Recipient Professor David Mattingly/Muftah Hddad
Date 01 February, 2019
Amount £3000
Summary The Tarhuna plateau region of Tripolitania is particularly significant for the evidence of Roman era olive oil and amphora production. The well-preserved evidence of rural settlement (including both open estate centres and fortified farms) and agricultural production, funerary features and ceramic workshops have high importance for developing understanding of Roman olive production and the regional economy.

This heritage is also coming under increasing levels of threat and a key element of the proposed work is reporting on site preservation and future threats, and suggesting best practice for site management.

The work will combine remote sensing expertise and analytical input by the Endangered Archaeology team at Leicester with fieldwork by the Libyan partners and joint write up of the results. It extends Dr Ahmed Haddad’s important PhD survey work.

Tarhuna’s ancient landscape is still highly visible with its substantial, well-built settlements, funerary features and ceramic workshops that go back to the Roman and Early Islamic periods (Ahmed 2018; Mattingly 1995; Oates 1954; 1953).