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Marea2011
EGYPT
MAREA2011
KrzysztofBabraj1,AnnaDrzymuchowska2,NinaWillburger3
1,2ArchaeologicalMuseuminKraków,3StateMuseumofWuerttemberg
Abstract:PolishexcavationsatMarea,asite45kmsouthwestofAlexandriainEgypt,continued
intheareaofthelargeChristianbasilicasituatedbythelakeharborofthetown.Tearchitecture
onthelakeshorewasclearedaspartofageneraltopographicsurveyofthesurroundingsofthe
church.TebiggestfindoftheseasonwasasetofGreekostraka,264inall,fromAD450-500,
discoveredbythesoutheasterncornerofoneofthebuildings.Tereportincludesabriefoverview
ofthecontentoftheostraka,presumablyrelatedtotheconstructionofthebasilica,andareviewof
thepotteryandglassfinds.
Keywords:Marea,basilica,earlyByzantine,pottery,Greekostraka,glass,harborarchitecture,
conservation
TelocationoftheancientsiteofMarea,
animportantlocalitymentionedinmany
ancientsourcesincludingHerodotus,
TukidydesandDiodorustheSicilian,
wassuggestedbythe19thcentury
astronomeranderuditeMahmudel-Falaki,
authorofamapofAlexandriaandvicinity
thatwaspublishedin1872.Hepointed
totheonlylargerconcentrationofruins
thatexistedonthesouthernshoreofthe
lake,closetothevillageofHuwwariya,
approximately45kmtothesouthwestof
Alexandria.However,despitesubstantial
inscriptional
evidence
discovered
to
date,noneofthetextshaveindicatedor
evensuggestedtherealnameofthissite
(Szymańska,Babraj2004;2008:11-15;
Babraj,Szymańska2010;Grossmann
2003;Wipszycka2012;foranopinion
confirmingtheidentificationofthe
siteasMarea,Rodziewicz2003;2010).
45
PAM23/1:Research2011
Adozenyearsofarchaeologicalresearch
intheruinshavemadeitclearthatthe
settlementonthesouthernshoreof
MareotisLakewasestablishedattheend
ofthe4thcenturyAD.EarlierPtolemaic
andRomanoccupationofthesitewas
linkedtointensiveagriculturaland
industrialactivitiesinthearea,confirmed
bythepresenceofalargepotteryfurnace
undertheapseofthebasilica,numerous
glassworkshops,harborinfrastructure,
hugewaterfrontsandquays,andwater
channelsthroughoutthecity.
Teseasonin2011wasbeleaguered
byadministrativemishapswithessential
militarypermits,hencetheexpedition
wasabletoconcludeonlysomeclearing
workintheareadirectlytotheeast
ofthebasilicaandaseriesofbuilding
preservationactionscarriedoutinsidethe
alreadyexcavatedpartsofthechurch.
