Nora was founded in the ninth century BC by the Phoenicians. The now visible ruins are mainly from roman times (3rd and 4th century AD)

Near the entrance of Nora the first structures are that of roman baths, practically completely destroyed by the sea.

A bagnarola, a cistern to hold water of punic times. At Nora many of these cisterns have been found.

The roman streets at Nora. This one leads from the entrance to the forum.

The roman forum of Nora can be found near the seaside.

The forum of Nora with the structures of a porticus.

This is what remains of a mosaic floor near the forum. It has been visited a lot by the seagulls.

A detail of the mosaic near the forum. It was laid with white, black and ocre.

The north side of the forum of Nora.

A view of the archeological area taken from the hill of the spanish tower, the Punta del Coltellazzo

This passage would have led to a stairway up the dentral elevation on the peninsula to the temple of Tanit. On the left side remains of punic style houses.

A roman temple next to the theatre of Nora. One colmun and part of the mosaic floor of the second or third century BC are still visible.

Detail of the mosaic floor of the roman temple.

A bagnarola in the punic quarter of the town of Nora.

The second bagnarola in the punic quarter. This bagnarola still has plastered walls.

This looks like a bagnarola, but without the more regular structure of walls.

The temple of Tanit on top of the hill. In this structure stones have been reused of a former nuraghe that could have been on the same place.

A view of the baths near the entrance of Nora from the top of the hill where the temple of Tanit is located.

The foundry. This structure would have survived the punic phase and continued into the roman times.

The theatre of Nora is still used today. Visitors cannot enter the theatre itself. The scene is completely vanished, only the foundations are still there, but the semi-circle with the seats is largely intact.

The roman theatre of Nora. In the foreground what is left of the scene (scaena) and the semicircle (cavea).

Under the scene of the theatre of Nora these large jars have been found. These were placed to amplify the sound in the theatre, just like Vitruvius described it in his book on architecture.

A detail of the structures of the scene. This is a sewer, cloaca.

One side of the scene of the theatre.

Around the back of the theatre you will find these supports.

The access to the seats from the back of the theatre.

A view of the theatre from the the back. In the foreground the foundry.

What remains of the second story of the tribunes.

Flowers on the wall of the theatre of Nora.

The theatre of Nora at the rear side with another staircase leading to the seats.

This curieus building near the shore has not yet been identified by the archaeologists. It has a rectangular form, with a corridor all around between two plastered walls.

This mosaic belongs to the house of the west peristilium. At the back of the house lie the central baths.

A detail of the mosaic floor of the house of the western peristilium.

The town centre of Nora is not always clearly readable. Here structures identified as part of a building next to the house of the peristilium. Round cavities in the floor, one which is visible in this picture, would have been the basement of columns or pillars. Various phases of houses on this site have been uncovered.

An overview of the house of the western peristilium.

A roman public fountain in the middle of a living quarter.

A detail of the road and a doorstep of a house.

Living quarters and a watercistern.

Here indicated as the macellum but to some archaeologists the function of the building is not clear.

Towards the west side of Nora lies the largest bathing house, the Terme a Mare. Large parts of the collapsed building have been deposited on the east side of it.

On the east and north side there was a portico, here with stairs that gave access. If there was a portico on the west side is not known due to the erosion at that side.

The road on the north side of the Terme a Mare. In the background the mountains of the Iglesiente.

On the other side of the road an entire block is occupied by a large structure with next to it other roman baths. Unfortunately during my last trip I did not have time to document this part of Nora. It will be for a next visit.

In the atrium of the Terme a Mare a large part has collapsed. The construction method with arches is clearly visible.

The apse created in the Calidarium (n 2) on the north side corresponds to the door on the other side of the room that connects with the other Calidarium (n 1)

On the northwest side of the Terme a Mare the first room is a calidarium. Note the raised floor. The westside had an apse form and probably a heating oven (praefurnium). A second heating oven is still present on the eastside.

This room has been identified as a calidarium and lies next to the other. It has an apse on both sides giving it an oval form.

This room would have been used as tepidarium, an intermediate between the hot and the cold rooms of the baths.

Much of the west side of the building has disappeared in the sea and parts have been used to protect the shore against further erosion.

The reconstructed access to the central room of the Terme a Mare, the frigidarium.

The mosaic floor of the apodyterium.

One of the pools of the frigidarium that could be found on either side of the large room.

A detail of the floors of the roman baths.

The floor of the calidarium of the Terme a Mare.

A view of the porticus on the east side of the Terme a Mare, looking north.

Not only had Nora been a probable site of a nuraghe and maybe a nuragic village, there is also a nuragic well near the Terme a Mare. The nuragic well could not be entered.

This is a waterbassin of punic times found near the Terme a Mare.

In some streets the drainage system can be seen, like in this alley between houses.

Waterdrainage system for the houses.

The house with the tetrastyle atrium is the most reknowned of the whole site because of it‘ beautiful mosaics in the rooms around the atrium. Undoubtedly the house of a rich roman citizen of Nora. The columns are not the original ones that belong there.

One of the mosaics in the house of the tetrastyle atrium of the third century AD.

A detail of the mosaic floor of the previous photograph.

This mosaic floor is richly decorated and survived in several parts.

A part of the same floor as in the previous photograph.

Every quadrant has a different design, but many motives return in the various mosaics.

The third mosaic floor is one of the more complex designs of the house.

A detail of the complex design of this mosaic.

In this (fourth) floor you will find various figures woven into a complex design: cirkels, hexagons, quadrangles.

A detail of the fourth floor (see previous photograph) where the design of one element can be seen very clearly.

Again part of the fourth floor. Note the decoration near the wall.

The fifth floor shows a niche with a different design, in the foreground, identified as the cubiculum, the place where the romans slept. The alcove would have contained the bed. This was probably the master bedroom.

A detail of the fifth mosaic floor, that of the cubiculum.

Another view of the house of the tertrastyle atrium where these magnificent mosaic floors can be found.

The waterdrain for the impluvium in the centre of the tetrastyle atrium.

A view of the house with the tetrastyle atrium. In the foreground a corridor.

Further uphill there is one more mosaic floor belonging to another patrician house, with only a small part that survived.

Detail of the mosaic floor of which not much has been left.

On the top of the acropolis stands the temple dedicated to Esculapius, or Eshmun for the phoenicians. Here the apsis, divided into two different rooms with each it‘s own access.

The temple contains another mosaic floor, partly destroyed.

A detail of the floor of the temple of Esculapius. The central emblem is lost.

The central street of Nora. Some trees give some shadow on hot days.

Returning from the acropolis towards the theatre there are the central baths of Nora. At the time of our visit the mosaic floor was being restored and that part was not accessible. However here a view of the baths.

This is one of the pools near the frigidarium of the central baths

Part of the mosaic floors of the Terme Centrali. Closer we could not get to show a detail.

A view of several punic houses. Here the opus africanum stule of building is quite well preserved.

This area next to the Terme Centrale has been excavated in the past and the traces are difficult to read. Various rooms could be part of one or more houses and it is not clear which period they belong to.

A detail of the area next to central baths. A surviving corner of a mosaic floor. On the tag is written Nora 13.

The area between the theatre and the central baths in an overview picture.

A view of the Punta di Coltellazzo with the spanish tower, the other extreme of the peninsula where Nora lies. In the background left the island of San Macario with another spanish tower.