Du 3/1979 [antikvár]

du The Art Magazine 3 /1979 A Selective Summary of the Contents Chemtou Tunisia's Historié Héritage It is common knowledge that Tunisia is rich in archaeologicai treasures, and many relies of the past are stiil concealed within its soil. Research and excavation have been going on for almost a century, but it was not until about twenty years ago that decisive developments began to take place, following the establishment of the National Institute of Archaeology and Art in Tunis. Since our aim was to improve our knowledge of the history of our civilization prior to the Roman Conquest, we concentrated on digs at places where Phoenician remains had been found. It was this décision that led to the rediscovery of that wonderful city now known as Kerkouane. Again, the excavation campaign now in full swing at Carthage, with the support of UNESCO and the help of a number of expert archaeologists from Europe and America, has already yielded results of the greatest importance. Moreover, we are in possession of hitherto unpublished information about the topography, architecture and urban development of the metropolis of the Western Mediterranean. Another of our aims was to obtain a clear idea of various aspects of the civilization of the great Numidian Kingdom, for Tunisia can claim within its national boundaries the only two Numidian holy places hitherto discovered, in addition to a number of prehistoric mega-lithic burial-places, some of which are quite magnificent. In 1970, a contract was signed by the National Institute of Archaeology and Art and the German Archaeologicai Institute in Rome, and since then excavations have concentrated on a single site - Chemtou, the ancient Simitthus. What has been discovered is of rich quality and diversity and does both Institutes full honour, much of which accrues to our friend Friedrich Rakob, co-director of the excavations. In the near future, it will again be possible to admire the Numidian temple at Chemtou, with its unique architectural features. Construction of this holy place on the summit of Jebel Chemtou is ascribed to Micipsa, one of the great Numidian kings, and coincided chro-nologically with the discovery of the yellow marble that became famous throughout the entire world of antiquity as marmor numidi-cum. The quarrying of this marble was begun by the Numidians and continued under Roman ru le, and Chemtou became the most important marble quarry in the Maghreb. Discovery of the workers* cantonments 1 the big-gest known seulement of its type in antiquity -and the excavation of a fabrica in which yellow marble objects were mass-produced for export have provided us with information about pre-viously almost unknown aspects of working conditions, technology and administration. Research to date has already produced new knowledge about the social and economic history of this city, whose importance during the Numidian and Roman periods made it unique in the Maghreb. The National Institute of Archaeology and Art in Tunis is now planning to establish a Muséum of Marble in which visitors will be able to inform themselves about every aspect of ancient techniques for quarrying and processing this precious material. The museum will thus be able to provide complete documenta-tion of a subject hitherto little regarded and not elsewhere easily approachable. The work done by the Institute and the German Archaeologi-cal Institute of Rome is undoubtedly making an important and valuable contribution to the furtherance of archaeology in the Mediterranean area. Azzedine Beschaouch