Although Roman North Africa is known for its production of cereals, faunal evidence from the Neo‐Punic urban mound of Zita in South East Tunisia shows that meat was an important part of the diet. Similarly to other North African sites, sheep and goat contributed the most to meat consumption in all time periods. The proportions of cattle, sheep/goat, and pig (the most common sources of meat in most Roman influenced sites) are closer to the nearby site of Meninx than to Carthage. This research uses the complete collection of faunal material from one feature at Zita to analyse pre‐Roman and Roman meat consumption. Because data from few comparable sites are available, this analysis adds new understanding to diet over time in the region, but further studies at Zita and in the region more broadly would help confirm these findings. Zooarchaeological remains show a diet heavily dependent on sheep and goat, with fish, molluscs, cattle, pig, and chicken also commonly consumed. Wild animals in the diet include hare and birds. Other fauna recovered were indirectly related to human activities; small terrestrial animals like amphibians, snakes, and rodents were likely attracted to refuse and increased as the site became more industrialised in the Roman period. The data show that the diet at Zita remains consistent across time, indicating a strong and ongoing local influence on cuisine despite transitions in the political infrastructure from Carthaginian to Neo‐Punic/Roman periods.
This paper presents the results of the geophysical prospection conducted at the site of Meninx (Jerba) in 2015. This was the first step in a Tunisian-German project (a cooperation between the Institut National du Patrimoine, Tunis, and the Institut für Klassische Archäologie der Ludwig-Maximilans-Universität München), the aim of which is to shed light on the urban history of the most important city on the island of Jerba in antiquity.Meninx, situated on the SE shore of the island (fig. 1), was the largest city on Jerba during the Roman Empire and eponymous for the island's name in antiquity. The outstanding importance of this seaport derived from the fact that it was one of the main production centers of purple dye in the Mediterranean. With the earliest secure evidence dating to at least the Hellenistic period, Meninx saw a magnificent expansion in the 2nd and 3rd c. A.D. It was inhabited until the 7th c. when the city was finally abandoned.
Les prospections menées au courant de l'année 2018 sur le site antique de Guellala/Haribus (Jerba) ont permis de mettre au jour une riche documentation archéologique s'étalant entre le v e s. av. J.-C. et la deuxième moitié du vII e s. apr. J.-C. De par son emplacement au sud du golfe de Boughrara et étant sur la route maritime qui mène vers la Tripolitaine, ce site était très ouvert sur le commerce méditerranéen comme en témoignent les céramiques importées aussi bien de l'Afrique que d'ailleurs. Ces marchandises arrivaient à Guellala à travers un port qui vient d'être localisé. Sa nécropole romaine mal conservée est aujourd'hui connue à travers deux tombes taillées dans l'argile : une intacte qui a été fouillée en 2014 et une autre complètement pillée.
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