Groundbreaking archaeological discovery in Morocco rewrites history

RABAT, Morocco (MNTV) – A landmark archaeological discovery at Morocco’s Kach Kouch site has upended long standing assumptions about the prehistory of northwest Africa.

It reveals that the region was home to thriving agricultural settlements more than 3,000 years before the arrival of the Phoenicians.  

Led by a team of young researchers from Morocco’s National Institute of Archaeology, the findings provide the first definitive evidence of a Bronze Age society in the Maghreb, dating back to 2200 BCE, reported Al Africa. 

This places the region’s development contemporaneous with major civilizations such as the Mycenaeans in the eastern Mediterranean, challenging the notion that the area was sparsely inhabited prior to Phoenician colonization around 800 BCE.  

Initial excavations at Kach Kouch in 1992 suggested the site was occupied between the 8th and 6th centuries BCE, based on Phoenician pottery finds. 

However, advanced techniques—including drone surveys, differential GPS mapping, and 3D modeling—employed during new digs in 2021 and 2022 revealed a far more ancient history.  

Radiocarbon dating of seeds, charcoal, and artifacts identified three distinct phases of occupation:  

1. Early Settlement (2200-2000 BCE): Sparse remains, including undecorated pottery, flint tools, and animal bones, suggest temporary habitation.  
2. Permanent Agricultural Community (1300 BCE onward): A stable population of around 100 people lived in circular wattle-and-daub homes, stored crops in rock-cut silos, and cultivated wheat, barley, and legumes while raising livestock.  
3. Phoenician Contact (8th-7th centuries BCE): The site absorbed new influences, including square stone dwellings, grape and olive cultivation, and Phoenician ceramics and iron tools—yet retained its indigenous cultural identity.  

Notably, archaeologists uncovered the oldest known bronze object in North Africa (excluding Egypt), a fragment likely from metal casting.  

The findings suggest the inhabitants were likely precursors to the later Mauretanian peoples, organized in familial rather than tribal structures. 

Their language may have been an early form of Amazigh (Berber), which only adopted writing with the Phoenician alphabet.  

Kach Kouch was peacefully abandoned around 600 BCE, possibly due to shifting trade dynamics as Phoenician settlements like nearby Lixus grew.  

It also underscores Morocco’s role as a crossroads of ancient cultural exchange.  

“This redefines the narrative of North Africa’s prehistory,” said the research team. 

“The Maghreb was never an empty land—it was home to sophisticated societies with deep roots and far-reaching connections.”  

The findings are expected to prompt further reassessment of archaeological records across northwest Africa, shedding new light on its place in the ancient world.