Ca' Foscari University of Venice consolidates its excellence in research on the ancient world by taking on the co-direction of a major international archaeological mission in the Kasserine region of Tunisia. The excavations, focused on the area of ancient Roman Cillium, on the border with present-day Algeria, concentrate on imposing structures linked to oil production, including two torcularia, olive pressing facilities, one of which has been identified as the second largest Roman oil mill in the entire Empire.

The excavation campaign, in which Prof. Luigi Sperti, Deputy Director of the Department of Humanities and Director of CESAV (Venice Archaeology Study Centre) at Ca' Foscari, has participated since 2025, is focusing on two ancient olive farms situated in the heart of the Jebel Semmama massif.

The landscape, characterised by high steppes and a continental climate with significant temperature variations and modest rainfall collected in wells, provided ideal conditions for cultivating olive trees, a vital resource for the economy of Roman Africa, which made Tunisia the main supplier of oil to Rome.

This border region of proconsular Africa, once inhabited by the Musulamii – groups of Numidian origin – served as a hub for trade and gatherings between Roman authorities, veteran colonists, and indigenous communities. The examination of the sites uncovers structures that operated from the 3rd to the 6th centuries AD.

The site of Henchir el Begar
One of the main sites under investigation is Henchir el Begar, identified as the ancient Saltus Beguensis, the centre of a large rural estate in the district of Begua that belonged to the vir clarissimus Lucillius Africanus in the 2nd century AD. The site is renowned for a notable Latin inscription (CIL, VIII, 1193 and 2358) which reports a senate consultation from 138 AD, authorising the organisation of a bimonthly market, an event of great significance in the social, political, and religious life of the period.

The settlement, extending over some 33 hectares, is divided into two main sectors, Hr Begar 1 and Hr Begar 2, both equipped with olive presses, a water-collection basin, and several cisterns.

• Hr Begar 1 is home to the largest and most impressive Roman oil mill in Tunisia, and the second largest in the entire Roman Empire, featuring a monumental torcularium with twelve beam presses.
• Hr Begar 2 preserves a second plant with eight presses of the same type.

These structures were in use between the 3rd and 6th centuries AD, indicating a lengthy period of ongoing production. The area also encompasses a rural vicus where the colonists and possibly part of the local population resided. Numerous stone millstones and mills have been found on the surface, evidencing a mixed production of cereals and oil and demonstrating the site's dual agricultural purpose.

Recent geophysical surveys, conducted with ground-penetrating radar, have also revealed a dense network of residential structures and roads, indicating a complex and organised arrangement of the rural space.

The Mission's international collaborations
The archaeological mission results from a successful international scientific collaboration that began in 2023, initiated by Prof. Samira Sehili (Université La Manouba, Tunisia) and Prof. Fabiola Salcedo Garcés (Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain). Since 2025, Prof. Luigi Sperti of Ca' Foscari has co-directed, with the institutional recognition of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. This role boosts international scientific collaboration and creates new opportunities for joint research among Tunisia, Spain, and Italy, particularly in the expanding field of the archaeology of production. This field notably includes oil, which remains a significant aspect of Mediterranean civilisations today.

Valuable finds have been unearthed in the layers dating from the modern age to the Byzantine era, including a decorated copper and brass bracelet, a white limestone projectile and some elements of architectural sculpture, such as a portion of a Roman press reused in a Byzantine wall.

“This mission offers an unprecedented insight into the agricultural and socio-economic organisation of the frontier regions of Roman Africa,” says Prof. Luigi Sperti. "Olive oil was a very important product in the daily life of the ancient Romans, who not only used it as a condiment in cooking but also as a product for body care, in sports and medicine, and even - if of poor quality - as fuel for lighting. Shedding light on the production, marketing, and transport of this product on such a large scale presents an exceptional opportunity to combine research, valorisation and economic development, confirming the importance of archaeology as a field of excellence at our university."