Utica (Utique)

Utica, about 35 km northwest of Tunis, is traditionally dated to around 1100 BC, which would make it older than Carthage. It sided with Rome in the Third Punic War and became the capital of the new province of Africa after 146 BC. Silt carried by the Medjerda river has since pushed the coastline some 10 km away, so the former port now stands among fields. The main area to visit is a residential quarter where the House of the Cascade keeps floors of marble inlay and mosaics with fish. A small museum near the entrance displays Punic and Roman finds.