Editorial

Ab Band 138 erscheint das Jahrbuch neben der gedruckten Fassung im neuem Gewand gleichzeitig digital open access. Das Modell wird beim Archäologischen Anzeiger als jüngerem Bruder des Jahrbuchs bereits sehr erfolgreich praktiziert, und auch das Jahrbuch kann von nun an von einer weit größeren Leserschaft weltweit konsultiert werden und so dem internationalen wissenschaftlichen Austausch schneller und effektiver dienen.Starting with volume 138, its printed version will be simultaneously accompanied by a redesigned and open access digital version. The model is already practiced very successfully at the Archäologischer Anzeiger, the younger brother of the Jahrbuch, and from now on the Jahrbuch can be consulted by a much larger readership worldwide than before and supports a faster and more effective international scholary exchange and collaboration

Coupling morphometric analysis and soil erosion modeling for the characterization of the geomorphological setting in the surrounding of the archaeological site of Chimtou (Central Medjerda Valley, Tunisia)

This study focuses on the characterization of the geomorphological setting in the hinterland of the archaeological sites of Chimtou and Bordj Hellal located in the central Medjerda Valley, North Tunisia. Our approach integrates the algorithm Geomorphons for semi-automatic landform classification with the soil erosion model Unit Stream Power-based Erosion Deposition (USPED), providing information on the intensity and regional distribution of erosional and depositional processes. Data from geomorphological field mapping provide a database for a ground-truth of the semi-automatic landform classification derived by the algorithm Geomorphons and complemented the database for the creation of a detailed map of the geomorphology in the hinterland of Chimtou. In line with the delineation of the spatial distribution of erosional and depositional processes, the results deepen the understanding of the geomorphology and the sediment routing of this region

The technology of polychrome glazed ceramics in Ifriqiya: new data from the site of Chimtou

Ifriqiya (roughly Tunisia and eastern Algeria) is believed to have played a significant role in the diffusion of ceramic glazed technologies into other regions of the Western Mediterranean. However, due to limited analysis on North African glazed ceramics, its role in technology transfer remains poorly understood. This paper uses SEM–EDS and petrographic analyses to understand the technology employed in the production of Tunisian ceramics through the study of 30 polychrome glazed ceramics from a medieval settlement at the site of Chimtou (ancient Simitthus), Tunisia, dated to the late ninth-twelfth century. The results show that these are lead-rich glazes with varying contents of alkalis, coloured with copper, iron and manganese oxide and applied over a calcareous body. Opaque glazes were obtained using cassiterite crystals as opacifier or by adding crushed quartz. The use of lead stannate as a colourant and opacifier in one light yellow glaze raises questions about the mechanisms of introduction of tin opacification technology in North Africa. Scrap metal seems to have been used as a source of lead for the glazes; while iron slag was probably used as a source of iron to colour the glaze in one sample, pointing to a cross-craft interaction between glazemaking and metallurgy

Urban transformation in the Central Medjerda Valley (north-west Tunisia) in late antiquity and the middle ages: a regional approach

ecent scholarship on North African cities has done much to dispel earlier assumptions about late antique collapse and demonstrate significant continuity into the Byzantine and medieval periods. Yet urban changes did not affect North Africa evenly. Far less is known about the differing regional trajectories that shaped urban transformation and the extent to which pre-Roman and Roman micro-regions continued to share meaningful characteristics in subsequent periods. This article provides a preliminary exploration of regional change from the fourth to the eleventh century focused on a zone in the Central Medjerda Valley (Tunisia) containing the well-known sites of Bulla Regia and Chimtou. We place these towns in their wider historical and geographical setting and interrogate urban change by looking at investment in public buildings and spaces, religious buildings and housing, and ceramic networks. The process of comparison identifies new commonalities (and differences) between the sites of this stretch of the Medjerda River and provides a framework for understanding the many transformations of North African cities over the long late antiquity

Simitthus / Chimtou, Tunesien. Die Arbeiten der Jahre 2016 bis 2018

The ancient town of Simitthus (today Chimtou, Tunisia), known for its important quarries of yellow Numidian marble (giallo antico), has been the object of archaeological research conducted jointly by the Tunisian National Heritage Institute and the German Archaeological Institute in Rome since 1965. This report presents a short overview on the activities at Chimtou in 2016–2018, which were primarily dedicated to publishing the results of the excavations conducted in the 1980s accompanied by measures of capacity building and site management

A Comparative Analysis of Case Studies from the Old World

The present contribution deals with the concepts of marginal habitats in selected regions of the ancient world, ranging from modern Spain to the Jordanian desert and from Turkey to the Ethiopian highlands. Central to this research is the hypothesis that the occupation of areas beyond the ‘normal’ settlement patterns corresponds to colonization processes which reflect specific social strategies and may have stimulated the development of new technological skills. A review of ‘marginality’ research in various disciplines indicates that there is no comprehensive definition of the concept, which can be approached from a multitude of perspectives and with manifold objectives. A survey of the eight case studies and two more in-depth discussions of the sites of Musawwarat (Sudan) and Ayamonte (Spain) highlight the potentials as well as the limits of the archaeological investigation into past marginalities. Patterns of spatial marginalization are the easiest to detect. The studies also show that we must not limit our analysis to the adverse factors connected to different kinds of marginalities. Instead, our analyses suggest that spatially marginal areas were deliberately chosen for settlement – an integration with core-periphery approaches may help us to understand these scenarios, which have received little attention in ‘marginality’ research in archaeology or elsewhere so far

Henchir Bourgou (Djerba, Tunesien): Stratigraphie und Fundvorlage einer Sondage im Zentrum der antiken Siedlung (8. Jh. v. Chr. – 2. Jh. n. Chr.)

Die antike Siedlung Henchir Bourgou auf Djerba (Tunesien) ist seit 2017 Gegenstand gemeinsamer Forschungen des tunesischen Institut National du Patrimoine (INP) und des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts (DAI). Der vorliegende Beitrag ist die Publikation der Ergebnisse einer ersten Sondage im Zentrum des Siedlungsareals. Die Schichtenabfolge und die Baubefunde von den ersten Siedlungsphasen im 8. Jh. v. Chr. bis zu den letzten Spuren einer intensiven Besiedlung an der höchsten Stelle des Siedlungsareals in der letzten Hälfte des 2. Jhs. n. Chr., geben gemeinsam mit der vorgelegten Fundkeramik und begleitenden naturwissenschaftlichen Untersuchungen einen ersten Überblick über die Siedlungs- und Wirtschaftsgeschichte von Henchir Bourgou.The ancient settlement of Henchir Bourgou/Djerba (Tunisia) has been the focus of joint research by the Tunisian Institut National du Patrimoine (INP) and the German Archaeological Institute (DAI) since 2017. The article summarizes the results of a first sondage in the centre of the settlement area. The sequence of layers and the building features from the first settlement phases in the 8th century B.C. to the last traces of intensive occupation at the highest point of the settlement area in the last half of the 2nd century A.D., together with the find pottery and accompanying scientific investigations, provide a first overview of the settlement and economic history of Henchir Bourgou