A group of Polish and Moroccan archaeologists discovered a Roman watchtower in Morocco earlier this month. It was unknown if such towers existed in this region prior to this finding.
On the southern edge of the old Roman province, close to the ancient city of Volubilis, the tower was discovered at the El Mellali site. According to a statement from the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Morocco, it was built roughly four miles south of the biggest city in this area of Roman Africa.
A member of the Polish-Moroccan study team and archaeologist Maciej Czapski from the University of Warsaw said, “On the basis of satellite pictures, we identified many sites that share a similar feature: an oval plan with a rectangle or a square engraved in it. “We picked this location since it’s the farthest to the south,” There could be a location where the Roman army once marched.
During the excavations, the tower’s walls and base were discovered. There were pieces of the once-encircling cobblestone wall and an interior stairway within the building.
At the building, there were also some military relics found, such as javelins, nails from Roman sandals, and pieces of a belt. They allowed the archaeologists to determine that the building was constructed somewhere between the first and third centuries CE. According to them, the building was in use throughout Antoninus Pius’ term as Roman Emperor from 138 CE to 161 CE.
Overall, the research represents a major advance in our understanding of the valley’s defensive mechanisms by confirming the existence of a Roman army at El Mellali. This is the first time that such a site has been excavated, despite the fact that researchers previously thought that such fortifications existed.
Thanks to good collaboration between Polish and Moroccan archaeologists, the Roman defensive tower’s foundations are a stunning testament to the Roman defense system around Volubilis, according to a news statement from Krzysztof Karwowski, the Polish ambassador to Morocco.
Work on the location has been going on since 2021 under the guidance of Aomar Akerraz and Radoslaw Karasiewicz-Szczypiorski, thanks to a collaboration agreement between the Institute of Archeology and Cultural Heritage (INSAP) in Rabat and the University of Warsaw.
The Kingdom of Mauretania, which arose after the collapse of Carthage at the conclusion of the Third Punic War in 146 B.C.E., covered what is now northern Morocco and extended southward to the Atlas Mountains from central modern-day Algeria westward to the Atlantic. At some point, Mauretania became a client state of the Roman Republic.
Volubilis evolved into a metropolis with Roman-influenced art and architecture under Juba II, a client King of Rome. When Emperor Claudius seized Mauretania and founded the Roman provinces of Mauretania, Tingitana, and Mauretania Caesariensis, Volubilis developed into a hub of trade. It exported goods like grain, olive oil, and wild animals for the enjoyment of the people. Around 20,000 people called Volubilis home by the end of the second century C.E.
