logo
  • Henchr El Koucha
  • Oued Zerga, Testour
  •  
  • Tunisia
  • Béja Governorate
  • Testour
  • Oued Ezzargua

Credits

  • failed to get markup 'credits_'
  • AIAC_logo logo

Periods

  • No period data has been added yet

Chronology

  • 400 AD - 700 AD

Season

    • It is the extension of the remains of an archaeological site called Henchir el Koucha near northeast of the village of Oued Zerga, region of Testour, Governorate of Béja, (Tunisia) where passes the high way A3 linking Tunis, Béja and Bousselem. The first rescue excavation was conducted in December 2012, during which we identified the following: - Three sets of east-west walls, of which the middle one rests on a pavement of black limestone coming, according to the narrative of some inhabitants, near the village of O. Zarga. The other two walls delimit it to the east and west. This pavement is irregular in shape, in harmony with the slope of the ground on which is laid without worrying to respect the flatness of a flat level. The thickness of the slabs varies between 10 and 15 cm. This, lets think of alleys, an external course, a public space ... - A rectangular "room" oriented north-south, a departure from a wall towards the east. The pavement is also made of a paving in black limestone, but of a different material, not respecting also the plumb of a flat level. The north and west walls are in rubble, but with large blocks at the corners and in the middle of the north wall, see a construction in opus africanum. Three troughs are reused in the east wall. A fourth one, reversed, is reused in the departure of a wall of another very probable room on the east side. The vocation of this construction remains to be determined. - Other walls farther east, one of which is in the form of an absidium, contain mosaic pavements and mosaics tombs with epigraphs of the Early Christian era. The whole thing reminds one of a small rural church, hypothesis confirmed during the continuation of the excavations for nearly three months in 2013, directed by Fethi BEJOAUI and whose best discovery was a mosaic representing the angel Gabriel, a first in Tunisia.

Bibliography

  • No records have been specified