Conference and exhibition on Musti (Tunisia) open in Paris

The events marking the conclusion of the Tunisian-Polish research project at the Musti archaeological site in Tunisia are set to begin. On this occasion, an international conference titled “Autour de Musti. Présentation de chantiers archéologiques en cours” and an exhibition “Musti à travers les âges. Chroniques d’une ville africaine au cœur du monde méditerranéen” will be held in Paris.

The project dates back to 2016, when a collaboration was established between the Tunisian Institut National du Patrimoine and the University of Warsaw to conduct interdisciplinary archaeological research in northern Tunisia. The primary goal of the project, carried out by the University of Warsaw’s Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology and Faculty of Archaeology was to study the dynamic changes in Musti—one of about 200 towns in the Roman province of Africa Proconsularis. Special attention was given to the transition from a Numidian to a Roman settlement and the development of Musti as part of the broader urban system of Africa and the Roman Empire. Fieldwork began in 2018, and since 2021, the project has been funded by the National Science Centre of Poland, under the leadership of Jamel Hajji (Institut National du Patrimoine) and Tomasz Waliszewski (University of Warsaw).

On December 4–5, 2024, the international conference titled “Autour de Musti. Présentation de chantiers archéologiques en cours” will present the latest archaeological findings from Tunisia, the result of collaboration between Tunisian, French, and Polish researchers. Paris was chosen as the conference location due to its large community of specialists in North African archaeology. The first day of the event will focus on the AFRIPAL project in Musti, while the second day will feature results from Tunisian-French collaborations. The conference will include contributions from researchers at numerous research institutions, including École Pratique des Hautes Études and École Française de Rome.

The conference will take place at two venues: Bibliothèque Polonaise de Paris (6, Quai d’Orléans, 75004 Paris) and Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art (INHA) (2, rue Vivienne, 75002 Paris)

• Conference Program (PDF)

In parallel with the conference, an exhibition titled “Musti à travers les âges. Chroniques d’une ville africaine au cœur du monde méditerranéen” will be on display at the Bibliothèque Polonaise de Paris from December 5, 2024, to January 6, 2025. The exhibition will feature 25 panels, audiovisual presentations, 3D architectural reconstructions, and virtual tours of the Roman town. It will showcase the results of field research, as well as chronological and environmental analyses. The hundreds of Latin inscriptions discovered and studied by the epigraphic team will play a central role in shedding light on the town’s history and its surrounding area.

The events will also coincide with the launch of the project’s website, which will feature information about the archaeological site, research results, and exhibition materials, including virtual reconstructions: www.musti.pl.

Venue: Bibliothèque Polonaise de Paris (6, Quai d’Orléans, 75004 Paris)

Exhibition Organizers:

• Institut National du Patrimoine
• University of Warsaw (Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology and the Faculty of Archaeology, University of Warsaw)
• In collaboration with the University of Gdańsk, Warsaw University of Technology and with the support ofCentre de Civilisation Polonaise at the Sorbonne.

The exhibition is funded by the IDUB program of the University of Warsaw.

The project “(Reading) African Palimpsest. The dynamics of urban and rural communities of Numidian and Roman Mustis (AFRIPAL)” is carried out under the National Science Centre, Poland OPUS 19 grant (no. 2020/37/B/HS3/00348). The project is led by Jamel Hajji (Institut National du Patrimoine) and Tomasz Waliszewski (University of Warsaw).