Studies on the Urban History of Meninx (Djerba): The Meninx Archaeological Project 2015–2019

Meninx was the eponymous capital of the island of Djerba in Antiquity. The spacious seaport, situated on a protected gulf, was famous as one of the main production centres of purple dye in the Mediterranean and developed into one of the largest metropolises in Roman North Africa. In 2015, an archaeological research project was initiated in cooperation between the Institute of Classical Archaeology at the University of Munich and the Institut National du Patrimoine, Tunisia, in order to explore the urban development of this previously little-known ancient site. First, the internal urban structure was clarified by means of a large-scale geophysical prospection. Then, during two field research campaigns in 2017 and 2018, targeted excavations were carried out, which, together with their rich and diverse finds, provided exemplary insight into various spheres of urban life in all periods of the city's history, from Punic times to Late Antiquity (4th century B.C. to 7th century A.D.). In addition, underwater archaeological investigations have for the first time shed light on the harbour facilities of Meninx.

The present volume offers a synthesis of the multifaceted results of these investigations. lt has become clear that Meninx, with its regional and supra-regional economic contacts, played a central role for the island, which functioned as a hub between Mediterranean maritime trade networks and the nearby mainland with its trading routes leading into the Sahara. In its role as a centre of production and trade, Meninx was strikingly different from the other Tripolitan coastal metropolises, Sabratha and Lepcis Magna, in that urban life was entirely focused on the sea and its resources.

Veröffentlicht

June 1, 2022

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Archäologische Forschungen

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Kapitel

• Preface: The Meninx Archaeological Project
  Stefan Ritter, Sami Ben Tahar
• I. Introduction: The History of Research on Meninx and our Objectives
  Stefan Ritter, Sami Ben Tahar
• II. Methodology

  1. Engineering Geodesy in Meninx – 2. Archaeological Geophysics – 3. The Database Management
  Agnes Weinhuber, Jörg W. E. Fassbinder, Paul Scheding, Juliane Watson
• III. The Urban Layout: Results of the Magnetometer Survey
  Jörg W. E. Fassbinder, Stefan Ritter
• IV. The Urban History of Meninx: A Synthesis of our Results

  1. The Punic and Late Punic Periods – 2. The Early, Middle and Late Roman Periods – 3. The Late Antique Periods
  Stefan Ritter, Sami Ben Tahar
• V. The Excavations

  1. Introduction – 2. Trench 1 – A Main Road through Meninx in the Area of the Macellum – 3. Secteur 2 – Une maison punique et son occupation jusqu’à la fin de l’Antiquité – 4. Schnitt 3 – Ein Thermengebäude am Forum – 5. Trench 4 – Early Punic ...
  Stefan Ritter, Sami Ben Tahar, Nichole Sheldrick, Nicolas Lamare, Christoph Lehnert, Robert C. Arndt, Linda Stoeßel, Lena Gabler, Mekki Aoudi, Saskia Kerschbaum, Marina Apatsidis, Alexander Köppe, Paul Scheding
• VI. The Underwater Archaeological Investigations (with Trenches 10–12)
  Max Fiederling, Tobias Pflederer, Ahmed Gadhoum
• VII. Other Field Studies

  1. Architekturhistorische Untersuchungen in Meninx – Die Bauteile im Pavillon – 2. Der Nördliche Zisternenkomplex – Bauforscherische Untersuchung der freiliegenden Strukturen – 3. The Quarries
  Johannes Lipps, Kilian Wolf, Dennis Mario Beck
• VIII. The Finds

  1. Die Funde: Einführung – 2. La céramique – 3. Liste des datations des unités stratigraphiques (SE) de Meninx 2017–2018 – 4. The Coin Finds – 5. Römische Statuetten aus den Thermen (Schnitt 3) – 6. Ein Marmorkopf des Antoninus Pius aus Meninx ...
  Karin Mansel, Sami Ben Tahar, Tomoo Mukai, Francesca Assirelli, Bianca Mancini, Saskia Kerschbaum, Bartlin Schöpflin, Lena Gabler, Martin Kovacs, Johannes Lipps, Stefan Ritter, Paul Scheding, Sebastian Kranz, Robert C. Arndt, Salvatore Ortisi, Stephanie Schmittner, Julia Thois, Max Fiederling
• IX. Natural-sciences Research

  1. Archaezoology in Meninx: Palaeoeconomy between Local Economic Structure and Supra-regional Network – 2. Fish Exploitation at Meninx – 3. Crop Cultivation and Land-use on Djerba from Phoenician Times to Late Antiquity (4th cent. B.C.–6th cent. A.D.) ...
  Simon Trixl, Joris Peters, Wim Van Neer, Wim Wouters, Michèle Dinies, Viola Podsiadlowski, Reinder Neef, Max Fiederling
• ملخص
  Sami Ben Tahar
• Bibliography
• List of Figures
• Illustration Credits