Excavated: 1912 (GdS 1912, 292 (October 14-15); NSc 1912, 435-436; Vaglieri).
Mosaic: SO IV, 70-71 nr. 98, tav. 185 (middle).
Inscription: CIL XIV S, 4549 nr. 17.
Date: 190-200 AD (SO IV).
Meas. of tesserae: 0.015 (SO IV).
Mosaic
General descriptionMost of the west part of the floor of the back room has been preserved. A few parts of a black band, four tesserae wide, have been preserved along the north wall and in the passage between the front and back room. Halfway the back room is part of a narrower black band, running north-south, creating two halves. Four small motifs or objects are in the south part, two of which interrupt the north-south running band.
Most of the east part of the floor of the front room has been preserved. The south and north sides are bordered by black bands, four tesserae wide. At the east end the southern one continues to the north and then to the east. The east part of the northern band is missing. Within the frame are a single line of text and a depiction.
TextAt the east end of the front room is a single line of text in a tabula ansata (two tesserae wide; h. of letters 0.16). The tabula is not in the centre of the room, but moved to the south. The ansae are solid black. The line to the left of the right ansa is only one tessera wide, while the tabula continues above and below it. We read:
NAVICVLARI(leaf)GVMMITANIDESVO
The letters av of naviculari were damaged when Wickert described the text and have since been restored. Suggested reading:
NAVICVLARI GVMMITANI DE SVO
Depictions
Below the text is a grain measure flanked by two branches. This depiction is in the centre of the room. The two branches are most likely empty grain ears.
In the centre of the back room is a small circle (diam. 0.40) with a rosette. An object near the south wall of this room was according to Becatti a small boat. Both objects are depicted on NADIS inv. nr. 642.
Becatti
Grain measure. Un moggio con tre piedi con due anse ad occhio e con tre fasciature bianche. Ai lati due ramoscelli stilizzati disposti obliquamente verso il moggio; hanno il fusto che si allarga alla base.
Ship. Nel centro del mosaico bianco del portico postico rimangono entro un cerchio del diam. di cm. 40 una rosetta a 6 foglie e lungo il margine destro una barchetta ricurva con acato a reticolato, guastata da un restauro antico.
Masonry
The back room has a rear wall of opus latericium and side walls of opus vittatum mixtum B. On Vaglieri's plan the side walls have a double width and do not touch the back wall. Today only the west end of the south wall (touching the brick column) has a double width, while the remainder of the wall was set somewhat to the north. The south wall is absent on the model.
Interpretation
Through vague association the city of Gummi has often been identified with Alipota-Mahdia or Salakta on the east coast of Tunisia. This is not correct, making certain publications useless for this statio.[1] There are two candidates.[2] Two ancient bishoprics named Gummi are known. One is Gummi in Africa Proconsularis, today Bordj-Cédria, Tunisia. Bishops are known from 411, 525 and 1053 AD. The other is Gummi in Africa Byzacena, today Henchir-El-Senem or Henchir-Gelama, Tunisia. Bishops are known from 484 and 641 AD. Bordj-Cédria is a suburb of Tunis, on the coast of the Gulf of Tunis. Henchir-El-Senem is in south-east Tunisia, ca. 16 km inland. The former is therefore the one we are looking for.
As the crow flies Gummi is 60 kilometres to the south-west of Misua (Sidi Daoud, statio 10) and 18 kilometres to the south-east of Carthago (Tunis, statio 18). The grain measure and ears indicate that grain was shipped from the harbour.
(1) For example Younes 2005.
(2) Dessau in RE VII, col. 1935.