Jerba Archaeological and Ethno-historical Survey Project

Surveyed areas of Jerba Island, Tunisia

Map of Late Antique sites and stratified-random and purposive survey sample

Project Description

Between 1996 and 2000 the joint team from the University of Pennsylvania, the American Academy in Rome, and the Institut National du Patrimoine conducted a survey of the Island of Jerba, Tunisia under the direction of Prof. Renata Holod (History of Art Department; Curator, Near Eastern Section, the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology), Dr. Elizabeth Fentress (Professor at the American Academy in Rome; Research Associate, Mediterranean Section, the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology), and Dr. Ali Drine (Coordinateur du project Tuniso-Americain sur Jerba, Institut National du Patrimoine, Tunisie).

The survey, carried out by transects running north-south across the island, revealed over 445 sites, giving a clear picture of the development of settlement between the fifth century B.C. and the early 19th century. It revealed precocious agricultural settlement, fairly intensive trade with central Italy, and a strong presence of villas by the second century B.C.; a decline in sites in the fifth century A.D.; and then an intensification, and a new pattern of the settlement from the late ninth century A.D. through the sixteenth century. This fairly coarse-grained image was further refined by intensive, gridded survey of the city-sites, Burgu and Meninx, and of an 18th century estate, Gish’iyyin; by geophysical survey at Meninx; and by excavation at a number of sites: the Punic and Roman city of Meninx, the late Roman/ Byzantine fortlet at Tala, early mosques at Jami ‘ Gmir and Jami ‘Zayid, and a medieval house in the neighborhood of Jami ‘ Zayid.


Team Members

1996

Jenaina Akkari-Weriemmi, Joel Allen, Fathi Bahri, Sadok Ben Omrane, Aziza Ben Tanfous, Titus Bicknell, Kimberly (Max) Brown, Maria (Luly) Feliciano, Michael Frachetti, Kostis Kourelis, Adnan Louhichi, Riadh Mrabet, Nancy Proctor, Lofti Rahmouni, Michelle Rein, Cynthia Robinson, Nicholas Unger.


1997

Sadok Ben Omrane, Aziza Ben Tanfous, Kimberly (Max) Brown, Mark Delancey, Maria (Luly) Feliciano, Rebecca Foote, Michael Frachetti, Brien Garnand, Abdelaziz Hamdani, Raouf Hamdani, James (Jay) Heidel, Kostis Kourelis, Kristin Little, Thomas Morton, Riadh Mrabet, Mekki Oudi, Todd Parment.


1998

Moez Achour, Ali Aït Kaci, Samia Ben Amor, Sadek Beb Omrane, Sami Ben Tahar, Aziza Ben Tanfous, Bochra Berradhia, Nouri Boukhehim, Kimberly (Max) Brown, Maura Cleffi, Katherine Connors, Maria (Luly) Feliciano, Sam Fentress, Sergio Fontana, Michael Frachetti, Brien Garnand, Heather Grossman, Muhammad Ali (Dali) Hbayeb, Abdelaziz Hamdani, James (Jay) Heidel, Kostis Kourelis, Richard Lindsay-Jones, Karen Longeteig, Adnan Louhichi, James (Jim) Mathieu, Thomas Morton, Riadh Mrabet, Mekki Oudi, Todd Parment, Najib Sellaouti, Zsuszsanna Várhelyi.


Jerba Project team members 1999 Field Season. Photo by Catherine Fentress.

1999

Moez Achour, Ali Aït Kaci, Samia Ben Amor, Sadek Beb Omrane, Sami Ben Tahar, Nouri Boukhchim, Kimberly (Max) Brown, Enrico Cirelli, Maura Cleffi, Katherine Connors, Abdul Hamid Farhani, Maria (Luly) Feliciano, Catherine Fentress, Sam Fentress, Sergio Fontana, Michael Frachetti, Muhammad Ali (Dali) Hbayeb, Afaf Helali, Tarek Kahlaoui, Ridha Kooli, Adnan Louhichi, Thomas Morton, Riadh Mrabet, Mekki Oudi, Todd Parment, Adam Rabinowitz, Hajer Saad, Musa Tabbabi, Claudia Zatta.


2000

Moez Achour, Ali Aït Kaci, Robert Ajtai, Alaa Al-Habashi, Samia Ben Amor, Sami Ben Taher, Kimberly (Max) Brown, Enrico Cirelli, Maura Cleffi, Maria (Luly) Feliciano, Catherine Fentress, Sam Fentress, Sergio Fontana, Michael Frachetti, Tarek Kahlaoui, Thomas (Tom) Morton, Mekki Oudi, Todd Parment, Najib Sellaouti, Marianna Tretiak, Andrew Wilson, Col. Adel Zommit.