CHI – Incident Report Feature -Hamamah Urban encroachment damages archaeological site - American Society of Overseas Research (ASOR)

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CHI – Incident Report Feature -Hamamah Urban encroachment damages archaeological site

INCIDENT REPORT FEATURE: HAMAMA

U. S. DEPT. COOPERATION AGREEMENT NUMBER: S-IZ-100-17-CA021

BY Jamie O’Connell and Susan Penacho

Urban encroachment damages archaeological site

* This report is based on research conducted by the “Safeguarding the Heritage of the Near East Initiative,” funded by the US Department of State. Monthly reports reflect reporting from a variety of sources and may contain unverified material. As such, they should be treated as preliminary and subject to change.

The archaeological site of al-Hamamah is located on the Libyan coast, north of the city of al-Bayda. Remains at the site are partially submerged and are thought to belong to a Roman-era port known as Phykous [1]. The port likely served as an outlet to the sea for nearby Cyrene and the surrounding plateau. Identified structures at the site include warehouses, a lighthouse, quarries, and a church. Pottery sherds found at the site date from the 4th century BCE to the 6th century CE. Most of the identifiable structures appear to date to the 4th century CE and later.

In February 2018, a concerned local citizen contacted the director of the al-Bayda office of the Libyan Department of Antiquities (DoA), explaining that a neighbor was damaging the archaeological site while clearing land to make way for a construction project.

A small dirt road approaching the archaeological site (Imagery courtesy of DigitalGlobe; November 8, 2017)

The increased dirt road cutting to the archaeological site and land clearing (Imagery courtesy of DigitalGlobe; February 27, 2017)

New track for heavy equipment to gain access to the site (DoA al-Bayda; February 28, 2018)

Debris from the land clearing operation adjacent to the archaeological site (DoA al-Bayda; February 28, 2018)

The DoA reported in March that the same landowner was now building at the site. By March 19, 2018 the DoA secured a cease and desist order for the work, citing Article VII of Antiquities Law No. 3. The contractor carrying out the paving of the road also agreed to stop his work or change the path of the road. It is unclear whether the person building on the site also agreed to stop the work, but DigitalGlobe satellite imagery dated June 7, 2018 indicates that the structure on the site has not increased in size since March.

Evidence of land clearing at the site adjacent to archaeological remains in February 2018 (DoA al-Bayda; February 28, 2018)

New construction at the site in March 2018, with archaeological material evident in the foreground (DoA al-Bayda/Facebook; March 19, 2018)

According to Fadl Abd al-Aziz, the Controller of Antiquities in Shahat, local authorities have stopped the urban encroachment at al-Hamamah. He reports that following a recent workshop for judges, prosecutors, and archaeologists in Shahat, these disparate authorities are working more smoothly together to stop urban encroachment at archaeological sites. The landowner responsible for the illegal construction at al-Hamamah has a case pending against him before the local court.

In the past, such encroachment has carried on with little to no intervention from authorities. In 2013, for example, it was reported that significant sections of the necropolis at Cyrene had been bulldozed by local farmers hoping to sell parcels of the land to property developers. The farmers’ claim to the land went unchallenged by local authorities.

A July 2013 photograph shows an excavator clearing part of the Cyrene necropolis, with ancient artifacts evident in the rubbish heaped (Archaeology News Network; August 24, 2013)

While the sanctions for the illegal construction activities at al-Hamamah are unlikely to amount to more than a modest fine, the local office of the Department of Antiquities is grateful that the infractions have generated case files. This is the strongest legal signal yet to deter property owners from illegal construction on archaeological sites.

For more information on damage to al-Hamamah, see ASOR CHI Incident Report LHI 18-0013 in the February 2018 Monthly Report and ASOR CHI Incident Report LHI 18-0013 UPDATE in the March 2018 Monthly Report.