its inhabitants became complete).It was only in the second and more precisely the 3rd century that the public buildings,symbols of Roman civilisation ,were erected. They were the fruit of what characterised African society at the time. Rich families felt obliged to offer the city its infrastructure, public buildings and leisure facilities to keep a better hold on power,etc...

During the Byzantine era, the city underwent a certain amount of degradation .for reasons of defence, fortifications were built often at the expense of existing monuments.There was no hesitation neither to accelerate the crumbling of a pagan monument by retrieving the building blocks that were reused elsewhere, nor to encroach on public roads. The tombs placed in certain houses provide an illustration of declining urbanisation.     This degradation starting in the5Th century, was further confirmed in the 6 Th century. Bulla Regia no longer deserved to be called a city. It was only in  modern  times that a  village stood on the site.

      Indeed, the latter was "moved "so as to make conservation work and archaeology possible. A simple glance at the surroundings shows that little by little Bulla Regia is coming back to life.

THE MUSEUM

     The first room is devoted to Pre-Roman Bulla including portrayals of the main Numidian Kings and the history of the citythrough ceramics and votive stelae devoted to BALL HAMMON. The capital ,placed at the centre of the room , bears the sign of Tanit in relief ( one of the main Carthaginian divinities ) belonged to a temple .

      The second room devoted to Roman Bulla presents, amongst other objects from the Roman period , an incineration tomb with both the remains of  incinerated bones and funerary objects. the tomb is surmounted by a flagstone bearing a cup with a Latin inscription giving the name of the deceased on one of its faces .

      The history of the city and its geographical position are presented in a text and a map of the region . 

THE SITE 

        Three quarters of the  BULLA REGIA site is still underground. Only a part of the city has been excavated. Neverthe- less, it presents a range of public and private monuments characterizing Roman cities . The state of conservation ofmany of these monuments ( the theatre for example ) and the originality of others ( houses with an underground level ) explain the interest of the visitors in this site

THE BULLA HOUSES

        These are the site's distinctive features.It's impossible today actually, to see such domestic architecture elsewhere .BULLA remains the unique city to have two storied dwellings with one floor underground.This feature can probably be explained by the need for protection against excessive heat in summer and the cold in winter .