Neapolis (Nabeul)
Nabeul · Néapolis · Nabìl
Punic to Byzantine (5th c BCE–7th c CE; garum peak 1st–3rd c)·Punic / Roman / Byzantine·🇹🇳 Nabeul Governorate, Tunisia
About
About Neapolis (Nabeul)
Roman Neapolis — famed for garum (fermented fish sauce) amphorae stamped NΕA — lies partly submerged off Nabeul due to 365 CE Crete earthquake tsunami that drowned 20 ha waterfront. Punic settlement 5th c BCE; Roman municipium producing Africa's largest garum factory: 80 cetariae (fermentation vats 3×3 m) excavated onshore plus submerged street, mole and Horrea to -4 m. INP survey 2017 mapped 100×40 m submerged quarter with street grid, fishpond, tower. Bertrand/Slim reports document Neapolis deportees re: quake memory. Like Tipasa's harbour but dedicated to industrial fish processing.
Why it mattersOnly African site where 365 CE tsunami effect is demonstrably preserved archaeologically with intact industrial cetariae.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Exact limit of submerged city — fishpond or port basin?
- 02Volume of garum export vs Lixus and Tipasa
Theories
- 01Tsunami abandonment model (Slim 2010)
- 02Garum specialization for annona (Botte)
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- Punic 5th c BCE; Roman industrial expansion 1st–3rd c CE; submerged 365 CE; reoccupied 9th c
- Period
- Punic to Byzantine (5th c BCE–7th c CE; garum peak 1st–3rd c)
- Culture
- Punic / Roman / Byzantine
- Builders
- Punic / Roman
- Purpose
- Empire-scale garum export hub — Pliny and Strabo source
- Excavation
- Excavation ongoing
Punic 5th c BCE; Roman industrial expansion 1st–3rd c CE; submerged 365 CE; reoccupied 9th c
Initial construction
c. 1008 CE
Abandonment
On the ground
Structures & features
36.4511° N · 10.7303° E · -5 m · 2 mapped features
Garum Factory (Cetariae)
factory80 fermentation vats in grids
36.4520° N · 10.7310° ESubmerged Quarter (offshore)
submerged streetPaved street and mole at -2 to -4 m
36.4515° N · 10.7320° E
Gallery