The research program, directed by V. Bridoux (Research Fellow, AOrOc, UMR 8546, CNRS–ENS–PSL) and M. Kbiri Alaoui (Lecturer and Researcher, INSAP, Rabat), brought together around twenty researchers and students of various nationalities. Among the principal members of the team were A. Ichkhakh (†, Curator of Monuments and Archaeological Sites of Mogador–Essaouira, Morocco), N. André (DPLG Architect, Research Engineer, UAR 3155, CNRS–IRAA), S. Biagi (lecturer), N. Brahmi (Associate Researcher, UMR 8546, CNRS–ENS–PSL), H. Dridi (Professor, University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland), E. Grisoni (Heritage Conservation Officer, Departmental Council of Ariège), H. Hassini (Senior Curator, Department of Culture, Morocco), T. Jullien (Associate Researcher, LA3M, UMR 7298, CNRS–AMU, Aix-Marseille), E. Lenoir (Honorary Research Fellow, UMR 8546, CNRS–ENS–PSL), H. Naji (Curator at the Directorate of Heritage, Department of Culture, Morocco), and M. Alilou (Draftsman–Surveyor, Ministry of Culture, Morocco). The Mauretanian settlement stands on a plateau located approximately one kilometer from the coastline. More extensive than previously thought (at least two hectares), it was occupied from at least the very beginning of the 5th century BC until the 30s BC. It corresponds not to a pottery workshop but to an agglomeration endowed with an early urban layout, already established in the 5th–4th centuries BC. This layout is well attested by the presence of public monuments, circulation routes and paved areas, and blocks composed of mainly rectangular rooms devoted to habitation as well as commercial and craft activities, among which metallurgy also appears to have played a role. The agglomeration, whose ancient name is unknown, was integrated into Mediterranean economic and cultural networks, as evidenced not only by architectural and urban data and imported ceramic and amphora assemblages, but also by a hoard composed primarily of jewelry in the Phoenician-Punic tradition.
These elements make Kouass a key site for understanding Mauretania prior to its annexation by Rome, as well as the so-called “Strait Circle” economic and cultural area.by Rome, as well as the so-called “Strait Circle” economic and cultural area.
The reoccupation of the site in the medieval period is now well documented for the 12th–15th centuries (particularly under the Marinids). Its density is revealed by the discovery of a large number of refuse pits across the site containing rich assemblages, as well as by the identification of at least two successive occupation levels in certain areas. The medieval settlement may be identified with Nebroch, a small town mentioned by al-Bakrī, inhabited by the Lawāta (al-Bakrī, trans. De Slane, 1913 : 221, Another route from Basra to Fez).
Partner institutions and/or funders :
Ministère de l’Europe et des Affaires étrangères, l’École française de Rome, l’Institut National des Sciences de l’Archéologie et du Patrimoine de Rabat, l’UMR 8546 (AOrOc, CNRS-ENS-PSL)
