New archaeological discovery at Sbeiba (Kasserine governorate)

Construction work on a regional hospital in Sbeiba, in the governorate of Kasserine, recently led to the chance discovery of burials dating from the ancient period. A rescue excavation carried out by the INP uncovered a large number of tombs, which were documented topographically, archaeologically and phytogrammetrically, and the various archaeological and bone artefacts were preserved in the Institute’s reserves in the region, so that historical and anthropological studies could be undertaken at a later date.
The first group consists of urns that were once used to bury children, a mode of burial used in ancient civilisations, and the largest cemetery in Tunisia where this mode of burial was adopted was discovered at El Jem in the early 80s of the 20th century. The second group of tombs is represented by longitudinal pits in which skeletons were found covered with curved squares of pottery, and several preliminary indications suggest that these tombstones date back to the Late Archaic period.

This new discovery represents an important step in determining the extent of the urban area of the city of Sufes during the period of Late Antiquity, and adds to other archaeological evidence of the city’s history during the ancient period, including the Byzantine fortress, Roman baths, a public fountain and a number of Latin and Punic inscriptions.