Location: 37.34°N 9.77°E
This page is a summary of a report prepared by Wieslaw Zieleskiewicz in May 2026 further to his detailed exploration of this portion of the North-Tunisian coast, shortly after the early 2026 winter storms that induced coastal erosion, uncovering ancient structures. This area is located only 10 km NW of Bizerte (ancient Hippo Diarrhytus) in a somewhat isolated but very fertile land.
Ras Angela is known for being the most northerly point of Africa. It features a modern lighthouse on its western coast. On its eastern coast, it features famous horrea remains, but it seems to have more to offer over its 6 km shore line.
The whole area was described over 20 years ago by Slim, et al., (2004) but recent storms have notably changed the shore line. Four zones can now be distinguished on site:
Zone 1: large quarry, around 800 m long, with several landing sites for ships. The quarry extends up to 300 m inland and it can be supposed that blocks were not only transported by sea, but also by land. A seawall can be seen on several sections, showing that workers were protected from wave action (Viret, 2005).
Zone 2: Three large square buildings (ca. 30 x 30 m) and many other remains, including walls, arched ceilings and red plasters were found in this area. It can be supposed that this area was an industrial area connected to the nearby lead mine.
Zone 3: This area is obviously the best protected from North and NW wave action. It is still in use by today’s local fishermen. Extensive ancient remains can be seen on several levels and a Roman mosaic was uncovered early 2026 by the Tunisian Institut National du Patrimoine (INP). In addition, a slipway and the base of a 8.8 x 7.7 m tower were found, possibly a beacon or a small lighthouse.
Zone 4: Large building that was interpreted so far as warehouses (horrea) (Hamrouni, 2025). However, the 2026 winter storms have eroded the toe of this building, uncovering its foundation level. The unexpected purple color of the foundation of the building appeared and it might be questioned if this building should not be re-interpreted as a purple dye factory.
Considering the well-watered and fertile (rich) hinterland, the probable fish processing factories (garum, salted fish) the lead mine and the possible purple dye factory, the Ras Angela area appears to have a high commercial potential. This would justify facilities for exporting these products by sea. Although hard structures like quay-walls and breakwaters have not been found so far, ships could beach on the fairly well sheltered shore line near Ras ben Sekka (Zone 3 on the map above). If, in addition, we consider that the trip from Ras Angela to Ostia took only 2.5 to 4 days sailing (Arnaud, 2005; de Graauw, 2026), this area may possibly be another important ancient “beach-harbour” connecting Africa Proconsularis to Rome.
References
Arnaud, P. (2005). Les routes de la navigation antique: Itinéraires en Méditerranée. https://www.academia.edu/1127890
de Graauw, A. (2026). Modelling Mediterranean ancient sailing routes.
https://www.ancientportsantiques.com/ancient-sailing/modelling-mediterranean-ancient-sailing-routes/
Hamrouni, M.-R. (2025). À propos des horrea portuaires de l’Afrique romaine. 147–169. https://www.academia.edu/164475684
Institut National du Patrimoine (INP) (2026). Tempêtes de janvier : des trésors archéologiques émergent sur le littoral tunisien.
https://www.facebook.com/reel/796513663496937
Slim, H., Trousset, P., Paskoff, R., Oueslati, A., Bonifay, M., & Lenne, J. (2004). Le littoral de la Tunisie. Etude géoarchéologique et historique (Vol. 1). CNRS Éditions.
https://www.persee.fr/doc/etaf_0768-2352_2004_mon_1_1
Viret, J. (2005). Les « murs de mer » de la côte levantine. Méditerranée. Revue géographique des pays méditerranéens / Journal of Mediterranean geography, (104), Article 104. https://doi.org/10.4000/mediterranee.2052
Zieleskiewicz, W. (2026). The Roman port of Ras Angela (Ras Enghela): New geoarchaeological observations
and a proposal for functional interpretation (Gouvernorate of Bizerte, Tunisia), Preliminary Report. http://ancientportsantiques.com/wp-content/uploads/Documents/PLACES/NorthAfrica/RasAngela-Zieleskiewicz2026.pdf