Thuburbo Majus or Colonia Julia Aurelia Commoda, its Roman name, was originally a Punic town, later founded as a Roman veteran colony by Augustus in 27 BC. Military veterans were sent to Thuburbo, among other sites, by Augustus to allow them to start their post-army lives with land of their own. Its strategic location and access to trade routes made it an important establishment. Ruins of the town are in the middle of the countryside with no towns in close proximity.

Most of the town was built around 150–200 and restored in the 4th century after the Crisis of the Third Century. It received a Capitolium in 168. The town was a productive grower of grain, olives, and fruit.Under Hadrian it was made a municipium, helping cause a growth in wealth, and Commodus made it a colony.

The Virtual Experience Company are working with the British Council and the Institut Nationale du Patrimoine Tunisie t bring this extraordinary site to the attention of the world, using Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality.  In the first phase of the project we scanned and photographed the site using drones.  Over the coming months we will be adding new content so please come back and follow our progress

Developed in association with the British Council