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

Abstract

Abstract. Lake Mareotis (modern Mariut), located near the Mediterranean coast of Egypt west of the Nile Delta, is bordered by ancient sites dating from the New Kingdom (end of the 2nd millennium BCE) to the Medieval period (8th century CE), the most famous one being Alexandria. In its western part (wadi Mariut), several sites are equipped with harbour structures, but they also have structures contemporaneous with them that are not compatible with the lake level required for the operation of the harbour. Between the 1990s and 2010, several sedimentological studies tried to solve this paradox without completely succeeding. To go further, this study is based on the reassessment of geoarchaeological data and on the analysis of early scholars' accounts (1800–1945), maps (1807–1958) and satellite photographs (Corona). It allows us to reconstruct the extension of the lake(s) at different periods in wadi Mariut. During the 1st millennium BCE, the Mariut lagoon experienced a drawdown in its western part, and several distinct lakes formed, followed by building operations in some emerged areas during the Hellenistic period (332–30 BCE). During the early Roman period (30 BCE–284 CE), the digging of several canals in the 2nd century CE to connect the sites of the wadi Mariut to the eastern part of the Mariut basin reconfigured the lake(s).

The late Holocene record of Lake Mareotis, Nile Delta, Egypt

“…Following Stanley (2019) quoting Butzer (1976, p. 56), "it has become difficult to ignore the possibility that major segments of ancient Egyptian history may be unintelligible without recourse to an ecological perspective." We suggest that this statement resonates strongly with the human occupation history of Lake Mareotis, as originally perceived by De Cosson (1935).…”

“…1.5 m between the 2nd and the 5th centuries CE and lay above msl. Late Pleistocene stiff muds lying below Holocene sediments (Chen and Stanley, 1993) represent a relatively impermeable substratum that could have favored the water-level rise and stabilization above msl. It is not clear, however, whether the lake level stabilized above msl or was a seasonal high level linked to the Nile flood.…”

Comparing different machine‐learning techniques to date Nile Delta sediments based on portable X‐ray fluorescence data

“…Therefore, countless geoscientific studies focussed on deciphering the Nile Delta's landscape evolution. Furthermore, as key to every settlement, several studies on the Nile Delta's former landscape have concentrated on the reconstruction of defunct Nile branches that served as freshwater sources for the settlements, irrigation purposes, transport corridors, and drainage for wastewater (Butzer, 2002; Crépy & Boussac, 2021; Meister, Garbe, et al, 2021; Meister, Lange‐Athinodorou, et al, 2021; Marriner et al, 2012, 2013; Stanley, 2019; Stanley & Wedl, 2021; Wilson & Ghazala, 2021; Wilson, 2019).…”