Valonae
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Cesar Luis
de Montalban was to my knowledge the first to place Valonae as Phoenician
settlement on the map in his "Central Monumento Historicos y Artisticos".
He also sees Carthaginian and Roman presence. He still uses the name Valonae.
It is located between Punta Cires and Punta Ferdina. This was in the time of
the Spanish protectorate over the Rif .
There are
actually two different locations at a short distance from each other. To Sahara were found two basins of 2.85 meters by 1.50
meters. They have a semi-cylindrical shape as opposed to the later Roman
rectangular shapes. If it is indeed from the 3rd century BC descended, then it
must have been a Punic residence. The vast majority, however, dates back to the
Roman period.
At the
mouth of the Oued el Kazar is the town Alcazarsegher (Valonae). Now called the
Ksar ash -Segir either the castle on the segir (Kazar). Ps.Skylax mentions only
Λνή, as "a city on
a river." There are clear traces of an ancient settlement where the Roman
and Arabic relics predominate. Across the river we find the fish processing
place with basins of 1.38 meters by 1.30 meters and there is also one with a
length of 2.80 meters. The latter is in connection with a trough with a
semi-circular basin. In addition, there are other reservoirs, one of which
visible for the half and three others are hardly visible. Furthermore, at this
place is found a grave with content. All this stems from the 3rd and 2nd
century AD.
The place
is probably and primarily been exploited by the Romans, but we still have more
strings to our bow in this regard. More about that later.
Ceramics
stems mainly from the 2nd and 3rd century AD, but the grave is in the 4th
century AD mined. After that, the place is deserted.
In
Phoenicia Itineraria of E.Lipinski (Leuven 2004) recalled that even Ptolemy in
vague terms has a notice about "the mouth of the river" and that
might relate the names Λνή and Oύαλωνος on the same place. He then establishes a connection with Lau west of
Melilla
Lḥ = Luah
(Heb) translates Krahmalkov (Dictionary, Leuven 2000) with "stone tablet
on which the inscription is shown”. We combine this data with the text of ps.Skylax,
in which he argues that Lue is located opposite the islands of Gades. This
should be a big mistake in the (real?) texts of Skylax (c.500 BC), but since we
only have one excerpt of a later date at our disposal, it is understandable. The passage of Lue belongs
between the provisions of Ceuta
- Lue, a
city on a river -> Alcazarsegher = stone table of god
- Krabis
river -> Wad al-Ksar of Wad Moghogu or Wad Melaleh.
The name
Krabis is very similar to Curubis and Carpis, both located at Cape
Bon and they appear to be Semitic.
If prior
thoughts will prove to be correct, then the Ksar es segir has thus more than
just a Roman past. Until now, however, there are only Roman (and Arab) discoveries,
but through the naming is still the suspicion arose that there is more to it.
And so will the naming used by Montalban (Valonae) has a very special meaning.
I assume that the Romans here in Sahara and
Valonae were building on older Mauritanian, Phoenician or Punic constructions,
for which the final proof as yet lacking.
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PHOENICIAN - PUNIC
DICTIONARY Charles R.Krahmalkov. OLA 90. Studia
Phoenicia XV.
Uitgeverij
Peeters en Departement Oosterse studies. Leuven 2000.
Mapa arqueologico de la zona del protectorado
de Espana en Marruec C.L de
Montalban 1933
Garum and industries antiques de salaison dans la
Méditerrannée occidentale M.Ponsich + M.Tarradell Univ.de Bordeaux et
Casa de Velàzquez Paris 1965
ITINERARIA PHOENICIA. Edward Lipinski. Orientalia
Lovaniensia Analecta nr 127. Studia Phoenicia XVIII. Uitgeverij Peeters en
Departement Oosterse Studies. Leuven – Paris – Dudley, MA 2004.
ncfps
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