Ancient Lixus is located on Tchemmich Hill on the right bank of the Loukkos River. It lies just to the north of the modern seaport of Larache. The site lies within the urban perimeter of Larache, and about three kilometers inland from the mouth of the river and the Atlantic ocean. From its 80 meters above the plain, the site dominates the marshes through which the river flows. To the north, Lixus is surrounded by hills which themselves are bordered to the north and east by a forest of cork oaks. Among the ruins are Roman baths, temples, 4th-century walls, a mosaic floor, a Christian church and the intricate and confusing remains of the Capitol Hill.
History
Controversy
Archaeologist, Pierre Cintas, in 1954 concluded that while Carthaginian pottery was discovered in Moroccan sites, no archaeological evidence existed for the presence of Carthaginian settlers in Lixus even though historians identified the city as being one of Phoenician foundation and serving as an important city of the Punic west. Armand Luquet, in the 1970s also found insufficient archaeological data which could serve as evidence for Carthaginian settlement of Lixus. In relation to the 'Punicity' of Moroccan sites such as Lixus, Professor Josephine Crawley Quinn stresses an ambiguity: "It is not in fact easy to demonstrate any occupation of coastal sites by Carthaginian colonists or other settlers, since most of the sites traditionally labelled 'Punic' could be interpreted equally well as indigenous settlements engaged in the exchange of local products for imported goods."
Lixus was first settled by the Canaanites in the 12th century BC and was later controlled directly from Carthage. It was part of a chain of Canaanite towns along the Atlantic coast of modern Morocco; other major settlements further to the south are Chellah, Anfa and Mogador. When Carthage's empire fell to Rome during the Punic Wars, Lixus, Chellah, and Mogador became outposts of the province of Mauretania Tingitana.
The site was excavated continuously from 1948 to 1969. In the 1960s, Lixus was restored and consolidated. In 1989, following an international conference which brought together many scientists, specialists, historians and archaeologists of the Mediterranean around the history and archaeology of Lixus, the site was partly enclosed. Work was undertaken to study the Roman mosaics of the site, which constitute a very rich unit. Lixus was on a surface of approximately. The excavated zones constitute approximately 20% of the total surface of the site.
