New Discoveries in the Maghreb: Bronze Age Settlement Uncovered in Kach Kouch, Morocco

In a historical map filled with Bronze Age settlements across Europe, the Maghreb, long described as “empty land,” is stepping into the spotlight with a groundbreaking discovery. Excavations in Kach Kouch, located in northwestern Morocco, have revealed a Bronze Age settlement dating back to between 2200 and 600 BCE, predating the Phoenician period. This finding is set to challenge established narratives about Mediterranean and African history.

An international research team led by the University of Barcelona conducted work over an area of approximately one hectare near the Lau River, close to the Strait of Gibraltar. The excavations uncovered three distinct phases of the settlement.

The results of the study, led by Hamza Benattia Melgarejo, a PhD student at the UB School of Geography and History and member of the UB Classical and Protohistoric Archaeology Research Group, were published in the journal Antiquity.

The first phase, dating from 2200 to 2000 BCE, marks the beginning of the Bronze Age. The second and most vibrant phase, dating from 1300 to 900 BCE, reveals the establishment of a settled agricultural community, complete with wooden adobe buildings, rock-hewn silos, and grinding stones, all indicative of an advanced agricultural economy.

The third phase, dating from 800 to 600 BCE, showcases the adaptability of the Kach Kouch inhabitants. During this period, cultural innovations such as wheel-made pottery and iron tools from the Eastern Mediterranean were introduced to the region. This blend of local and foreign practices demonstrates the community’s active participation in Mediterranean exchange networks.

“Kach Kouch is one of the first well-documented examples of continuous settlement in the Maghreb and tells a very different story from the one that has existed for a long time: it shows the history of dynamic local communities that were far from isolated,” says Benattia.

“The excavations at this site are another step towards correcting these historical biases and reveal that the Maghreb was an active participant in the social, cultural and economic networks of the Mediterranean,” says the UB researcher.

This discovery dismantles entrenched biases regarding the history of the Maghreb. Kach Kouch stands as one of the earliest documented examples of continuous settlement in the region, revealing the history of dynamic local communities. Researchers emphasize that these excavations illustrate the Maghreb’s active role in the social, cultural, and economic networks of the Mediterranean.

Cover Image: Kach Kouch is located 10 kilometers from the present-day coast, near the Strait of Gibraltar, and 30 kilometers southeast of Tétouan. Credit: University of Barcelona

Hamza Benattia et al, Rethinking late prehistoric Mediterranean Africa: architecture, farming and materiality at Kach Kouch, Morocco, Antiquity (2025). DOI: 10.15184/aqy.2025.10