An archeological study published by Cambridge University Press in February revealed a 4200-year-old settlement in the northwest of Morocco – a scientific breakthrough given that this region was thought to have been uninhabited before the Phoenicians.
Morocco World News spoke to Hamza Benattia, the Archeologist who led his team to this discovery, to gain insights into the research and the people behind it.
Finding Kach Kouch
The story of Kach Kouch begins in 1988, in the Oued Laou Valley of northwestern Morocco. The site was first discovered by a Moroccan-Spanish team led by Mohamed-Abdeljalil El Hajraoui and Manuel Fernandez-Miranda. Initially known as Dhar Moudden, the landowners at the time—the Baztaoui family—referred to it as “Kach Kouch”, a name believed to derive from “Kshaouesh”, meaning “clatter,” probably in reference to the broken pottery sherds scattered across the site.
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In 1992, targeted excavations led by Youssef Bokbot and Jorge Onrubia-pintado confirmed that Kach Kouch was an Iron Age Mauretanian settlement covering approximately 0.5 hectares, and settled between the 8th and 6th centuries BC.
The excavations at the time revealed evidence of habitations constructed employing a technique that involved weaving wooden branches (wattle) and covering them with mud or clay (daub). They also uncovered rock-cut silos for the storage of plant products such as cereals and pulses.
North Africa before the Phoenicians
Recent excavations at Kach Kouch, in 2021 and 2022, were led by Hamza Benattia Melgarejo from the University of Barcelona. His team uncovered evidence of human occupation dating from 2200 to 600 BC, making it the first known Bronze Age site in Mediterranean Africa—excluding Egypt. These findings challenge long-held assumptions that northwestern Africa was largely uninhabited until the Phoenicians arrived around 800 BC.
Traditionally, the Mediterranean’s European and Asian shores have been widely recognized for their cultural and economic developments during the Bronze and Early Iron Ages ,2200–550 BC, while the African side remained overlooked. However, the discoveries at Kach Kouch now reveal an early settlement dating back to 2200–2000 BC, followed by a stable and flourishing community between 1300 and 600 BC. This period saw the construction of wattle-and-daub buildings, the practice of agriculture and herding, and the development of distinctive cultural traditions.
This study debunks the outdated belief that North Africa was uninhabited before the Phoenician arrival. Contrary to earlier assumptions, this region was home to settled farming and herding communities that engaged in cultural exchanges with other regions. The study also highlights the strong connections between Morocco and the wider Mediterranean and Atlantic.
One striking example is a Bronze Age sword discovered in the Loukkos River (Larache) in the 1920s. The sword, now kept in a Berlin Museum, was likely crafted in what is now the United Kingdom or Ireland, proving that long-range exchanges and interactions occurred centuries before the Phoenicians arrived.
Phoenicians and Local-Communities
The Phoenicians were a semitic people known for seafaring and trade, mainly inhabiting the Levant, in modern day Syria, Lebanon and Palestine.
Through maritime trade and colonization, they expanded their influence widely across the Mediterranean and established settlements and trading hubs that stretched as far as Western and North Africa, with Carthage, in modern day Tunisia as one of their strongholds in the region, founded around 900-800 BC.
One of the key legacies of the Phoenician expansion in modern day Morocco is the ancient settlement at Lixus, near Larache, which was founded around 750 BC. This site highlights the close relations between Phoenicians and local communities and their ability to blend their traditions; which impacted the region’s historical and cultural developments.
For example, Phoenicians introduced the alphabet, iron technology, the potter’s wheel (wheel thrown pottery, because until then Moroccan pottery was handmade), as well as new domesticated plant species such as fruit trees.
It is common knowledge that Amazigh people are the indigenous people that originally inhabited North Africa, so I asked Benattia if the study talks about this same community when talking about the people that inhabited the land in prehistoric times, before the Phoenicians.
According to the archaeologist, the terms “Amazigh” and “Berber” were both coined in later times and not necessarily reflect how those prehistoric communities referred to themselves; which is why he finds the term “local communities” or “proto-Amazigh” more accurate.
“they for sure had a language already, probably similar to the today Amazigh language, but it’s unlikely that they had this identity or sense of belonging to a people…they were more drawn towards tribal or kin based relations…there is something interesting related to that question that needs further investigation. For what we know now, the inhabitants of Kach Kouch are the direct ancestors of the mauretanian peoples” said Benattia.
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The Team Behind the Discovery
This groundbreaking study, published by Cambridge University Press, was conducted primarily by a young Moroccan team from the National Institute of Archaeology and Heritage (INSAP) led by Hamza Benattia.
Originally from Tangier, Benattia grew up cradled by the city’s rich mythology, Roman heritage, and Mauretanian history. He pursued a Bachelor’s degree in History at the University of Barcelona, followed by another degree in Archaeology.
In 2018, he returned to Morocco to work on his PhD and carry out further archaeological research in the region, with another major study set to be published soon.
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Benattia emphasized the potential of Moroccan archaeology, despite challenges such as limited funding. He praised the dedication of Moroccan researchers, highlighting that their work being published in one of the world’s most prestigious archaeological journals is a testament to their capabilities.
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“I am happy that this discovery was made by a Moroccan team… I am really proud of that, at the same level as the discoveries themselves,” said Benattia
Challenging Eurocentric Bias in Archaeology
Despite Morocco’s rich archaeological heritage, much of its history has been overlooked due to colonial influences. Benattia points out that when archaeology was introduced to North Africa, it was dominated by European colonial powers, which led to biased research priorities and neglected historical periods.
“Most of the Neolithic period up to the Phoenicians’ arrival remains largely unknown—not only in Morocco but also in Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania.” — Hamza Benattia
Colonialism shaped not just archaeological research methods and interpretations but also contributed to the looting of artifacts. European scholars often downplayed indigenous contributions, portraying North Africa as a land of wandering nomads and “barbarians” rather than a region with complex societies and long-standing connections to global exchange networks.
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Artifacts stolen under colonial rule—often displayed in European museums—were taken under the pretense that local populations would not recognize their historical value or know how to preserve them.
Today, many archaeologists are working to decolonize the field and restore an accurate history of North Africa. Benattia and his team have played a crucial role in this movement by leading the first-ever archaeological project in Morocco conducted primarily by a Moroccan research team.
Their work is rewriting history, proving that North Africa was not an isolated region but an integral part of the ancient Mediterranean and Atlantic networks.
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A special team acknowledgment by Hamza Benattia
It was crucial for Benattia to acknowledge every member of his team and laud their role in making this discovery, providing a list of all their names:
The team is composed of Moad Radi specialist in polished tools, Meriem Benerradi specialist in human bones, Hassan Hachami specialist in animal bones, Bouchra Bouhamidi specialist in rock art, Othmane Echcherif-Baamrani specialist in chipped stones, Noufel Ghayati specialist in GIS and 3D modelling, Asmae el Qably specialist in Mauretanian pottery and Tachfine Touri specialist in plant remains.
Other students that participated include Zayd Ouakrim, Mouna Qazzih, Maria Sahli, Oulaya El Idrissi, Ismael Toumi, Khaoula Hor, Malakout Kiche and Fatima Zohra Farhi.
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