Le site rural de Mezraya (Jerba) de la Protohistoire à l’époque romaine impériale : résultats de la première campagne de fouilles préventives de 2018

Abstract

The rural site of Mezraya (Jerba), which was the subject of a rescue excavation in 2018, has revealed a range of interesting archaeological results. The stratigraphy documents continuous use and occupation of the site from protohistoric to Roman times. Systematic pottery analysis has been used to establish, for the first time, a cultural-chronological sequence covering almost a thousand years. Interpreted as a farm, the remains of amphora, as well as important small finds, give clues to the range of agricultural and artisanal activities carried out on the site, including spindle whorls and loom weights, providing direct evidence of textile production. Beginning in the second half of the 8th century BCE, evidence of archaic Phoenician ceramics indicates that Mezraya developed contact and connections with the wider Mediterranean world. After a long existence, the site was completely abandoned during the first half of the 3rd century CE.

Keywords

• Mezraya
• Jerba
• protohistory
• Punic
• Roman
• farm