Tunis, April 23 (TAP) - The archaeological partnership between Tunisia and Italy, which began in the 1960s, continues to grow stronger through agreements between specialised institutions and research conducted by experts from both countries.
Against this backdrop, the Bardo National Museum is hosting two study days on April 23-24, entitled "60 years of Tunisian-Italian archaeological cooperation: assessment and prospects," marking the 60th anniversary of the first joint archaeological mission between Tunisia and Italy.
A host of Tunisian and Italian researchers are taking part in this event, organised by the National Heritage Institute (INP), the Italian Embassy in Tunis and the Italian Cultural Institute in Tunis.
In his speech at the opening of the event, INP Director-General Tarek Baccouche spoke of a very active cooperation in the archeological research field, which is the legacy of a long and rich "archaeological history."
He also talked about the glorious past of Carthage and Rome, which "were for long periods the centre of the world and its pole of attraction."
Going back over the history of this partnership, Baccouche pointed out that between 1965 and 1966, a joint team from the National Institute of Archaeology and Arts in Tunis, now the National Heritage Institute, and the Centro di Studi per la Civiltà Fenicia e Punica, had conducted the first archaeological excavations at Cap Bon in the Punic city of Kerkouane, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986.
These excavations were conducted by eminent researchers and scholars who had been students of Sabatino Moscati, the founder of Phoenician Studies, including Piero Bartoloni, Enrico Acquaro, Ferrucia Barreca, Antonia Ciasca, Mohamed Fantar and Fethi Chelbi.
Today, the INP is announcing that it is "a partner in cross-border cooperation projects with neighbouring Italy, through a programme aimed at scaling up cooperation between the Mediterranean two rims and supporting projects that foster sustainable development, whose main goal is to support education, research, technological development and innovation."
As the Italian Ambassador to Tunisia put it: "what we are celebrating today goes far beyond a simple anniversary. It is the highlighting of a common path, connecting past, present and future and based on solid values: mutual respect, trust, knowledge sharing and a will to enhance a heritage that mirrors the depth of the ties between our two countries."
"Today, with fourteen active missions, Italy is proud to be Tunisia's leading archaeological partner," he added.
Prunas affirmed that since "the launch of the first Tunisian-Italian archaeological mission in the 1960s, archaeology has become a pillar of partnership" between the two countries, which has helped "build a fertile space for exchange, combining scientific rigour, innovation, institutional cooperation and, above all, mutual enrichment."
The partnership between the two countries finds particular expression in the cooperation agreements signed with leading Italian institutions, such as the Coliseum Archaeological Park, the Central Institute for Restoration (ICR) and the Central Institute for Archaeology, as well as with leading Italian universities, including those of Bologna and La Sapienza in Rome.
This partnership, which has been described as "exemplary and enduring," has also been embodied in exhibitions organised in both countries, including "The Phoenicians" (Palazzo Grassi in Venice, 1988), "Hannibal in Carthage" (Bardo Museum, 2016), which featured the famous bust of the Carthaginian general, a work dating back to the second half of the 11th century and housed in the Galleria dei Busti in the Quirinal Palace, and "Rome Universalis. The empire and the dynasty from Africa" (Colosseum, Rome, 2018-2019), “Carthage, the immortal myth” (Colosseum, Rome, 2019-2020).
The Petit Palais room at the Bardo Museum will host "DACCOURDOU. Aspects and forms of the Italian cultural presence in Tunisia. A photographic narrative with multiple meanings."
The next major event will be at the Colosseum Archaeological Park in Rome, which will host "The Magna Mater from Zama to Rome," from June 5 to November 5, 2025.
This travelling exhibition will feature archaeological objects unearthed at the Zama Regia site, in the governorate of Siliana, during excavations carried out in stages from 1996 onwards.
The sixty years of Tunisian-Italian cooperation in the field of archaeological heritage have brought to light many discoveries that have added to and sometimes challenged the knowledge of the history of respective civilisations.
The joint Tunisian-Italian archaeological missions that have been largely active in emblematic sites such as Carthage (Tunis), Kerkouane (Cap Bon), Thuburbo-Majus (Zaghouan), Thignica, Althiburos, Numluli and Uchi are the subject of research, study and scientific and academic publications, which are the focus of these two days at the Bardo Museum.
