On July 16, the Archaeological Research Center of the National Cultural Heritage Administration of China and the Tunisian Institute of Cultural Heritage announced the completion of joint archaeological excavations at the Ben Arous Forest Site in Tunisia, and held a completion ceremony for the site conservation and interpretation project on the same day.
Completion Ceremony of the Ben Arous Forest Site Conservation and Interpretation Project
According to introductions, the Ben Arous Forest Site was unearthed during infrastructure construction of the China-aided Ben Arous Youth Sports Complex in Tunisia back in 2019. The site’s cultural layers date from the 3rd century BCE to the 6th century CE. In 2023, China and Tunisia signed a cooperation agreement on joint archaeology at the Ben Arous Forest Site. Multiple teams of Chinese experts and scholars have carried out three consecutive years of field excavation, multidisciplinary research, as well as conservation and interpretation work at the site.
Over the three-year cooperation, the joint team has delivered remarkable outcomes with outstanding academic, cooperative and public communication value. Archaeological surveys covering 130,000 square meters around the site have been finished, with a total excavation area of 1,700 square meters uncovered. Four distinct, successive cultural layers have been identified at the site: Late Punic–Early Roman, Middle Roman, Late Roman and Byzantine periods. These layers have perfected a complete chronological framework for the transition from Carthaginian to Roman civilizations, establishing an uninterrupted cultural evolution sequence for the western coastal region of North Africa.
Clear functional zoning has been discovered on site, including a temple sacrificial zone, aristocratic residential quarters, public bathing complex and craft workshop area. This layout clarifies the functional planning model of Carthaginian aristocratic settlements, reconstructing an integrated spatial pattern combining sacrificial rituals, daily residence, public social activities and handicraft production for Carthaginian elites. The findings provide tangible evidence of the sophisticated aristocratic lifestyle and formal public ritual culture of ancient Carthage.
Building on fruitful archaeological discoveries and rigorous restoration research, the Ben Arous Forest Site conservation and interpretation project has installed guardrails, boardwalks, interpretive signage and protective shelters. Adopting internationally advanced exhibition approaches such as preserving open landscape sight corridors and on-site restoration display panels, the project makes the archaeological site more accessible and comprehensible to the general public.
It is reported that based on the mutual trust, unified technical standards and talent cooperation mechanism established through the Ben Arous Forest Site partnership, upon the official invitation of the Tunisian National Institute of Cultural Heritage, the Archaeological Research Center under the guidance of China’s National Cultural Heritage Administration launched the archaeological project at the Carthage Punic Port Site in Tunisia on July 17. Drawing on and upgrading the mature experience from previous joint excavations, the new project will elevate China-Tunisia archaeological cooperation to a new level.
Reporting: Zhang Chen
Reviewer: Zhao Yun
Reviewer: Zhao Yun
