Installations de production viticole dans le site archéologique de Mlakou en Algérie
Installations for wine production in the archaeological site of Mlakou in Alegria
Abstract
Historical and epigraphical documents, and artistic sources indicate that wine culture was already developed during early classics periods, in most North African regions, while archaeological vestiges are rare. To resolve this contradiction, our study aims to propose new data from excavation work at the site of Mlakou. These data will serve to enrich the lack of archaeological data on this subject, and offer material elements to distinguish wine presses from oil presses and wine production sites from olive production sites, and respond to the paradoxical state of research on ancient wine in the Roman provinces of North Africa. The archaeological content of the site of Mlakou consists mainly of the structures of a wine production sector. It is divided between two installations, one to the north and the other to the south, and between the two, there is a common workspace. Each installation is composed of a series of basins for pressing, crushing and decanting. The distribution of these structures made us understand that it had the use of a horizontal lever press. The production process is different from one installation to another. In those of the north, the grapes are crushed by foot crushing, and in those of the south, by rotary wheel crushing. In this study, the description of the archaeological material will be presented to explain the working of the two production systems. Furthermore, a comparison between the remaining of the site of Mlakou and those of the site of Kherbet El Agoub will be showcased. Explanation of the operating modes of each installation, the factors of the development and decline of this installation and its activity, as well as its role in its geographical, economic and social environment of the fourth century will be provided. The main result of this work is the contribution to the enrichment of archaeological knowledge on the ancient economy, in particular that of the wine sector and its evolution during the late empire. It allows the reader to better recognize the material elements of a wine press from that of olive oil, and to understand the link between the factors and conditions of prosperity of this activity and its decline in the valley of Soummam, as experienced during the Late Antiquity. In perspective, this study opens avenues for the possibility of using the data of this study in the reinterpretation of new discoveries as well as those of ancient sites that require rereading.
