Scientists from the Faculty of Archeology and the Center of Mediterranean Archeology of the University of Warsaw (UW) have discovered an unknown part of the ancient city at the Marea site in northern Egypt, founded in the second half of the 6th century.
The Marea site is located on the southern shores of Lake Mareotis in northern Egypt. Egyptian, American, French and Polish scientists have been conducting archaeological research here since the end of the 1970s. They were focused primarily on discovering Byzantine buildings (baths, houses, churches, workshops, mill) and reconstructing their plans and ways of functioning. However, the scientists passed over the wider urban context. In 2017, the use of non-invasive (geophysical) methods by archaeologists from the University of Warsaw along with the excavations made enabled to create an accurate plan of buildings.
The researchers’ analyzes show that the discovered urban complex may have been a center built for pilgrims going to the Abu Mena Sanctuary, located a few kilometers to the south.
