Risultati e aspetti problematici della ricerca archeologica a Melilla e nel Rif (Marocco settentrionale)

Abstract

The autonomous Spanish city Melilla, located in the Rif (northern Morocco), has been in every historical period one of the main centers of the region. The archaeological investigations conducted in the urban area since 1905 have allowed the acquisition of fundamental data for the knowledge of the ancient and medieval city (Rhysaddir according to the classical sources). However, there is not a clear framing of the historical relations between the city and the surrounding area. This is due in part to the lack of research in relation to the Rif, aimed at understanding the historical evolution of entire territorial contexts; in part to the existence of the political border between Melilla and the Kingdom of Morocco, which has so far represented a scientific frontier too. Such border has contributed to the scarcity of studies interested in combining information about the city with those relating to the rest of the region. This contribution intends to propose a further step in this direction, offering a summary of the history of archaeological research and a critical appraisal of both the data acquired and a number of still open issue.

Keywords

• Northern Morocco
• Rif
• Melilla
• Antiquity
• Medieval Period