Perspectives from the Field. Recent Research on the Archaeology of Ancient North Africa

Ancient North Africa is one of the most diversified regions in the Mediterranean. The coastal areas between the Atlantic shores of Morocco and the Libyan Sirtes offer different climate zones, various landscapes, and many micro-regions with their own cultural history. Furthermore, the archaeological evidence for Prehistoric, Berber, Numidian, Punic, Roman, Vandal and Byzantine cultures presents its own contrasts: on the one hand, there are well-known archaeological sites offering well-preserved buildings and monuments, and on the other hand, entire cities hidden below the surface which can only be made visible through geophysical methods. In recent years, Ancient North Africa has seen a great deal of dynamic and multifaceted fieldwork. The ongoing process of adopting new archaeological methods, however, is not a purely technological phenomenon but also modifies and refines the individual questions we ask.

The intention of the conference ìPerspectives from the Field: Recent Research on the Archaeology of Ancient North Africaî is to bring together archaeologists who are conducting fieldwork projects at different sites, in order to compare questions, methods, and results, and to stimulate discussion on future perspectives.