BC Archaeology Travel, PO Box 1236, Mittagong (2026)

06/06/2026

BULLA REGIA - ROMAN CITY IN TUNISIA

The city of Bulla Regia, located in western Tunisia near Le Kef, was inhabited back into the Neolithic period as indicated by dolmen tombs of this period in the area. The town grew in the 5th Century BC as part of Carthage’s development of the fertile agricultural zone. During the 2nd Century BC Bulla became a royal Numidian settlement as indicated by the additional element ‘Regia’ added to the name.

The earliest dated Roman monument has been assigned to the reign of Tiberius (AD 34-5). The city of Bulla Regia received an influx of Roman colonists during the Flavian Period, probably during the reign of the Emperor Vespasian (AD 69-79). A colossal statue of the Emperor was found in the Forum. The Forum is relatively small and measured 40 by 26m. On the north side was a temple to Apollo from which are derived a series of magnificent statues now in the Bardo Museum. The Capitolium (dedicated to Jupiter, Juno and Minerva) was on the west side of the Forum. The eastern side of the Forum was dominated by the town basilica, used for judicial and business purposes.

The theatre, 60m in diameter, is built on vaults in the Roman fashion and is dated to the reign of Marcus Aurelius. The orchestra is paved with yellow Chemtou marble (also called giallo antico) from the nearby quarries and has inset into its centre the mosaic of a bear. The theatre contained numerous statues of Empresses represented with the attributes of Cereres, a fertility goddess.

The massive baths in the town date to the end of the 2nd Century AD to early 3rd Century (Antonine to Severan Period). These were given the name Mamaen Baths in honour of Julia Mamaea, the mother of the Emperor Severus Alexander. They preserve some fine mosaics.

Eight houses at Bulla Regia have been excavated with barrel vaults. The city is located in the hot upland part of Tunisia and these subterranean rooms were used in summer as dining and bed rooms. Many such rooms contain excellently preserved mosaics. The oldest dated houses are from the period of Hadrian. One such house, the ‘House of the Fish’ contains summer rooms which are accessed by 18 steps leading down 6 m. The house is named after a mosaic of Cupids fishing or riding dolphins and playing the lyre.

The ‘House of Amphitrite’, dated to the Antonine Period (AD 138-93) has 23 steps leading down to vaulted chambers. A mosaic shows the hero Perseus saving Andromeda from the sea monster. Facing this is a mosaic showing the Triumph of Venus. She wears a halo and rides a sea horse. Cupids holds a crown above her, while others ride dolphins and carry her jewel box and mirror.

Hi - this is Michael Birrell. I'm leading a tour of Tunisia in October next year which visits Bulla Regia:
ANCIENT TUNISIA: ARCHAEOLOGY & THE DESERT
A 2-week tour exploring the archaeology of Tunisia led by Dr Michael Birrell
Includes: Tunis, Carthage, Dougga, Sufetula, Tozeur, Douz, El Jem, Kairouan, Sousse
14th - 28th October 2027 (arrive Tunis 14th Oct - depart Tunis 29th Oct)
$5800.00 per person twin share (airfares not included), single supplement $900 extra
Itinerary: https://www.bcarchaeology.com.au/ancient_tunisia.html
Contact me: [email protected] or 0405 492 946

05/06/2026

CONSTANTINE – ANCIENT CIRTA IN EASTERN ALGERIA

Cirta (now called Constantine) lies in eastern Algeria. It is located on a bluff around 600 m above sea level with the valley sides dropping into the River Rhummel 100 m below. The city is easily defendable, well watered, and at the crossroads of major ancient trade routes with Carthage and south to the Sahara. It had busy markets where the caravans were unloaded of their rich cargo from the oases and beyond. Luxury products included ostrich feathers, elephant tusks and gold.

Cirta was a major Berber settlement in the Iron Age. The Berbers were the native people of North Africa, descendants of the pre-historic cave painters. Cirta (modern Constantine) was the Numidian capital - it is spread over a number of hills and defended by gorges. Cirta was connected to the outside world through trade. A Punic sanctuary was excavated in the 1950s in the southern quarter of the city.

We know little of the Roman town as it is heavily overlaid with the modern town. Part of the ancient settlement, possibly the Forum of Roman Cirta, has been identified under the Ottoman Palace in the centre of the old town. Amongst the finds here is a superb bronze statue of Victory which dates 2nd AD. Some finds have been made in the city over the years. They include a very fine marble statue of Dionysus, beardless and with a wreath of vine leaves, discovered in the opening of Rue National. The mosaic of the swimmers was found in Constantine in 1959 and dates to the late 1st Century AD.

In 1529 the region came under Ottoman rule and had a local Turkish Governor (Bey) who was subordinate to the governors in Algiers. Constantine saw a period of growth and wealth under Salah Bey from 1770 to 1792. The last Bey of Constantine, Ahmed Bey ben Mohamed Cherif, led a fierce resistance against the French.

An important monument of this period is the Palace of Ahmed Bey was built between 1826 and 1835. This is one of the finest buildings of the Ottoman period in the country. The palace has a series of courtyards surrounded by tiled arcades. The city fell to the French in 1837. Subsequently the city saw growth and had a sizeable Jewish population.

I'm leading a tour of Algeria next year which includes a visit to Constantine and its wonderful museum and Ottoman palace:
ANCIENT ALGERIA: ARCHAEOLOGY AND THE DESERT
A 3-week tour exploring ancient Algeria led by Dr Michael Birrell
Includes: Algiers, Tipaza, Cherchell, Timgad, Lambaesis, Djemila, Setif, Ghardaia, the desert
4th - 21st May 2027 (arrive Algiers 4th May - depart Algiers 22nd May)
$8300.00 per person twin share (airfares not included), single supplement $1500 extra
Itinerary: https://www.bcarchaeology.com.au/algeria.html
Contact me: [email protected] or phone 0405 492 946

04/06/2026

KARNAK TEMPLE - THE SANCTUARY OF AMUN

Karnak is the biggest temple complex in the world, covering an area of about 100 hectares. In ancient times, Karnak was known as Ipet-isut, ‘The most select of places’. The main temples were continually embellished and extended by the rulers of Egypt from the 11th Dynasty until the Roman period (2055 BC – 395 AD). Most of the surviving remains, however, date to the New Kingdom (1550-1069 BC) when the 18th Dynasty made Thebes the centre of the Egyptian Empire – Kings of the Ramesside Period (19th and 20th Dynasties) made major additions.

The temples are built along two axes (east-west and north-south) with the original Middle Kingdom shrines built on a mound in the centre of the complex. The entrance to the temple used by visitors is on the west wide - a quay built by Ramesses II gave access via a canal to the river Nile.

Through the entrance of the Second Pylon is the famous Hypostyle Hall. It has 134 gigantic columns; the centre 12 columns are larger (21 m tall) and have open papyrus capitals, which may have been intended to symbolise the original ‘mound of creation’. The other 122 columns are smaller (15 m) and have closed capitals, perhaps representing the swamp which surrounded the mound.

The Hypostyle Hall was begun by Amenhotep III who started the side walls which close off the space between the second and third pylons. It was not completed until the reign of Sety I who carved his raised reliefs around the walls of the northern half. His son Ramesses II completed the decoration of the southern half of the walls and pillars, often over-carving his father’s reliefs with his own crude sunk relief carvings including temple foundation rituals. Both Sety and Ramesses have left us fine examples of temple ritual and the relationship of the pharaohs with their gods. Accounts of their battle exploits are carved around the outer walls (Sety I to the north and Ramesses to the south). It was Ramesses who added a roof of stone slabs to the hall - it would have been lit only by the high clerestory windows.

Hi - this is Michael Birrell. I'm leading a tour of Egypt in November which includes visits to less known sites like Tanis, Medinet Madi and Esna, as well as the mighty Karnak temple where we visit out of the way shrines that most tourists don't see:
ANCIENT EGYPT: AMARNA AND THE 18TH DYNASTY
A 3-week tour of Egypt led by Dr Michael Birrell
Includes: Saqqara, Fayum Oasis, Beni Hasan, Amarna, Abydos, Luxor Temple, Deir el Bahri, Karnak, Esna, El Kab, Islamic Cairo
17th November - 3rd December 2026 (arrive Cairo 17th Nov - depart Cairo 4th Dec)
$7900.00 per person twin share (airfares not included), single supplement $1500 extra
Itinerary: https://www.bcarchaeology.com.au/amarna_2026.html
Contact me: [email protected] or phone 0405 492 946

03/06/2026

GARNI - A ROMAN PERIOD TEMPLE IN ARMENIA

The archaeological site of Garni lies in southern Armenia. It occupies a triangular plateau at a height of 1390 meters above sea level, overlooking the Azat River canyon . The complex covers an area of 10.5 hectares. Garni is among the oldest settlements in Armenia, boasting a rich cultural legacy dating back to prehistoric times. Archaeological findings, including remnants from the Bronze Age onwards including fortresses, settlements and necropoli, attesting to the long human presence in the area.

During the 7th century BC, Garni was integrated into the Kingdom of Urartu (Biainili). King Argishti I's cuneiform inscription delineates the conquest and annexation of the region into his realm. Following the decline of Urartu, Garni became part of the Orontid Kingdom until the late 3rd century BC. Subsequent historical records indicate that Garni served as a military outpost and royal residence for the Armenian kingdom.

Garni was restored under Armenian King Tiridates I, who erected a temple in 77 AD, as corroborated by a Greek inscription discovered in 1945. The text of the inscription states: ‘Helios Tiridates the Great of Greater Armenia, having as its lord subdued this city, founded for his sister, the queen, this impregnable fortress, to safeguard his kingdom, in his eleventh regnal year. Obeying his tiara-wearing lord, Menneas the stone-cutter made this for the great, venerable god, whom he also thanks with his disciple, Martyrius’. Despite the inscription, some scholars suggest that the temple served a royal mortuary cult.

The temple of Garni is Hellenistic in style, characterized by its peripteral colonnade located on a raised podium encircled by 24 Ionic columns carved from basalt. The stone blocks were held together by metal rivets and clay infill, it and it demonstrates the advanced construction methodologies of its era. The temple's embellishments feature intricate plant and geometric motifs, while its pitched roof is adorned with basalt tiles.

Complementing the temple, the Garni complex included a royal bathhouse and ancillary palace structures. The bathhouse floor showcases a well-preserved mosaic illustrating episodes from Greek mythology, including depictions of Oceanus and Thalassa amidst ichthyo-centaurs and nymphs, alongside Greek inscriptions. Central to the mosaic are busts of Oceanus and Thalassa. The temple was restored by Alexander Sahinyan, between 1969, and 1975, faithfully preserving its historical and cultural integrity.

Hi - this is Michael Birrell. I'm leading a tour of the Caucasus (Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia) which includes a visit to Garni:
THE CAUCASUS: AZERBAIJAN, GEORGIA AND ARMENIA
A 3-week tour exploring ancient and medieval Caucasus led by Dr Michael Birrell
Includes: Baku, Gobustan, Sheki Khan, Tbilisi Archaeology Museum, Haghpat monastery, Yerevan, Erebuni fortress, Garni Roman temple
1st - 18th September 2026 (arrive Baku 1st Sept - depart Yerevan 19th Sept)
$8200.00 per person twin share (airfares not included), single supplement $1500 extra
Itinerary: https://www.bcarchaeology.com.au/caucasus.html
Contact me: [email protected] or phone 0405 492 946

02/06/2026

KHIVA - SILK ROAD CITY

Khiva is a caravan city located in the western part of Uzbekistan, not far from the Amu Darya (Oxus River). The Ichan Kala is the inner walled city, or shakhristan, of Khiva. The adobe clay wall, which extends more than 2.2 km long, is up to 10 m high and 5-6 m thick. It has four gates located near the centre of each long wall. The gates and flanking towers are of baked brick.

The khans of Khiva had several residence in the city but the main one, the Kunya Ark ‘The Old Fortress’, was the earliest and main one. According to historical sources, in 1686, Arang khan began the re-construction of the citadel of Khiva near the western gates of Ichan-kala. The ark presented a complex multi-courtyard composition, containing a residence for the ruling khan, the members of his family, and dignitaries.

From the large numbers of constructions of the ark only several buildings of the 19th Century and the beginning of the 20th Century are preserved. They were the official reception hall (kurinishkhana), a mosque, the mint, and the harem. Previously, there was also an arsenal, a powder-mill, an official building, warehouses, a kitchen, guardhouses, a stable, and a parade area.

The Djuma (Friday) mosque is located at the centre of the old city. It was built at the end of the 18th Century over the ruins of a previous construction. This is an ancient style of building without portals and cupolas, without galleries and yards. It is 55 by 46 m. Entrance to the mosque can be made from four sides. The interior space is a single hall, the flat ceiling of which is supported by 213 wooden pillars of black elm, each 3.15 m apart. The four oldest pillars date from the 10th Century. Another 17 pillars date from the 11th Century.

Hi - this is Michael Birrell. I'm leading a tour of the Silk Road in October which includes a visit to Khiva:
CENTRAL ASIA: CITIES OF THE SILK ROAD
A 3-week tour exploring the history of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan led by Dr Michael Birrell
Includes: Ashgabat, Nisa, Merv, Khiva, Bukhara, Samarkand, Tashkent, Dushanbe
11th - 30th October 2026 (arrive Ashgabat 11th Oct - depart Dushanbe 31st Oct)
$8300.00 per person twin share (airfares not included), single supplement $1500 extra
Itinerary: https://www.bcarchaeology.com.au/central_asia.html
Contact me: [email protected] or phone 0405 492 946

01/06/2026

TIDDIS – ANCIENT CASTELLUM TIDDITANORUM

The Roman military town of Castellum Tidditanorum (modern Tiddis) is located 15 km NW of Constantine (Cirta) in eastern Algeria. The community formed part of a line of castella (fortified villages) which lay around Cirta/Constantine. The site was well chosen for its defensive character – it lies on a mountain overlooking the ravine of the River Rhummel. The town gradually developed down the slope.

Tiddis has been thoroughly excavated by A Berthier who found pre-Roman material indicating a Berber and Punic occupation; long sections of the Berber/Punic wall that encompassed the town still remain. A pre-Roman gate still survived on the eastern side of town.

Tiddis developed over a number of centuries, reaching its final form in the 3rd Century AD with the construction of engineering works which provided terraces for public buildings, roads and sanctuaries. The North Gate has a single opening and is built of good quality ashlar masonry.

The decumanus has 38 steps and 5 landings to ascend the hill. The forum, marked by two arches, is minute, the smallest in North Africa. It measures 30 by 10 m. On the uphill side are three separate rooms, the central one with benches perhaps functioning as the curia or the council chamber. The room to the left preserved an altar and may have been a temple to Fortuna Augusta as mentioned in an inscription. Numerous bases once held statues of Marcus Aurelius, the Severans and Gordion III.

Hi - this is Michael Birrell. I'm leading a tour of Algeria in May next year which includes a visit to Tiddis:
ANCIENT ALGERIA: ARCHAEOLOGY AND THE DESERT
A 3-week tour exploring ancient Algeria led by Dr Michael Birrell
Includes: Algiers, Tipaza, Cherchell, Timgad, Lambaesis, Djemila, Setif, Ghardaia, the desert
4th - 21st May 2027 (arrive Algiers 4th May - depart Algiers 22nd May)
$8300.00 per person twin share (airfares not included), single supplement $1500 extra
Itinerary: https://www.bcarchaeology.com.au/algeria.html
Contact me: [email protected] or phone 0405 492 946

28/05/2026

PHILAE: THE ISLAND OF ISIS

Philae is the original island site of a temple dedicated to Isis, goddess of motherhood. It is located about 8 km south of the modern town of Aswan at the First Cataract of the Nile. The sandstone temple and other buildings on the island of Philae date from the 30th Dynasty to the late Roman Period (380 BC to 300 AD). They were transferred to the island of Agilqiyya in the 1970’s to save them from the rising waters of Lake Nasser – the site of the original island can still be seen.

The island is dominated by the great temple of Isis which was built on a granite outcropping considered an embodiment of the ‘Mound of Creation’. The earliest extant remains at the site date to Nectanebo I of the 30th Dynasty (380-262 BC). He built a kiosk dedicated to Hathor on the southern end of the island, while his co-dynast Nectanebo II (360-343 BC) built a monumental gateway leading to the temple as it then existed.

The earlier Saite temple at Philae was demolished and reconstructed by Ptolemy II (285-246 BC) and later additions were made by subsequent members of the Ptolemaic royal family. The monumental 1st Pylon was built by Ptolemy V and VI with decoration by Ptolemy XIII, brother of Cleopatra VII (51-47 BC). It enclosed a courtyard containing the mammisi begun by Ptolemy III and completed by Ptolemy VIII (145-116 BC) – it is decorated with scenes of the divine birth of the child Horus and his suckling by Isis.

The second pylon, probably completed by Ptolemy VI, gives access to a hypostyle hall with 10 columns, a transverse hall, the sanctuary and various shrines. To the east of the great enclosure wall lies a small temple to the goddess Hathor which was built during the period of Ptolemy VI and VIII with Roman additions – this goddess has close affinities with Isis. To the south of the Hathor temple is a partly inscribed kiosk – originally ascribed to the reign of Trajan, who added some scenes inside, it is now generally considered to date to the reign of Augustus.

Hi - this is Michael Birrell. I'm an archaeologist and historian who has been leading tours to ancient world sites for 30 years. I'm leading our regular tour of Egypt in January-Feburary next year:
ANCIENT EGYPT: RAMESSES THE GREAT
A 3-week tour of Egypt led by Dr Michael Birrell
Includes: 3 night Nile cruise from Luxor to Aswan and a 4-night Lake Nasser Cruise from Aswan to Abu Simbel
19th January - 5th February 2027 (arrive Cairo 19th Jan - depart Cairo 6th Feb)
$8300.00 per person twin share (airfares not included), single supplement $1500 extra
Itinerary: https://www.bcarchaeology.com.au/ramesses.html
Contact me: [email protected] or phone 0405 492 946

26/05/2026

NISA - A PARTHIAN CITADEL IN TURKMENISTAN

Nisa is a royal Parthian city and ceremonial center in southern Turkmenistan, about 18 km SW of the capital Ashgabat. Nisa contains within its ramparts a series of monumental buildings which constituted a ceremonial center for the rulers of the Parthian Arsacid dynasty. The site was in ancient times known as Mithradatkert ‘Fortress of Mithridates’, named after the the founder of the complex Mithridates I (171-132 BC), the founder of the Parthian Empire.

Nisa is surrounded by impressive mud brick walls. In the northern sector stands the largest building, the so-called Square House. This has a large courtyard surrounded by elongated rectangular rooms. The function of the building was as a place of assembly and banqueting, but from the 1st century AD, it was turned into a store for precious furnishings, disused decorative objects, weapons, ceramics, and coins. Once the rooms were full, they were walled in, and new ones were created in the area formerly occupied by the portico. Among the most precious objects which were still preserved in the Square House were a group of carved ivory rhytons which lay in one of the rooms. They are now in the National Museum.

In the southern part of the site are the main monumental buildings, grouped on the western side of a large central basin. The Tower Building consists of a square central body of massive brickwork surrounded by corridors, with a colonnaded portico on its façade, which opens out towards the north. Many fragments of wall paintings have been recovered from the debris of the surrounding ruins. The subjects represent a battle—historical or mythological—between two groups of horsemen, both in Iranian dress.

The Round Hall has a large circular inner room with a diameter of 17 m within perimeter walls which form a square. Fragments of sculptures recovered in the room belong to monumental statues, more than 2 m high, executed in the round by moulding thick layers of brown clay over an inner hard mass of clay. The fragments of sculptures belong to the drapery of tunics and mantles of the Hellenistic style and are inspired by prototypes of the 4th century BC. The statues must have been executed by sculptors with a Greek training. Among the surviving fragments is a male head with a long beard, which probably represents King Mithradates I.

Hi - this is Michael Birrell. I'm leading a tour of the Silk Road in October which includes a visit to the fascinating site of Nisa:
CENTRAL ASIA: CITIES OF THE SILK ROAD
A 3-week tour exploring the history of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan led by Dr Michael Birrell
Includes: Ashgabat, Nisa, Merv, Khiva, Bukhara, Samarkand, Tashkent, Dushanbe
11th - 30th October 2026 (arrive Ashgabat 11th Oct - depart Dushanbe 31st Oct)
$8300.00 per person twin share (airfares not included), single supplement $1500 extra
Itinerary: https://www.bcarchaeology.com.au/central_asia.html
Contact me: [email protected] or phone 0405 492 946

25/05/2026

Hi - this is Michael Birrell. I'm an archaeologist and historian who has been leading tours for 30 years. Our tour of the Silk Road (Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan) will be going ahead as scheduled in October:
CENTRAL ASIA: CITIES OF THE SILK ROAD
A 3-week tour exploring the history of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan led by Dr Michael Birrell
Includes: Ashgabat, Nisa, Merv, Khiva, Bukhara, Samarkand, Tashkent, Dushanbe
11th - 30th October 2026 (arrive Ashgabat 11th Oct - depart Dushanbe 31st Oct)
$8300.00 per person twin share (airfares not included), single supplement $1500 extra
Itinerary: https://www.bcarchaeology.com.au/central_asia.html
Contact me: [email protected] or phone 0405 492 946

22/05/2026

BENI HASAN - THE TOMBS OF THE NOMARCHS

Beni Hasan is located on the east bank of the Nile about 250 km south of Cairo. The site is an important provincial necropolis containing about 930 tombs which span the period from the 6th Dynasty to the 12th Dynasty (2200-1785 BC). The upper tombs on the terrace were excavated and recorded by Percy Newberry and George Fraser from 1890 to 1891 with the assistance of the young Howard Carter.

The most significant monuments are the 40 large rock cut tombs belonging to the nomarchs (provincial governors) of the Oryx-nome. Most of these large decorated tombs date to the end of the 11th Dynasty and the 12th Dynasty.

The tomb of Baqet III (tomb 15) is the earliest of the tombs which are open. Baqet was provincial governor of Menat-Khufu (modern el-Minya) during the later years of Dynasty XI. A large rectangular cult chapel lies behind the plain tomb façade with two slender lotus columns separating the front part of the chapel from the rear. The north wall of the tomb shows the desert hunt with many types of animals. Industrial scenes of weaving and spinning, goldsmiths and sculptors are mingled with scenes of country living – hunting and fishing in the marshes, catching birds and gathering papyrus. Battle scenes are shown on the east wall, along with wrestlers. The south wall depicts more traditional funerary scenes, with the deceased’s statue being dragged on a sledge to the tomb.

Khety (tomb 17), also a Dynasty XI governor, was the son of Baqet. The tomb of Amenemhet (no 2), who was called Ameni, dates to Dynasty XII and is a little more elaborate than the earlier tombs.

Khnumhotep II (tomb 3) was a successor of Amenemhet and occupied one of the last of the Middle Kingdom tombs built at Beni Hasan. Although he was a provincial governor, his titles include ‘Hereditary Chief’, ‘King’s Acquaintance’ and ‘One who is Beloved of his God’. Khnumhotep’s tomb follows the architectural style of Amenemhet’s, with four polygonal columns in the tomb-chapel behind the impressive façade and portico. On the north wall is a famous scene depicting a caravan of Asiatics in their striped robes bringing gazelles and other items to trade. Two especially beautiful scenes dominate the east wall – portrayals of Khnumhotep with his family, fowling and snaring birds in the marshes in a papyrus skiff. Khnumhotep’s well-preserved autobiographical text can be seen running along the base of the walls, painted to simulate granite. A statue chamber behind an elaborate doorway on the east side of the tomb-chapel still contains the lower part of a statue of the deceased.

Come with me next November and see these magnificent tombs in Middle Egypt:
ANCIENT EGYPT: AMARNA AND THE 18TH DYNASTY
A 3-week tour of Egypt led by Dr Michael Birrell
Includes: Saqqara, Fayum Oasis, Beni Hasan, Amarna, Abydos, Luxor Temple, Deir el Bahri, Karnak, Esna, El Kab, Islamic Cairo
17th November - 3rd December 2026 (arrive Cairo 17th Nov - depart Cairo 4th Dec)
$7900.00 per person twin share (airfares not included), single supplement $1500 extra
Itinerary: https://www.bcarchaeology.com.au/amarna_2026.html
Contact me: [email protected] or 0405 492 946

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