Publications
Carthage
The archaeological site of Carthage, once a dominant Mediterranean power, has been rediscovered through centuries of exploration and excavation. This book highlights how the site's remnants were gradually uncovered, often controversially, bringing its legendary past back into public consciousness. From the first identification of Punic artifacts to the systematic excavations that followed, the narrative traces the efforts of antiquarians, travelers, and scientists who pieced together Carthage's history. The process revealed a city founded by Queen Dido, destroyed in wars with Rome, and later reborn as a Roman and Christian center. However, the exploration also involved the plunder of artifacts for European museums, raising ethical questions about the preservation and representation of heritage.
Investigating glass beads and the funerary rituals of ancient Vaccaei culture (S. IV‐I BC) by Raman spectroscopy
A sophisticated bifacial pendant from the Vaccaei culture (IV–I centuries BC), found at the archaeological site of Pintia, Spain, was identified as likely originating from Carthage based on Raman spectroscopy and ESEM/EDX analysis. This study, which examined 15 representative glass beads, revealed distinct fabrication features and pigments—including lead oxides, calcium antimoniate, hematite, and Naples yellow—that hint at diverse workshops or origins. Additionally, the analysis of thermally altered glass beads in Vaccaei tombs estimated cremation temperatures around 600°C, validating previous assessments based on bone preservation. The research highlights the complexity of funerary rituals in this culture through detailed examination of glass bead trousseaus and viatic offerings.
Staging Archaeology: Empire as Reality Effect at the 1906–07fêtes de Carthage
The 1906–07 fêtes de Carthage, staged at the recently excavated Roman theatre of Carthage, revealed archaeology's dual role as both a nostalgic celebration and a historicist tool during French colonization in Tunisia. These elaborate pageants, involving hundreds of actors and sumptuous period costumes, drew on archaeological findings to depict French colonizers as preservers of ancient culture while consigning colonial violence to the realm of performance. The 1907 pageant featured two specially commissioned plays, including one that juxtaposed a modern poet with a Carthaginian priestess at her excavated tomb site. This study demonstrates how archaeology, as an emerging science, helped police the boundary between past and present, serving a historicist sense of time that legitimized colonial narratives through the 'reality effect'—a technique that made staged performances appear authentic.
Biostratigraphic Evidence Relating to the Age-Old Question of Hannibal's Invasion of Italy, I: History and Geological Reconstruction
A study at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Carthage provides biostratigraphic evidence that supports Sir Gavin de Beer's 1974 proposal for Hannibal's invasion route through the Alps. Researchers analyzed an alluvial floodplain mire near the Col de la Traversette, identifying a distinct layer—termed the MAD bed—characterized by disrupted bedding, increased organic carbon, and specialized biological components. This churned-up sediment suggests contamination from thousands of animals, likely Hannibal's, during his 218 BC invasion of Italy. The findings combine stratigraphic, geochemical, and microbiological data to address a long-standing historical debate while highlighting the site's archaeological significance.
An Archaeological History of Carthaginian Imperialism
Archaeological evidence challenges traditional Greco-Roman narratives of Carthaginian imperialism, revealing that the 6th–4th century BCE Carthaginian Empire differed significantly from its portrayal in ancient sources. By prioritizing archaeological and epigraphic records over textual accounts, this study demonstrates that Carthage's expansion mirrored patterns seen in Athenian and Roman empires—through colonization, political integration of dependencies, and trade network centralization. Contrary to prior interpretations linking destruction layers in Sardinia to 6th-century military campaigns, the research argues that Carthaginian imperial manifestations closely resemble those of other ancient empires, suggesting a more nuanced and structured system than previously assumed.
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