A group of scientists has uncovered rare marine fossils on Mogador Island, near the city of Essaouira. The discovery, published in the Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology, points to the island’s role in ancient trade networks during the Roman era.
The fossils, known as brachiopods, were found inside a Roman archaeological site and are believed to be millions of years old. What makes the discovery interesting is that the fossils are not native to Mogador Island.
According to the research, the fossils likely came from a location around 50 kilometers southeast of the island, where rocks from the Hauterivian geological layer, dating back about 129 to 132 million years, are found.
The fossils were well preserved and identified as belonging to the species Lamellaerhynchia rostriformis, which lived during the Cretaceous period, between 145 and 100 million years ago.
Scientists believe these marine fossils were brought to Mogador Island between the first and third centuries AD through Roman trade routes.
This is not the first time such fossils have been found on the island. In the 1960s, four similar samples were discovered inside a Roman amphora, which is a type of ancient Roman storage jar.
The journal notes that this supports the theory that the fossils were transported to the island as part of trade activities, possibly alongside valuable items like sandarac wood, which was prized by the Romans.
Researchers have proposed several explanations for how the fossils arrived on the island. One possibility is that local shepherds or traders brought them from their original location as part of exchanges.
Another idea is that the fossils were considered valuable for symbolic, magical, or healing reasons and were used in rituals, especially since one was found stored in an amphora.
Mogador Island has long been known as a trade hub, from Phoenician times through the Roman period. The presence of these fossils, although they had no economic value, adds to the understanding of the island’s importance in ancient maritime trade.
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