This hackathon consisted of training courses (archaeology, mediation, development with 3D modelling, texture work, etc.) given by heritage and mediation experts to around thirty young people from ‘Museum Lab Connexions’ on five heritage enhancement projects, resulting in innovative devices created during 2019 in Sousse, Dougga, Kerkouane, El Kef and Tunis.

In early December 2019, the five teams behind the five prototypes competed against each other, followed by a free exhibition of the devices created in mid-December at the sites, museums and historical centres.

For the Kerkouane site, it is important to note that the populations of the southern Mediterranean basin, who were part of the Phoenician civilisation, attached great importance to the funerary world. Burying the deceased was not only a final obligation, but also a religious duty of the utmost importance. Thus, the urban space of the Punic city of Kerkouane is organised around the house, the temple and the tomb.

The discovery of pit and shaft tombs, the most interesting of which is tomb VIII in the Jebel Mlezza necropolis, provides an insight into the structure of these spaces: staircase, entrance and chamber carved into the rock. The funerary objects placed in the tomb and the red ochre paintings decorating the walls, symbolising the journey of the soul among the Punics, provide a better understanding of the rites, practices and beliefs.