Banasa - Morocco

 

◙ The site of Banasa (current Name: Sidi Ali bou Jenoun) occupies a double mound stretched from north to south on the left bank of the Sebou, 17 km downstream from the town Mechraa bel Ksiri. 

 

◙ The site of Banasa and its surroundings were probably frequented as early as prehistoric and protohistoric times (flint tools, modeled ceramics). A few amphoras, two-beaked lamps and gold jewellery attest to the site's attendance in Phoenician times.

 

◙ In the 5th century or at the latest in the 4th century BC, the site was occupied by potter's workshops, the activity of which continued until the 1st century BC. These artisanal installations, the traces of which have been recognized, at present, only by limited surveys carried out in the southern district of the city, are derived from ceramic products bearing the mark of Phoenician, Greek and Ibero-Punic influences, but testifying to an undeniable local originality. Recent research in Banasa has confirmed the importance of ceramic production and has greatly enriched the repertoire of Banasitan ceramics with new forms.

 

◙ In 25 BC, a Roman colony named Colonia Iulia Valentia Banasa and administratively attached to the province of Betic (Spain), was established on the site of the Mauretanian city. At the beginning of the reign of Marcus Aurelius, Banasa became a self-contained colonia, and remained a thriving centre until about 285 AD. J.C., when the Tingitane Mauretania was reduced to the territories north of the Loukkos river. Banasa was then abandoned. However, recent research shows that traces of later occupation remain.

 

◙ Archaeological excavations undertaken between 1933 and 1956 have largely uncovered the remains of the Roman period. The central district offers a set of public buildings (temple, forum, basilica...) inscribed in the orthogonal frame that dominates in the north and west districts. The south quarter is built on a different orientation as well as the so-called Macelum district to the northwest. Several large peristyle houses, public bathing establishments, bakeries and buildings with a craft and commercial purpose have been unearthed. A section of the rampart that surrounded the city was cleared to the southwest.