Marshan Necropolis

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Kasbah hill of Tangier
View from the Marshan rock plateau to the port of Tangier

The ancient necropolis of Marshan is located on a horizontal rock plateau of the Kasbah hill in the northern Moroccan city ​​of Tangier . The most important finds are shown in the nearby Kasbah Museum .

location

The Marshan Necropolis is located in the eponymous district of Tangier; it is located on a rocky plateau in the midst of modern buildings about 500 m west of the Kasbah hill and about 100 m above the Atlantic coast .

history

The exact age of the 28 rock tombs carved out of the rock plateau remains unclear; the cover plates have all disappeared. The tombs are generally classified as Phoenician-Roman, although burial places of the same kind are known neither from the Phoenicians nor from the Romans . The grave goods and other finds, however, clearly refer to the Romans. The necropolis was rediscovered and uncovered in 1964 by French archaeologists under the direction of Michel Ponsich (1927-2010) under a thin layer of grass covered with earth.

Graves

The grave boxes carved into the rock in an east-west direction only have a hollow for the head of the deceased in a few cases; however, in most cases they are only rectangular. They were re-used in Roman and late Roman times, with additional lead sarcophagi sometimes being used. Other stone boxes made of natural stone or clay were simply sunk into the ground nearby.

See also

Web links

Coordinates: 35 ° 47 ′ 29 ″  N , 5 ° 49 ′ 12 ″  W.