Bones of Returned Memory: The Repatriation of Neolithic Skeletons from Bordeaux to Rabat

This case study concerns the repatriation of prehistoric human ancestors from Morocco’s Rouazi-Skhirat necropolis (an ancient cemetery or burial complex). These exceptionally preserved Neolithic skeletal remains form part of Morocco’s coastal archaeological patrimony.

Rouazi-Skhirat is located on Morocco’s Atlantic coast, approximately 25 kilometres south-west of the nation’s capital, Rabat.

The holistic significance of the Rouazi-Skhirat human ancestors lies not just in what they reveal about the past, but in how they represent Morocco’s growing capacity to steward and interpret its own history. The remains’ journey from accidental discovery to contested objects of study to repatriated ancestors mirrors Morocco’s own postcolonial trajectory in reclaiming authority over its historical narrative.

The Rouazi-Skhirat human ancestors hold profound significance for Morocco as tangible connections to the land’s earliest inhabitants and as symbols of deep historical roots. These skeletal remains, belonging to ancient Moroccan ancestors, raise important questions around national heritage ownership. As the country continues to reclaim archaeological materials from abroad, the Rouazi-Skhirat case stands as an early and influential example of how repatriation can strengthen both academic institutions and cultural identity. 

For Morocco’s scientific community, they represent exceptionally preserved specimens that provide invaluable insights into North African prehistoric populations, contributing to the reconstruction of indigenous Amazigh heritage predating external influences.

For local Skhirat communities, the necropolis represents a shared regional legacy that transcends contemporary divisions.

The Rouazi-Skhirat skeletal remains are currently housed at the National Institute of Archaeological Sciences and Heritage / Institut National des Sciences de l’Archéologie et du Patrimoine (INSAP) in Rabat, Morocco, where they have been conserved since their repatriation from France in September 2019. They were previously held at the University of Bordeaux in France.

The Rouazi-Skhirat necropolis was discovered accidentally in 1980 by a team of French researchers working in Rabat, during sand extraction works. In that same year, Morocco had promulgated Law No 22-80, which dictated that all archaeological discoveries were automatically declared state property. In the field of archaeological excavations, this legal framework imposed strict regulations. Archaeological research could not be conducted without official authorization, and all discoveries made during these excavations were automatically considered state property. This provision aimed to prevent private appropriation of archaeological remains and ensure their preservation for the national community. In light of this, one of the French researchers, Bruno Cahuzac, immediately reported the archaeological find to one of the implementing bodies of this legislation, the National Archaeological Service (Service National d’Archéologie).

Moroccan historical-archaeologist and Director of the National Archaeological Service,  Joudia Hassar-Benslimane, and French historian-archaeologist and Director of the French Prehistoric and Paleontological Mission in Morocco, Andre Debénath, conducted a joint assessment of the site. They advised the Ministry of Culture for the Kingdom of Morocco – the overseeing body for all of Morocco’s cultural heritage – to undertake an emergency rescue excavation. At the time, Morocco was still developing its archaeological infrastructure. Thus, to salvage the belongings and skeletal remains at the site, a formal scientific collaboration agreement was established. Between 1981 and 1984 materials were excavated and documented by a Morocco-Franco team under the leadership of  Moroccan interdisciplinary academic and researcher, Fatima-Zohra Sbihi-Alaoui, and French archaeologist, Jean-Pierre Daugas.

In 1984, a selection of Neolithic remains from the Rouazi-Skhirat necropolis were transferred to the Rabat Archaeological Museum. Following a preservation and scientific inquiry needs assessment, it was decided that the Rouazi-Skhirat skeletal remains would be transferred to France. Several factors enabled this agreement, including enduring French institutional networks dating back to the protectorate era (1912-1956), when French researchers continued to lead many excavations. The transfer was justified as necessary for specialised analysis such as radiocarbon dating and osteological study, both requiring equipment that was unavailable in Morocco at the time. 

However, what was intended as a temporary study loan became indefinite retention, reflecting 20th-century archaeological practices prioritising scientific access over cultural patrimony, before contemporary ethical frameworks gained wider acceptance.

The prolonged absence of the Rouazi-Skhirat human ancestors had significant consequences for Morocco across both scientific and cultural domains. For nearly four decades, Moroccan researchers lacked direct access to these primary materials, limiting their ability to study and interpret their own heritage within indigenous frameworks. This perpetuated knowledge production through foreign institutional lenses rather than Moroccan scholarship.

For the Skhirat community and the wider Moroccan public, the absence severed ancestral connections, preventing them from drawing meaning from the physical presence of the remains or incorporating them into national heritage narratives. 

The 2013 flood damage at the University of Bordeaux further underscored Morocco’s lack of control over conservation decisions. Most importantly, the retention delayed Morocco’s emergence as an equal partner in the study of its prehistoric past, perpetuating outdated dynamics in which Northern institutions stewarded Southern heritage.

The Rouazi-Skhirat collection ultimately tells two parallel stories – one about prehistoric Moroccan communities and their mortuary traditions, and another about the complex journey of cultural heritage in the modern world of scientific and diplomatic exchange.

In 1984, Morocco and France entered into an academic agreement, facilitated by Director of the National Archaeological Service and the Director of the Rabat Archaeological Museum,  Joudia Hassar-Benslimane, and Director of the French Prehistoric and Paleontological Mission in Morocco, Andre Debénath. The agreement was that the Rouazi-Skhirat human ancestors (Neolithic skeletal remains) would be transferred to the University of Bordeaux – the host of the PACEA Lab (From Prehistory to the Present: Culture, Environment and Anthropology) – for specialised research. This was based on Morocco’s lack of technological infrastructure, skills and knowledge for this level of scientific inquiry at the time.

In 1985, the National Institute of Archaeological Sciences and Heritage / Institut National des Sciences de l’Archéologie et du Patrimoine (INSAP) was established in Rabat, Morocco, under the founding directorship of Joudia Hassar-Benslimane. This was, in part, to address the deficit in Morocco’s archaeological research capabilities that had necessitated the transfer to the University of Bordeaux.

Over the next 3 decades, researchers affiliated with the PACEA Laboratory at the University of Bordeaux had access to the Rouazi-Skhirat human ancestors collection. As a result, the body of knowledge that emerged from researching these Neolithic skeletons was generated through a largely European lens, to the exclusion of Moroccan perspectives and insights.

In July 2013, a catastrophic flood at the University of Bordeaux’s Prehistory to the Present: Culture, Environment and Anthropology (PACEA) Laboratory damaged portions of the Rouazi-Skhirat human ancestors collection. This event significantly accelerated restitution negotiations by demonstrating the vulnerabilities of housing Moroccan cultural heritage abroad. Moroccan officials emphasised both the urgency of repatriation and their domestic institutions’ conservation capabilities.

Little to no documentation exists regarding the decisions taken once Moroccan officials began earnestly pursuing restitution. However, what is known is that Moroccan Heritage Law 22-80 of 1980 and the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property were relied upon to prove Morocco’s rightful ownership of the Rouazi-Skhirat human ancestors. This circumvented the French Heritage Code (Code du Patrimoine) of 2004, which expressly protects the inalienability of cultural property held in France.

On 26th September 2019, six years after the Bordeaux flood, the Rouazi-Skhirat human ancestors were formally returned to Morocco in a ceremony attended by the Minister of Culture, Mohamed Laarej, and the INSAP Director, Abdelouahed Ben-Ncer. The event also announced future Morocco-Franco research partnerships and plans to house the remains in Morocco’s national osteological collection.

The Rouazi-Skhirat restitution represents a landmark achievement from an African perspective, marking one of the continent’s most successful repatriations of human ancestors. Since 2019, all skeletal remains have been permanently housed at Morocco’s National Institute of Archaeological Sciences and Heritage , establishing crucial precedents for African cultural heritage.

The case demonstrated that African institutions possess the technical capacity and scholarly expertise to steward archaeological materials. It also created a viable post-repatriation collaboration model, whereby Moroccan and French researchers continue joint studies under Moroccan leadership, rather than foreign custodianship. Most importantly, it proved that restitution need not terminate scientific access but can rebalance research relationships more equitably, offering a template for future African heritage recoveries.