A Multidisciplinary Approach to Alexandria’s Economic Past: The Lake Mareotis Research Project

Western Mareotis lake(s) during the Late Holocene (4th century BCE–8th century CE): diachronic evolution in the western margin of the Nile Delta and evidence for the digging of a canal complex during the early Roman period

“…The Hellenistic and Roman periods are characterised by structures occupying areas that are very close to the current shores of the lake (or even in the present lake) and located at altitudes much lower than the remains of other periods, suggesting that the lake levels were lower during these periods or that the geometry of the lake was different. This has been demonstrated at Taposiris and on Mariut island (Blue and Khalil, 2011;Flaux, 2012).…”

“…De Cosson, 1935). From the beginning of the 1st millennium BCE to the end of the 1st millennium CE, the following dynamics of occupation have been demonstrated: from the New Kingdom (∼ 1580-∼ 1077 BCE), occupation on high points on the northern and southern banks of the valley (Boussac et al, 2015;Empereur, 2018;Nenna et al, 2020); from the Saite Period (664-525 BCE) at the latest, agricultural development (wine) attested to in Plinthine on the northern bank (Redon et al, 2017); during the Hellenistic period (332-30 BCE), urban development in sectors located lower down on both banks and on Mariut island (Blue and Khalil, 2011;Boussac, 2015); and from the early Roman period to the Arab-Islamic conquest (mid-7th century CE), increasing harbour and economic development (including wine export) (Décobert, 2002;Blue and Khalil, 2011;Boussac and El-Amouri, 2010;Dzierzbicka, 2018;Pichot and Simony, 2021). The Hellenistic and Roman periods are characterised by structures occupying areas that are very close to the current shores of the lake (or even in the present lake) and located at altitudes much lower than the remains of other periods, suggesting that the lake levels were lower during these periods or that the geometry of the lake was different.…”

“…A lot of ancient harbour infrastructure has been prospected (Blue and Khalil, 2011) but also Hellenistic and Roman remains submerged or located close to the current shores of the lagoon, including amphora workshops (Empereur and Picon, 1998;Flaux, 2012). Their underground kilns make them incompatible with their proximity to the lake and high water levels.…”

“…However, two obstacles prevent the proper exploitation of the survey results (e.g. Blue and Khalil, 2011;Picon and Empereur, 1998). In the absence of underwater surveys, the distribution of sites is incomplete and draws a shoreline corresponding to the limit of the lake at the time of the survey (even if Blue and Khalil, 2011, also mentioned some underwater remains, they saw from the land), and surface surveys are not sufficient to give an exhaustive chronology of the sites.…”

“…Agricultural lands and towns, such as Taposiris on the north shore (Boussac, 2015) and Marea (Pichot, 2012) on the southern one, flourished until the Arab-Muslim conquest, which was followed in the 7-8th centuries CE by a reconfiguration of the territory and the abandonment of many settlements (Décobert, 2002). During all periods, the human occupation of the region has been closely linked to the lake (Blue and Khalil, 2011).…”