Défis communs et objectifs partagés pour les sites archéologiques, entre la Sicile et la Tunisie

The APER (i.e. Domestic Punic, Hellenistic and Roman Architecture: safeguard and enhancement) is financed by the European Union as part of the Italy-Tunisia Cross-border Cooperation 2007-2013.The main aims of the APER project:- to have identified archaeological heritage as important evidence of how deep-rooted the shared identity of the peoples who live on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea has been since ancient times;- to have identified in Hellenism the golden age of such a shared identity;- to have decided to focus on domestic architecture rather than on special buildings;- to have highlighted the greater fragility of domestic architecture, built using fewer financial and technical resources compared to what was spent on constructing public buildings;- to have helped define strategies for conserving and enhancing Punic, Hellenistic and Roman domestic architecture, strategies that can be shared and replicated in both cross-border areas and integrated into the social and economic development of the places where such buildings are found through the development of cultural tourism.The APER project identified three case studies (Agrigento’s Hellenistic-Roman Quarter and the archaeological sites of Kerkouane and Utique, or Utica, in Tunisia) for a more focused application that would lead to tangible solutions. These three case studies share this particular characteristic: they are predominantly made up of domestic buildings. They also share problematic factors such as the emergency that is facing their conservation, particularly as regards the mosaics still found in situ; the lack of visitors to these sites; the lack of accommodation; the fact that non-experts find them hard to understand; the absence of explanatory signage and adequate communication strategies.