The Center of Mediterranean Archeology and the Institute of Archeology of the University of Warsaw are implementing a new project of archeological research in Tunisia in cooperation with the Institut National du Patrimoine (Tunis). In early October, they have completed their first full-scale excavation season in the Roman city of Mustis, located 130 km from ancient Carthage. This is the first Tunisian-Polish archaeological research since the late 70s.

The aim of the research is to comprehensively learn about the city’s past and its rural background to determine the economic importance of the region. The project is managed by Prof. Tomasz Waliszewski from the University of Warsaw and Dr Jamel el Hajji from the Institut National du Patrimoine. The agreement on Polish-Tunisian cooperation was concluded in 2017, in 2018 a geophysical prospect was carried out to identify the topography of the site. The first full excavation season at Mustis ended for six weeks.

Research is to be conducted for many years, based on a transdisciplinary approach using the latest research techniques. The archaeologists from the University of Warsaw emphasized that the project is extremely promising. It covers not only the city but also dozens of settlement points around the city.