The second largest olive oil mill in the Roman Empire discovered, here's where

Exceptional discovery of an olive oil plant with 12 presses dating back to the 3rd century AD. A prestigious Italian university is leading the research.

Specials

5 months ago

Views: 1K

di

Francesco Cherubini

THECa 'Foscari University of Venice is directly involved in a major international archaeological mission in the Kasserine region, in TunisiaThe excavations, concentrated in the area of the ancient Roman city of Cillium, on the border with present-day Algeria, focus on impressive structures related to the production of olive oil, including two oil mills, one of which has been identified as the second largest Roman oil mill in the entire EmpireThis is not actually a true "discovery," but rather the continuation of an archaeological mission on an already known site, which nevertheless offers archaeologists extremely interesting insights.

Ca' Foscari University took over the co-direction of the mission together with international partners of pProfessor Samira Sehili (Institut National Patrimoine/Université La Manouba, Tunisia) and of pProfessor Fabiola Salcedo Garcés (Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain).

The excavation campaign, in which it has been participating since 2025 Professor Luigi Sperti, deputy director of the Department of Humanistic Studies and director of CESAV ( Venice Archaeological Study Center ) of Ca' Foscari, focuses on two ancient olive groves located in the heart of the Jebel Semmama massif.

Il territorio, characterized by high steppes and a continental climate, with strong temperature variations and scarce rainfall collected in wells, offered ideal conditions for olive cultivation, a fundamental resource for the economy of Roman Africa, “which made Tunisia the main supplier of oil to Rome”, according to the Venetian University.

This border region of theProconsular Africa, inhabited in ancient times by Musulamii, a people of Numidian origin, served as meeting point and commercial center for Roman authorities, veteran colonists and local communitiesExcavations at the site have revealed remains of structures in use between the 3rd and 6th centuries AD.

Among the main sites investigated there is Henchir el Begar, identified with the ancient Saltus Beguensis, centre of a vast rural estate located in the Begua district, which belonged in the 2nd century AD to the vir clarissimus Lucillius Africanus The site is known for a famous Latin inscription (CIL, VIII, 1193 and 2358) which records a senatus consultum of 138 AD, which authorized the organization of a bimonthly market, an event of great importance in the social, political and religious life of the time.

THEThe settlement, which extends over approximately 33 hectares, is divided into two main sectors boththose equipped with oil mills, a water collection basin and several cisterns.

According to the university, the first one hosts the largest and most impressive Roman oil mill in Tunisia, as well as the second largest in the entire Roman Empire, with a monumental torcularium comprised of twelve beam pressesThe second, however, houses a second floor with eight presses of the same type.

These structures were operational between the 3rd and 6th centuries AD., attesting to a long period of continuous production. The area also includes a vice rural area where the settlers and perhaps part of the local population lived. Numerous mills and stone mills have been found on the surface, documenting a mixed production of cereals and oil, revealing the dual agricultural nature of the site.

Recent geophysical studies, conducted using ground penetrating radar, have also identified a dense network of residential structures and road networks, highlighting a complex and articulated organization of rural space.

The archaeological mission is the result of an international scientific collaboration begun in 2023 at the initiative of Professor Samira Sehili of La Manouba University (Tunisia) and Professor Fabiola Salcedo Garcés of the Complutense University of Madrid (Spain). The co-direction, led by Professor Luigi Sperti of Ca' Foscari University since 2025 and with the institutional recognition of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, strengthens international scientific collaboration and opens new prospects for joint research between Tunisia, Spain e Italy, within the framework of the growing interest in productive archaeology, particularly that of olive oil, a characteristic product of Mediterranean civilizations even today.

"This mission offers a new perspective on the agricultural and socioeconomic organization of the border regions of Roman Africa.", underlined the Professor Luigi Sperti, who added: Olive oil was a fundamental product in the daily lives of ancient Romans, who used it not only as a condiment in cooking, but also for personal care, sports, and medicine, and even—if of poor quality—as fuel for lighting. Analyzing the production, marketing, and transportation of this product on such a large scale represents an exceptional opportunity to combine research, promotion, and economic development, confirming the importance of archaeology as a fundamental field of excellence for our University.