Moroccan archaeologists announced today, Friday, that they have uncovered a Roman-era site in Rabat, which includes a port area, a bathhouse, and a cemetery dating back to the second century AD. Abdul Aziz Khiyari, the head of the archaeological team, stated in a press conference at the site that this archaeological site, now the third largest in Morocco, will provide insights into the lives of the Romans and Romanized Berbers in Morocco during that period.
He added that the Roman bathhouse, covering 2,000 square meters, resembles the imperial baths in Rome. The archaeologists also found a headless statue of a Roman deity from the second century, noting that when Moroccans converted to Christianity around the fifth century, it was common practice to decapitate the statues representing Roman deities.
Khiyari mentioned that excavation work, which began in March, is ongoing to locate the port and other parts of what is believed to be one of the largest Roman towns in the country, situated not far from the Bou Regreg River and the Atlantic Ocean coast. The newly discovered features are an extension of a nearby Roman-era site and a tourist attraction, Chellah, where the Merinids built a fortified necropolis in the 13th century.
