Layers of history define the ancient city of Dougga, in northern Tunisia, where Numidian, Carthaginian, Greek, Roman and Byzantine civilizations all left their mark. Its remarkably preserved Roman remains offer a glimpse into how life was lived on the empire’s frontier. Here and at Tunis’ National Bardo Museum, the remnants of Dougga’s ornate mosaics and monumental stonework evoke a romantic vision of archeology and adventure.
Styling by Tony Irvine
Layers of history define the ancient city of Dougga, in northern Tunisia, where Numidian, Carthaginian, Greek, Roman and Byzantine civilizations all left their mark. Its remarkably preserved Roman remains offer a glimpse into how life was lived on the empire’s frontier. Here and at Tunis’ National Bardo Museum, the remnants of Dougga’s ornate mosaics and monumental stonework evoke a romantic vision of archeology and adventure.
Styling by Tony Irvine
TREASURES UNTOLD Model Erika Barletta at the third-century A.D. Roman baths in the ancient city of Dougga, in Tunisia. Barletta wears a Tory Burch sweater, Acne Studios shirt and Brunello Cucinelli pants.
ALL THAT REMAINS Left: At Dougga’s theater, which dates to the second century A.D., Barletta wears an Our Legacy jacket, Stella McCartney shirt and pants and model Nima Drame wears Our Legacy pants. Right: Barletta in Ralph Lauren.
ETERNAL SECRETS Left: At the ruins of the Roman cisterns of Aïn El Hammam. Prada shirt, sweater and shorts. Right: Under the olive trees near the Arch of Alexander Severus. Barletta in Nili Lotan shirt, T-shirt and pants. Drame in Louis Vuitton pants.
MONUMENTAL MOTIFS Third-century A.D. mosaic flooring from Bulla Regia, a site north of Dougga, now installed at the Bardo museum. Acne Studios shirt and shoes and Brunello Cucinelli pants.
CONTEXT CLUES Barletta in front of a fragment of Corinthian carving at the Dougga forum, in Louis Vuitton top and pants.
CLASSICAL EDUCATION A room at the National Bardo Museum, housed in Tunis’ 19th-century Beylical palace. Model Fares Ben M’Barka in Giorgio Armani pants. Barletta in a Chanel jacket, shirt and skirt and Acne Studios boots.
SET IN STONE Near the Arch of Alexander Severus, Barletta in a The Society Archive hat, Our Legacy jacket, Nili Lotan shirt, Tory Burch dress and shoes, Prada belt and Stella McCartney pants, and Drame in Louis Vuitton shirt, Dolce & Gabbana sweater and pants and Tory Burch shoes.
POINT OF VIEW At the Forum of Dougga with a Corinthian pillar in the foreground, Barletta wears a Ralph Lauren sweater and pants and Tory Burch shoes.
QUICK STUDY In the Tunis room at the Bardo museum, Barletta wears a Victoria Beckham shirt, Tory Burch pants and Miu Miu shoes.
EPIC PROPORTIONS Left: In front of a fourth-century A.D. mosaic at the Bardo, Barletta wears an Acne Studios top and Louis Vuitton men’s pants. Right: In the Sidi El Béchir district in Tunis, Barletta in a Dries Van Noten coat, Prada sweater, Brunello Cucinelli shirt and Miu Miu pants and shoes.
Second-century A.D. sculptures at the Bardo, with M’Barka (left) in Hermès pants and Drame in Our Legacy pants. Tank tops, stylist’s own.
TIME IMMEMORIAL Left: In the Bardo museum’s Dougga room, Drame in Louis Vuitton blazer, shirt and pants. Middle: Drame (left) and M’Barka with a second-century A.D. sculpture, found at Bulla Regia. Tank tops, stylist’s own. Right: Wandering among Dougga’s capitol and Temple of Augustan Piety in a Miu Miu jacket and pants, Acne Studios shirt and Tory Burch shoes.
STEALING THE SCENE At Dougga’s theater, Drame in a Zegna jacket and pants.
GRAND ENTRANCE An ancient doorframe at the Bardo museum with Barletta in a Loewe dress and Tory Burch shoes.
WINDOW TO THE PAST Left: Barletta in an Akris dress at the National Bardo Museum in Tunis, Tunisia. Photography by Brett Lloyd, styling by Tony Irvine. Right: A small ninth-century A.D. mosque situated within the Temple of Piety, with Drame in Giorgio Armani.
OBJECT LESSON Left: In the Bardo’s early Christian room, Barletta in a Ferragamo dress and Nili Lotan shirt. Right: At the second-century A.D. Forum of Dougga, Drame wears a Prada shirt and pants.
Talent, Erika Barletta at Oui Management; Nima Drame at 16 Paris Management; Fares Ben M’Barka at Success Models; casting director, Rachel Chandler at Midland; makeup artist, Ben Sedrine Nihel; hair stylist, Joe Burwin; production, Total London, Baker & Co; postproduction, Imagine.
Sotheby’s Magazine
About the Author
Brett Lloyd
Brett Lloyd’s photography can be seen in Vogue Italia, Another Man, Vanity Fair, Purple, Dust and Dazed & Confused.
