Kerkouane, also spelled Kerkuane (Arabic: كركوان, Karkwān), is the location of an ancient Punic city in northeastern Tunisia, near Cape Bon. Kerkouane was one of the most significant Punic cities, along with Carthage, Hadrumetum (modern Sousse), and Utica. This Phoenician city was likely abandoned during the First Punic War (around 250 BC) and was not rebuilt by the Romans. It existed for nearly 400 years.

In 1985, UNESCO designated the Punic town of Kerkouane and its ancient burial site as a World Heritage Site. This recognition was partly due to the fact that the remains are the only known example of a Phoenicio-Punic city to have survived.

The name Kerkouane was chosen by archaeologists. The city’s original name from ancient times is not recorded in any known historical documents.

Etymology

The name Kerkouane comes from the Berber language and means "to wall up." This name is also found in Algeria and the Sahel region.

Excavations

Kerkouane was a small town that likely had no more than 1,200 people, mostly fishermen and craftsmen. Evidence of many murex shells suggests the town made purple dye, along with salt and garum, a type of food product.

Excavations uncovered ruins and coins from the 4th and 3rd centuries BC. In the area where the town’s layout is clearly visible, many houses still have walls remaining, and colored clay on the outside walls is often still present. The town was built in a grid pattern with wide streets and public squares. The houses followed a standard design, showing advanced town planning.

Red ochre found in tombs is also common in native Libyan burial practices. However, the town’s religious and architectural traditions were mostly influenced by Carthaginian styles. Artifacts such as a black-figure wine jug decorated with a scene from The Odyssey, an Ionian cup, and Greek-style features like peristyle courtyards and stucco decorations in wealthy homes indicate the town was influenced by Mediterranean cultures.

A sanctuary has some preserved columns, and a small atrium contains parts of mosaics. Curbstones, doorsteps, thresholds, and simple mosaic floors are found throughout the ruins.

There is an area for ritual banquets and a sacrificial altar. While archaeologists are unsure which gods the temple honored, they believe it may have been dedicated to Melqart, Sid, or Tanit. Terracotta heads showing two men wearing conical hats resemble the iconography of Sid and Melqart found at the Temple of Antas in Sardinia.

Climate change

Kerkouane is located near the coast, which makes it at risk from rising sea levels. In 2022, the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report listed Kerkouane among African cultural sites that could be harmed by flooding and coastal erosion by the end of this century. This risk applies only if climate change follows the RCP 8.5 scenario, which predicts very high and continuously increasing greenhouse gas emissions, leading to warming of more than 4°C. However, this scenario is no longer considered very likely. Under more realistic scenarios, warming and sea level rise would be smaller, but sea levels would still rise for about 10,000 years. Even with warming limited to 1.5°C, global sea levels are expected to rise more than 2–3 meters (7–10 feet) after 2000 years. This rise would surpass the sea level increase predicted under RCP 8.5 (~0.75 meters (2 feet)) by the year 4000. Therefore, Kerkouane will eventually face rising water levels unless protective measures, such as sea walls, are used.

Gallery

• The floor of the ancient city of Kerkouane
• A bathing area
• A restroom
• Remains of ancient homes
• A view of the archeological site
• An area outside the Kerkouane museum
• A map of the site
• Remains from the nearby area of Tamezrat
• Remains of ancient walls
• Remains of ancient columns
• A sign at the site
• A general view of the site