World Heritage Identification Number: 332
World Heritage since: 1985
Category: Cultural Heritage
WHE Type: Archaeological Sites
Transboundary Heritage: No
Endangered Heritage: No
Country: 🇹🇳 Tunisia
Continent: Africa
UNESCO World Region: Arab States
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Kerkuane: An Ancient Punic City in North-Eastern Tunisia
The Punic Town of Kerkuane and its Necropolis, located in north-eastern Tunisia near Cape Bon, is a significant archaeological site that offers a unique glimpse into the Phoenician civilization. Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985, this ancient city stands as the sole surviving example of a Phoenicio-Punic urban settlement.
More to come…UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site
This Phoenician city was probably abandoned during the First Punic War (c. 250 B.C.) and as a result was not rebuilt by the Romans. The remains constitute the only example of a Phoenicio-Punic city to have survived. The houses were built to a standard plan in accordance with a sophisticated notion of town planning.
UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site
Criterion (iii): The Punic Town of Kerkuane, never reinhabited since it was abandoned towards the middle of the 3rd century BC, bears exceptional witness to Phoenician-Punic town planning. This is the unique known Punic city in the Mediterranean harbouring a mine of information on town planning (development of space respecting a pre-established general plan: wide and fairly straight streets form a checkerboard network, the squares of which are filled with the insulae) and architecture (defence, domestic, religious, artisanal structures, construction techniques and materials). Based on the data discovered, the archaeologist is able to trace the profile of a Punic city as it was between the 6th and the middle of the 3rd century BC. The discovery of Kerkuane contributes considerably towards improved knowledge of Phoenician-Punic sites in the Mediterranean.
Encyclopedia Record: Kerkouane
Kerkouane or Kerkuane is the site of an ancient Punic city in north-eastern Tunisia, near Cape Bon. Kerkouane was one of the most important Punic cities, with Carthage, Hadrumetum, and Utica. This Phoenician city was probably abandoned during the First Punic War and was not rebuilt by the Romans. It had existed for almost 400 years.Additional Site Details
Area: 0.1119 hectares
Number of Components: 2
Coordinates: 36.94639 , 11.09917
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