This paper presents some information on Libyan pottery from Marmarica, based on the results of recent fieldwork in the vicinity of Marsa Matruh and Zawiyet umm-el Rakham. The local coarsewares are hard to date, but some New Kingdom period sherds can be identified. In the Graeco-Roman periods shell-tempered wares are found, in the form of a bag-shaped jar, production of which continues until at least the 7th century AD, to judge from the association of some of these sherds with amphorae of Riley's type Late Roman 13.

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The Western Marmarica Coastal Survey continued its work in 2010, concentrating upon an area roughly 10 km square around Marsa Lukk. Significant early material was found, from the Middle Stone Age to the Neolithic and, for the first time, a local chert source was identified in the area. A number of Early Roman sites, previously underrepresented at this period in the area, were identified, as well as Late Roman farms. The inventory of rock art sites also increased significantly and motifs recur across the area.

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In Autumn 2000, the University of Liverpool continued its researches into the Ramesses II fortress at Zawiyet Umm el-Rakham, some 25 km west of Marsa Matruh. During this season, the area around the wadis that run towards Ras Abu Laho, 3 km to the west of Umm el-Rakham, was explored. Particular attention was paid to the spurs and knolls that presented a commanding view of the wadi and surrounding area or the coast, in the hope of finding possible New Kingdom patrol routes in association with the fort.This paper presents more evidence of local ceramic manufacture activity in the region. Two local fabrics, Marmaric fabrics 1 and 2, are identified and their shapes and distribution are discussed. They are dated to the New Kingdom, more or less contemporary with the fortress at Zawiyet Umm el-Rakham, since they occur with Nile valley fabrics. It is suggested that they were either made by the local Libyan population, or by the occupants of the fortress for their own use.The decorative corpus of another local fabric, Shell Tempered ware, is also briefly sketched, and its post-New Kingdom date reconfirmed.