Zone de fouille principale des ruines de Loropéni, au Burkina Faso

The principal excavation area at the ruins of Loropéni, Burkina Faso. The ground is overlaid with a grid that provides a frame of reference enabling discoveries to be systematically plotted on a plan of the site. The Loropéni archaeological site, surrounded by tall stone walls, covers an area of almost 10,000 sq. m. The earliest inhabited levels are believed to date from a period extending from the 11th to 15th centuries. Although the purpose of the ruins is still not fully understood, they may relate to the region's gold mines, which have been worked since 1000 AD. This research, being conducted as part of the Lobi-Or-Fort project, will provide insights as a result of a multi-disciplinary approach combining archaeology, geophysics, anthropology, geochemistry and 3D modelling.