The ‘Marea’ project of the University of Warsaw expanded the program to survey and excavation in the northern and eastern parts of the city in order to establish the character and chronology of the structures there. The eastern waterfront was uncovered, along with the adjacent latrines, streets and buildings which are presumed to be residential. The structures which were examined were very regularly formed and involved large-scale earthworks. They were built no earlier than the mid-6th century AD, and, although their purpose sometimes changed, they remained in use until about the mid-8th century AD. Accumulations of Roman, Byzantine and early Islamic date were discovered, including the oldest remains this season, that is, a row of locally-manufactured amphorae serving an unexplained purpose.

Reusage was a common phenomenon in the ancient world. Throughout the history of Egypt, from the very early beginnings until modern times, tombs, temples, quarries or loose architectural elements were adapted for new purposes. The Temple of Hatshepsut in Deir el-Bahari (Upper Egypt) was no exception. Our knowledge about the Graeco-Roman to Late Antique periods comes mainly from the movable artefacts such as ostraka, papyri and secondary epigraphy preserved on the walls. In 2018, an attempt was made to recapture the faint, but still noticeable, drawings and texts left there by monks and Christian visitors. Contrary to previous studies, a more contextual approach was applied in the course of this re-examination.

The group of 17 oil lamps now in the Islamic Art Department collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York) was excavated in West Thebes in Upper Egypt by the Metropolitan Museum of Art expedition at the beginning of the 20th century. The assemblage was never fully published (apart from being included in the online MeT Collection database). The present paper documents the material in full, examining the collection and proposing in a few cases a new dating based on parallels from other sites.

The ancient topography of the settlement on the northeastern promontory at ‘Marea’ (North Hawariya) was the subject of investigations carried out at the site in 2018 within the frame of a broader excavation project. Fieldwork established the date of some structures recognized along an ancient road. The oldest remains turned out to be from the Roman period, when the promontory became a rubbish dump for production waste, mostly sherds of Amphores égyptienne 3 and 4, from the nearby pottery kilns. Two superimposed occupation levels were recognised, the earlier one from the beginning of the 3rd century AD or later, the later one from the 5th–6th century. The buildings followed a regular grid that fits into the overall plan of the town. The research has resulted in a better understanding of the changes occurring in this part of ‘Marea’.

Archaeological excavations in the 2017 season continued the investigation of the early Byzantine and early Islamic House H1 in the northeastern part of ‘Marea’. The building had already been excavated, but required further study to identify the type and function of structures in its immediate vicinity. Five stratigraphic trenches were excavated, exploring a well shaft, one of the wall abutments, a small cell added to the building, a sewer and streets with an accumulation of debris and rubbish. This also enhanced a better view of the house surroundings as well as their development in the course of the 6th century and later. A range of Roman ceramics from layers underlying the house was also discovered in the deepest of the trenches.