Medieval Archaeology at Qsar es-Seghir, Morocco

The medieval port fortress of Qsar es-Seghir is located midway between the modern cities of Tangier and Sebta on the Moroccan coast of the Strait of Gibraltar. Qsar es-Seghir was an active participant in the events and developments of the 12th through 16th centuries, although its population never grew to urban proportions. In addition to an historical and material reconstruction of human activities during that era, another primary goal of the Qsar es-Seghir project is the improvement and evaluation of methods of archaeological research for examining complex society. This article presents the historical context of the investigations, a brief discussion of basic research strategies employed, and a summary of findings from the excavation.