Abstract
In the course of archaeological excavations in Algeria's ancient cities, vestiges of economic life have been uncovered and sometimes observed, but never systematically, nor with sufficient care and interest to enable us to draw coherent readings on urban craftsmanship and its evolution. Touatia Amraoui has taken on the task of systematically collecting and analyzing this documentation, despite the scattered and indigent archives, sketchy plans and sections and rare period photographs. Her doctoral thesis, entitled L'artisanat dans les cités antiques de l'Algérie (Craftsmanship in the ancient cities of Algeria ), was presented at the seminar. The contributions are significant, particularly in the fields of salting, textiles and ceramics. We still lack reliable data on metallurgy, glassmaking, tanning and other crafts attested at Pompeii. But the state of the documentation presented is the starting point for new research in Algeria that Touatia Amraoui will be conducting from 2017 onwards as part of the CNRS Camille Jullian Center.
