Dr. Chokri Touihri
September 2020 - October 2020
Research Project: From Africa to Ifriqiya: Settlements in Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages
My research aims to study the passage from the ancient city to the medieval city in North Africa, (mainly modern Tunisia), between the second half of the 4th century and the first half of the 9th century. How did the ancient Roman provinces of Africa - largely Christianized and constituting the most prosperous region of the Latin West - become within a few centuries the Arab Maghreb?
Islam's impact on North Africa has been considerable, especially around the beginning of the 8th century. The defensive structures, the clearest traces of ancient Byzantine rule, seem completely under the control of the contingents of the Eastern Empire. A major challenge is to characterize the evolution of spatial structures inside cities in North Africa between ancient heritage and the process of Islamization. Therefore, the research is constrained to get out of the blockage of the lack of data and to build a reflection based on conceptual categories around the evolutions of the territory from the end of antiquity to the early Middle Ages. Certainly, the results will be diverse and it is preferable to explain its specific evolutions without resorting to an abstract model, but without considering it in this perspective either. The more complete and richer view that we will have thus acquired of the history of the Islamization of the Maghreb will allow us on the other hand to better characterize it compared to that of other medieval societies (Syria, Egypt and Andalusia …)
Profile
Dr. Chokri Touihri is an archaeologist interested in the issue of the passage from Byzantine Africa to Muslim Ifriqiya. This issue is understood from the most significant material remains: ancient urban spaces and their evolution during the High Middle Ages. The study is based on the search for archaeological evidence allowing the perception of the Islamic presence in ancient cities. The establishment of a precise and exhaustive inventory of these testimonies constitutes the preliminary stage or that of the acquisition of materials. His PhD dissertation was to focus on the analysis of the evidence of architecture and material culture in general (ceramics, numismatics, glass, epigraphy). A concrete assessment of the Islamic occupation was thus possible. However, this research will have to reflect largely on the limits of this evolution: state of conservation of the sites, state of the research, the doubts at the level of identifications etc. It will be necessary to relativize the assessments according to the cases studied, taking into account each time various parameters to achieve a correct perception of reality in medieval times. Already at this level of work, his work will be a great contribution to archaeological and historical research in Tunisia. Proposals relating to the chronology of the remains, to the functions of the architectural spaces identified will undoubtedly form conclusions and insights into the history of the settlement.
CV
Selected Publications
Touihri, Chokri/ Sacco, Viva/ Sourdes, Gragueb (2019), “Le mobilier céramique circulant en Ifriyqiya et Siqililliya de la fin du IXe jusqu’au XIe siècle : Essai de comparaison“, VIIe Colloque International du Département d’Archéologie Faculté des lettres et des Sciences Humaines de Kairouan Kairouan (10, 11 et 12 avril 2018) -Villes et archéologie urbaine dans le bassin occidental de la Méditerranée, Monastir, 281-310.
Touihri, Chokri (2016), “La céramique médiévale : contexte et répertoires”, in: Nabil Kallala, Joan Sanmartí, et. al, eds., Althiburos II. La fouille dans l'aire du capitole et dans la nécropole méridionale, Tarragona: Universitat de Barcelona: Institut Català d'Arqueologia Clàssica, 243-261.
Touihri, Chokri (2014), ”La transition urbaine de Byzance à l’Islam en Ifriqīya vue depuis l’archéologie : Quelques notes préliminaires”, in Annliese Nef, Fabiola Ardizzone, Lucia Arcifa, Alessandra Bagnera and Elena Pezzini, eds., Les dynamiques de l’islamisation en Méditerranée centrale et en Sicile: Nouvelles propositions et découvertes récentes, édité, Roma-Bari : Edipuglia.
Touihri, Chokri/ Möller, Heike/ Pamberg, Elisabeth/ Khanoussi, Mustapha/ von Rummel, Phillip, red. (2012a), "Simmithus (Chimtou, Tunesien). Vorbericht über die Aktivitäten 2009-2012: Simmithus (Chimtou, Tunesien) Keramikbearbeitung aus dem Bereich des sog. Kaiserkultbaus und des Forums", Mitteilungen des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts. Römische Abteilung, 179-222.
Touihri, Chokri (2012b), “Ceramica tardoantica e bizantina dal teatro romano di Althiburos (Tunisia)”, in: Marzia Giuliodori, Moufida Jenen, Sofia Cingolani & Chokri Touihri, REI CRETARIÆ ROMANÆ FAVTORVM ACTA 42, Bonn, 299-308.
Touihri, Chokri/ Louichi, Adnan (2011a), “La céramique médiévale de Mahdia du Xe au XIIe siècle”, in Patrice Cressier and Elizabeth Fentress, eds., La céramique du haut Moyen Âge au Maghreb : état des recherches, problèmes et perspectives, actes du colloque de Rome 3-4 novembre 2006, coll. Ecole française de Rome, Rome.
Touihri, Chokri (2011b), “La fouille dans l'aire du capitole et dans la nécropole méridionale”, in: Nabil Kallala, Joan Sanmartí, et. al, eds., Althiburos I, Institut Català d’Arqueologia Clàssica Documenta, 18, Tarragona.
Touihri, Chokri/ Bahri, Fethi (2011c), “Des jarres des IVe-Ve/Xe-XIe siècles à qsar al Aliya (Mahdia, Tunisie)”, in: Abdelhamid Largueche and Sadouk Ben Baaziz, eds., L’olivier en méditerranée entre histoire et patrimoine, Actes du colloque international de Sousse 06-10 février 2007, La Manouba: Centre de Publication Universitaire.
Touihri, Chokri/ P. Bartoloni/ A. Ferjaoui/ A. K. Abiri/ M. Ben Nejma/ M. Guirguis/ L. L. Mallica/ E. Pompianu/ M. Sebaï/ A. Unali (2010a), “Nota preliminare sul settore termale di Zama Regia (Siliana-Tunisia). Elementi strutturali e di cultura material” L’Africa Romana XVIII, Olbia 2008, Roma, 2021-2038.
Touihri, Chokri/ Louhichi, Adnan (2010b), “Le site de Abbàssiya chronologie de l’occupation du sol à travers la céramique de surface”, Actes du colloque de Sbeitla, Histoire des hautes steppes : Antiquité - Moyen Âge Sbeitla Novembre 2008, Tunis.
Touihri, Chokri/ Ahmed, Ferjaoui (2003), “Présentation d’un îlot d’habitat médiéval à Jama”, AFRICA nouvelles série, séances scientifiques III, Tunis: Institut National du Patrimoine, 87-111.
