Articles | Volume 70, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-39-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Special issue:
https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-39-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
28 Jan 2021
Research article |
| 28 Jan 2021
| 28 Jan 2021
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
UMR5133 Archéorient and UMR5189 HiSoMA, Maison de l'Orient et de
la Méditerranée, CNRS, Lyon 69007, France
Marie-Françoise Boussac
UMR7041 ArScAn, Université Paris Nanterre, 21 allée de
l'Université, 92023 Nanterre, France
Related subject area
Geoarchaeology
New insights into complex social organization in the southern Caucasus – Late Bronze Age–Early Iron Age settlement patterns in the Shiraki Plain (southeast Georgia)
Lost and potentially found: the location of the “Temple of Hermes” at ancient Bubastis in the Nile Delta
The loess landscapes of the Lower Rhine Embayment as (geo-)archeological archives – insights and challenges from a geomorphological and sedimentological perspective
Late Weichselian–Holocene valley development of the Elbe valley near Dresden – linking sedimentation, soil formation and archaeology
A pedo-geomorphological view on land use and its potential in the surroundings of the ancient Hispano-Roman city Munigua (Seville, SW Spain)
Preface: Special issue “Geoarchaeology of the Nile Delta”
Revisiting the subalpine Mesolithic site Ullafelsen in the Fotsch Valley, Stubai Alps, Austria – new insights into pedogenesis and landscape evolution from leaf-wax-derived n-alkanes, black carbon and radiocarbon dating
Reconstruction of former channel systems in the northwestern Nile Delta (Egypt) based on corings and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT)
Sandhills, sandbanks, waterways, canals and sacred lakes at Sais in the Nile Delta
The late Holocene record of Lake Mareotis, Nile Delta, Egypt
Significant depositional changes offshore the Nile Delta in late third millennium BCE: relevance for Egyptology
Implications of geoarchaeological investigations for the contextualization of sacred landscapes in the Nile Delta
A new look at the Butic Canal, Egypt
Towards timing and stratigraphy of the Bronze Age burial mound royal tomb (Königsgrab) of Seddin (Brandenburg, northeastern Germany)
Mapping buried paleogeographical features of the Nile Delta (Egypt) using the Landsat archive
New findings of Middle Stone Age lithic artifacts from the Matmata loess region in southern Tunisia
Sediment-filled karst depressions and riyad – key archaeological environments of south Qatar
Preface: Special Issue “Geoarchaeology and past human–environment interactions”
Combining geomorphological–hydrological analyses and the location of settlement and raw material sites – a case study on understanding prehistoric human settlement activity in the southwestern Ethiopian Highlands
Holocene floodplain evolution in a central European loess landscape – geoarchaeological investigations of the lower Pleiße valley in NW Saxony
Neolithic settlement dynamics derived from archaeological data and colluvial deposits between the Baar region and the adjacent low mountain ranges, southwest Germany
Archaeology and agriculture: conflicts and solutions
Fortification, mining, and charcoal production: landscape history at the abandoned medieval settlement of Hohenwalde at the Faule Pfütze (Saxony, Eastern Ore Mountains)
New data from the Middle Palaeolithic Cotencher cave (Swiss Jura): site formation, environment, and chronology
Levan Losaberidze, Giorgi Kirkitadze, Mate Akhalaia, Mikheil Lobjanidze, Michael Zimmerman, and Mikheil Elashvili
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 73, 145–158, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-73-145-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-73-145-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The study of past environmental changes and their effects on cultures provides key information to reconstruct human–environmental interactions and model how climate change affects cultures and possible avenues of future adaptation. The Shiraki Plain is an uninhabited plain largely devoid of water resources. However, traces of extensive Bronze Age civilization with complex social organization were revealed, featuring the typology of settlements, their ages, and spatial planning.
Philipp Garbe, Amr Abd El-Raouf, Ashraf Es-Senussi, Eva Lange-Athinodorou, and Julia Meister
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 73, 95–99, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-73-95-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-73-95-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Geoarchaeological research in ancient Bubastis has concentrated on the western and central parts of the city. Although the “Temple of Hermes” was investigated and roughly located in eastern Bubastis during exploratory excavations in the 19th century, no traces of the temple can be seen on the surface today. Geomorphological surveys carried out in 2023 to determine the possible location of the temple revealed a central area of elevated sandy deposits, providing a suitable area for the building.
Frank Lehmkuhl, Philipp Schulte, Wolfgang Römer, and Stephan Pötter
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 72, 203–218, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-72-203-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-72-203-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Research in loess landscapes provides evidence for the paleoenvironmental settings for past human societies and for the paleoclimate evolution of the past. Archeological and geoscientific investigations must consider different relief settings due to erosion, slope wash, accumulation of sediments and relocation of artifacts. The Lower Rhine Embayment can serve as a blueprint for such research as a typical loess landscape of Central Europe.
Christian Tinapp, Johannes Selzer, Norman Döhlert-Albani, Birgit Fischer, Susann Heinrich, Christoph Herbig, Frauke Kreienbrink, Tobias Lauer, Birgit Schneider, and Harald Stäuble
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 72, 95–111, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-72-95-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-72-95-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Excavations by the Saxonian Archaeological Heritage Office were conducted in the Elbe valley between Meißen and Dresden, preceding the construction of two natural gas pipelines. Two important multicultural, prehistoric sites were discovered and examined. Through a multimethod approach, the structure of sediments and soils in combination with the archaeological finds could be deciphered, providing a glimpse into the late Weichselian and Holocene valley development of the upper Elbe.
André Kirchner, Nico Herrmann, Paul Matras, Iris Müller, Julia Meister, and Thomas G. Schattner
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 71, 123–143, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-71-123-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-71-123-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Our results indicate that the soils around Munigua currently have the potential for at least limited agricultural use in larger areas and would certainly allow the production of basic agricultural goods, not only today but most likely also in Roman times. Multi-layered colluvial deposits. as well as an excavated Roman hortic Anthrosol, indicate a long-term agrarian utilization of the area. Based on these results we can conclude that the city's economy was by no means focused solely on mining.
Julia Meister, Eva Lange-Athinodorou, and Tobias Ullmann
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 70, 187–190, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-187-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-187-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
This is the preface to the special issue "Geoarchaeology of the Nile Delta: Current Research and Future Prospects", which brings together geoarchaeological case studies from different regions of the Nile Delta.
Michael Zech, Marcel Lerch, Marcel Bliedtner, Tobias Bromm, Fabian Seemann, Sönke Szidat, Gary Salazar, Roland Zech, Bruno Glaser, Jean Nicolas Haas, Dieter Schäfer, and Clemens Geitner
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 70, 171–186, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-171-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-171-2021, 2021
Marina Altmeyer, Martin Seeliger, Andreas Ginau, Robert Schiestl, and Jürgen Wunderlich
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 70, 151–164, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-151-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-151-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Kom el-Gir, an ancient settlement hill in the northwestern Nile Delta, is only one of many so-called tells with a former connection to a watercourse. To establish a detailed reconstruction of this former channel system, this paper presents small-scale investigations of Kom el-Gir’s surroundings using a multi-proxy approach.
Penelope Wilson and Hosni Ghazala
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 70, 129–143, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-129-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-129-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Geophysical and archaeological work at Sais (Sa el-Hagar, Egypt) is analysed to discuss the relationships between the palaeolandscape, the evolving river and floodplain and human cultural activity at the site, where humans have lived since Neolithic times (4000 Before Common Era) until the present. The results show a close correlation with and reliance on the underlying sandhills for settlement and the way in which human activity has subsequently affected the floodplain landscape at the site.
Clément Flaux, Matthieu Giaime, Valérie Pichot, Nick Marriner, Mena el-Assal, Abel Guihou, Pierre Deschamps, Christelle Claude, and Christophe Morhange
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 70, 93–104, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-93-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-93-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Lake Mareotis (NW Nile delta, Egypt) was a gateway between the Nile valley and the Mediterranean during Greco-Roman times. The hydrological evolution of Lake Mareotis was reconstructed using lake sediments and archaeological archives. The data show both a rise in Nile inputs to the basin during the first millennia BC and AD and a lake-level rise of ca. 1.5 m during the Roman period. A high-energy deposit such as a tsunami also possibly affected Alexandria's lacustrine hinterland.
Jean-Daniel Stanley and Sarah E. Wedl
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 70, 83–92, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-83-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-83-2021, 2021
Eva Lange-Athinodorou
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 70, 73–82, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-73-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-73-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
At Buto, Sais and Bubastis in the Nile delta, temples were built on gentle rising mounds surrounded by canals and lakes, representing a perfect fusion of natural and sacred landscapes. The waters served cultic purposes and played an important role in local mythological traditions. The paper aims to reconstruct those sacred waterways, canals and marshes according to recent geoarchaeological and philological research and to assess their impact on the evolution of key mythological narratives.
Robert Schiestl
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 70, 29–38, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-29-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-29-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The Butic Canal, a Roman-period artificial waterway transversing the Egyptian Nile Delta, is investigated by means of newly available remote sensing data (the TanDEM-X digital elevation model and Corona satellite imagery). New features of the construction can thus be detected. Adding historical sources, the canal's function(s) and chronology are discussed.
Moritz Nykamp, Jacob Hardt, Philipp Hoelzmann, Jens May, and Tony Reimann
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 70, 1–17, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-1-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-1-2021, 2021
Tobias Ullmann, Leon Nill, Robert Schiestl, Julian Trappe, Eva Lange-Athinodorou, Roland Baumhauer, and Julia Meister
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 69, 225–245, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-225-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-225-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
The contribution highlights the use of Landsat archive data (1985–2019) for the detection of surface anomalies potentially related to buried near-surface paleogeomorphological deposits in the Nile Delta (Egypt). The analyses of selected spectral-temporal metrics showed several anomalies in the immediate surroundings of Pleistocene sand hills (geziras) and settlement mounds (tells) of the eastern Delta, which allowed mapping of the potential near-surface continuation.
Dominik Faust, Sebastian Kreutzer, Yesmine Trigui, Maximilian Pachtmann, Georg Mettig, Moncef Bouaziz, Jose Manuel Recio Espejo, Fernando Diaz del Olmo, Christoph Schmidt, Tobias Lauer, Zeljko Rezek, Alexander Fülling, and Sascha Meszner
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 69, 55–58, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-55-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-55-2020, 2020
Max Engel, Stefanie Rückmann, Philipp Drechsler, Dominik Brill, Stephan Opitz, Jörg W. Fassbinder, Anna Pint, Kim Peis, Dennis Wolf, Christoph Gerber, Kristina Pfeiffer, Ricardo Eichmann, and Helmut Brückner
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 68, 215–236, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-215-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-215-2020, 2020
Hans von Suchodoletz, Stefanie Berg, Eileen Eckmeier, Lukas Werther, and Christoph Zielhofer
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 68, 237–240, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-237-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-237-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
In this editorial, we give a short state of the art of geoarchaeology, including recent advancements and challenges, and shortly present the seven contributions to our special issue.
Elena A. Hensel, Oliver Bödeker, Olaf Bubenzer, and Ralf Vogelsang
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 68, 201–213, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-201-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-201-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
This study combines geomorphological–hydrological analyses with the distribution of archaeological sites and obsidian raw material outcrops within the catchment of the Bisare River, Mt Damota, and Mt Sodicho (southwestern Ethiopian Highlands). The current highly dynamic hydrological system, strong recent sediment erosion, and increased human impact lead to land degradation, resulting in exposure of lithic raw material outcrops and destruction of archaeological material.
Christian Tinapp, Susann Heinrich, Christoph Herbig, Birgit Schneider, Harald Stäuble, Jan Miera, and Hans von Suchodoletz
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 68, 95–105, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-95-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-95-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
It was possible to define the turning point from extremely clayey and organic- rich sedimentation in the Early and Middle Holocene towards the deposition of coarser-grained and less organic overbank fines in the lower Pleiße valley near Leipzig, NW Saxony. This change occurred between 4000 and 3300 BCE more than 1000 years after the beginning of Early Neolithic settlement and was obviously linked with land clearance by the first farmers.
Jan Johannes Miera, Jessica Henkner, Karsten Schmidt, Markus Fuchs, Thomas Scholten, Peter Kühn, and Thomas Knopf
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 68, 75–93, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-75-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-75-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
This study investigates Neolithic settlement dynamics by combining archaeological source criticism and archaeopedological data from colluvial deposits. It is shown that the distribution of Neolithic sites in the Baar region is distorted by superimposition due to erosion. Furthermore, the preservation conditions for pottery are limited by weathering effects. By complementing archaeological data with phases of colluviation we are able to point out settlement dynamics throughout the Neolithic.
Richard Vogt and Inga Kretschmer
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 68, 47–51, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-47-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-47-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Soils are an important source of geoarchaeological information. The archaeological soil archive is extremely endangered by intensive agriculture. Different approaches for problem-solving strategies that derive from daily practice in cultural heritage management are described.
Johann Friedrich Tolksdorf, Matthias Schubert, Frank Schröder, Libor Petr, Christoph Herbig, Petr Kočár, Mathias Bertuch, and Christiane Hemker
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 67, 73–84, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-67-73-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-67-73-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
This case study provides a reconstruction of settlement and land-use history since the 13th century CE in a small valley in the Ore Mountains (Saxony). Archaeological evidence shows settlement activities with a strong building and mining activities that also triggered local soil erosion. After the abandonment of the site in the middle of the 15th century CE and a reafforestation, later land use in the area occurred in the form of charcoal production.
Judit Deák, Frank Preusser, Marie-Isabelle Cattin, Jean-Christophe Castel, and François-Xavier Chauvière
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 67, 41–72, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-67-41-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-67-41-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Provided here are novel data concerning site formation processes and Middle Palaeolithic human presence at Cotencher cave (Switzerland). A local glaciation around 70 ka was followed by ice-free conditions, when artefacts and faunal remains were displaced by solifluction processes. Evidence of local glacier development around 36 ka is also presented. This interdisciplinary study contributes new elements for the understanding of climatic changes and human passage in the central Jura Mountains.
Cited articles
AMS: El Hammam 88/42, available at: http://legacy.lib.utexas.edu/maps/ams/egypt/txu-pclmaps-oclc-6559596-el-hammam.jpg (last access: 22 January 2021), 1942.
AMS: Burg El Arab, Serie P-502, available at: http://legacy.lib.utexas.edu/maps/ams/north_africa/txu-oclc-6949452-nh35-8.jpg (last access: 22 January 2021), NH35-8, 1958.
Arrowsmith, A.: Map of Lower Egypt, available at: https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b530669569/ (last access: 22 January 2021), 1807.
Awad, I.: A Study of the Evolution of the Maryut Lake through Maps, in: Lake
Mareotis Conference: Reconstructing the past, Universities of Southampton
and Alexandria, Alexandria, Egypt, 2008, edited by: Blue, L. and Khalil, E., Archaeopress,
Oxford, UK, 11–33, 2010.
Bernand, A.: Le Delta égyptien d'après les textes grecs. 1 – les
confins libyques, IFAO, Le Caire, 1970 (in French).
Blue, L. K. and Khalil, E.: A multidisciplinary approach to Alexandria's
economic past: The Lake Mareotis research project, Archaeopress, Oxford, UK,
2011.
Boussac, M.-F.: Recent works at Taposiris and Plinthine, Bulletin de la Société archéologique d'Alexandrie, 49, 189–217, 2015.
Boussac, M.-F. and El-Amouri, M.: The lake structures at Taposiris, in: Lake
Mareotis Conference: Reconstructing the past, Universities of Southampton
and Alexandria, Alexandria, Egypt, 2008, edited by: Blue, L. and Khalil, E., 87–105, Archaeopress,
Oxford, UK, 2010.
Boussac, M.-F. and Redon, B.: L'intégration des confins nord-ouest de
l'Égypte du Nouvel Empire à l'époque ptolémaïque. À
propos des découvertes archéologiques récentes à Plinthine
et Taposiris Magna (côte méditerranéenne, région du lac
Mariout), in: Western borders and margins of Egypt from Antiquity to the
Middle Ages, edited by: Boussac, M.-F., Dhennin, S., Redon, B., Somaglino, C., and Tallet, G., IFAO press, in press, 2021 (in French).
Boussac, M.-F., Dhennin, S., and Redon, B.: Plinthine et la Maréotide
Pharaonique, BIFAO, 115, 15–35, 2015 (in French).
Chabrol, G. and Lancret, M. A.: Notice topographique sur la partie de
l'Egypte comprise entre Rahmanyeh et Alexandrie, et sur les environs du lac
Mareotis, available at: https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k28016p/f1.item.r=description de l'egypte (last access: 22 January 2021), in: Description de l'Égypte, C.L.F. Pancoucke, Paris, France, 18, 2, 3–28, 1829 (in French).
Coste, P.-X.: Carte de la Basse-Égypte dédiée à Mohammed Aly
Pacha, available at: https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b8491814n/ (last access: 22 January 2021), vice Roi, 1827.
Coste, P.-X.: Mémoires d'un artiste. Notes et Souvenirs de voyages
(1817–1877), available at: https://books.google.fr/books?id=yWo3AQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&hl=fr#v=onepage&q&f=false (last access: 22 January 2021), Marseille, Cayer et Cie, Marseille, France, 1878 (in French).
Crépy, M.: Géomorphologie et environnement du site de la
nécropole de Plinthine, in: La nécropole hellénistique de
Plinthine, IFAO press, Le Caire, in press, 2021 (in French).
Crépy, M.: Les Paysages du vent: géohistoire et
géoarchéologie de la dépression de Kharga (désert Libyque,
Égypte) du cinquième siècle avant notre ère à nos jours,
PhD thesis, Université Lumière Lyon 2, France, Université de
Lyon, 2 December 2016, available at:
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01490559/document (last access: 23 March 2017), 2016 (in French).
Dalongeville, R. and Fouache, E.: Les variations de la ligne de rivage en
mer Méditerranée orientale du Pléistocène supérieur et
de l'Holocène récent: réflexions, Paleo, 31, 27–38,
https://doi.org/10.3406/paleo.2005.4781, 2005 (in French).
De Cosson, A.: Mareotis, Country Life Ltd., London, UK, 1935.
Décobert, C.: Maréotide médiévale. Des Bédouins et des
chrétiens, Alexandrie Médiévale, 2, 139–148, 2002 (in French).
Dzierzbicka, D.: Oinos, Production and import of wine in Graeco-roman Egypt,
JJP Suppl. 31, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland, 2018.
El-Asmar, H. M. and Wood, P.: Quaternary shoreline development: the
northwestern coast of Egypt, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 19, 1137–1149,
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0277-3791(99)00097-9, 2000.
El-Falaki, M. B.: Carte des environs d'Alexandrie, available at: https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b10101071m (last access: 22 January 2021), Erhard, Paris, France, 1866.
El-Falaki, M. B.: Mémoire sur l'antique Alexandrie, Bianco-Luno, F.-S. Mulhe, Copenhague, Denmark, 1872 (in French).
Embabi, N. S.: The geomorphology of Egypt: landforms and evolution, 1st Ed.,
Egyptian Geographical Society, Cairo, Egypt, 2004.
Empereur, J.-Y.: New data concerning the foundation of Alexandria, in:
Hellenistic Alexandria, edited by: Zerefos, C. and Vardinoyannis, M.,
Archaeopress, Athens, Greece, 3–12, 2018.
Empereur, J.-Y. and Picon, M.: Les ateliers d'amphores du lac Mariout,
Bulletin de Correspondance Hellénique, 33, 75–79, 1998 (in French).
Flaux, C.: Connexion de la région lagunaire d'Alexandrie au Nil depuis 2 000 ans: entre contrôle anthropique et forçage naturel,
Méditerranée, 117, 73–79, https://doi.org/10.4000/mediterranee.5935, 2011 (in French).
Flaux, C.: Paléo-environnements littoraux Holocène du lac Maryut,
nord-ouest du delta du Nil, Égypte, PhD thesis, Aix-Marseille, France, 2012 (in French).
Flaux, C., Morhange, C., Marriner, N., and Rouchy, J.-M.: Bilan hydrologique
et biosédimentaire de la lagune du Maryût (delta du Nil, Egypte)
entre 8 000 et 3 200 ans cal. B.P., Geomorphologie, 17, 261–278,
https://doi.org/10.4000/geomorphologie.9474, 2011.
Fraser, P.M.: Ptolemaic Alexandria, Clarendon Press, Oxford, UK, 1972.
Flaux, C., El-Assal, M., Marriner, N., Morhange, C., Rouchy, J.-M.,
Soulié-Märsche, I., and Torab, M.: Environmental changes in the
Maryut lagoon (northwestern Nile delta) during the last ∼2000 years,
J. Archaeol. Sci., 39, 3493–3504, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2012.06.010, 2012.
Hairy, I. and Sennoune, O.: Le canal d'Alexandrie: la course au Nil, in Du
Nil à Alexandrie: Histoire d'eaux, edited by: Hairy, I.,
Harpocrates Publishing, Alexandria, Egypt, 2009.
Jacotin, P.: Carte topographique de l'Égypte et de plusieurs parties des
pays limitrophes, available at: https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b531569998/f42.item (last access: 22 January 2021), Dépôt général de la Guerre, Paris, France, 1818.
Jacotin, P.: Mémoire sur la construction de la carte de l'Egypte, available at: https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k280140.r=description e l'egypte (last access: 22 January 2021), in:
Description de l'Egypte, 17, 437–652, C.L.F. Pancoucke, Paris, France, 1824 (in French).
Le Père, G.: Nome Maréotique, in: Dictionnaire des Découvertes, available at: https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k2991761/f9.item.r=dictionnaire%20des%20d%C3%A9couvertes%20mou%20-%20pat (last access: 22 January 2021),
12, Louis Colas, Paris, France, 214–222, 1823 (in French).
Le Père, G.: Extrait d'un Mémoire sur les lacs et les déserts de
la Basse Egypte, available at: https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k28013n.r=description de l'egypte (last access: 22 January 2021), in: Description de l'Egypte, 16, 199–227,
Panckoucke, Paris, France, 1825 (in French).
Le Père, G.: Mémoire sur la partie occidentale de la province de
Bahyreh, connue anciennement sous le nom de nome maréotique, available at: https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k28016p/f1.item.r=descriptiondel'egypte (last access: 22 January 2021), in:
Description de l'Egypte, 18, 29–57, Panckoucke, Paris, France, 1829 (in French).
Linant de Bellefonds, L. M. A.: Mémoires sur les principaux travaux
d'utilité publique exécutés en Egypte, available at: https://books.google.de/books?id=tepYAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&hl=fr#v=onepage&q&f=false (last access: 22 January 2021), Arthus Bertrand, Paris, France, 1873 (in French).
Macklin, M. G., Toonen, W. H. J., Woodward, J. C., Williams, M. A. J.,
Flaux, C., Marriner, N., Nicoll, K., Verstraeten, G., Spencer, N., and
Welsby, D.: A new model of river dynamics, hydroclimatic change and human
settlement in the Nile Valley derived from meta-analysis of the Holocene
fluvial archive, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 130, 109–123,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2015.09.024, 2015.
Nenna, M. D., Simony, A., Machinek, K., Soukiassian, G., Pichot, V., Awad, I.,
Séguier, R., Abdelaziz, M., Elsayed, M., Hairy, I., and Soubias, P.:
Alexandrie (actions du Centre d'études alexandrines), Bulletin archéologique des Écoles françaises à l'étranger, Égypte, https://doi.org/10.4000/baefe.1094, 2020 (in French).
Oliver, F. W.: Dust-Storms in Egypt and Their Relation to the War Period, as
Noted in Maryut, 1939–45, Geogr. J., 106, 26, https://doi.org/10.2307/1790101, 1945.
Pennington, B. T., Sturt, F., Wilson, P., Rowland, J., and Brown, A. G.: The
fluvial evolution of the Holocene Nile Delta, Quaternary Sci. Rev.,
170, 212–231, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2017.06.017, 2017.
Pichot, V.: La Maréotide: région fertile de la chôra
d'Alexandrie, carrefour du commerce, in Quartiers artisanaux en Grèce
ancienne, Une perspective méditerranéenne, edited by Esposito, A. and
Sanidas, G., Presses Universitaires du Septentrion, Lille, France, 81–104, 2012 (in French).
Pichot, V. and Flaux, C.: Les fours à amphores du Haut-Empire du site
d'Akadémia (Maréotide): campagne de fouille et carottages 2014, BCE
25, 259–276, 2015 (in French).
Pichot, V. and Simony, A.: An archaeological map of the Mareotid: initial
results regarding the evolution of occupation in the region, in: Western
borders and margins of Egypt from Antiquity to the Middle Ages, edited by:
Boussac, M.-F., Dhennin, S., Redon, B., Somaglino, C., and Tallet, G., IFAO press, in press, 2021.
Reclus, E.: L'Afrique Septentrionale. Le Bassin du Nil, Hachette et cie,
Paris, France, 1885 (in French).
Redon, B., Vanpeene, M., and Pesenti, M.: “La vigne a été inventée dans la ville égyptienne de Plinthine”. À propos de la découverte d’un fouloir saïte à Kôm el-Nogous (Maréotide), Bulletin de l’Institut français d’archéologie orientale, 116, 303–323, https://doi.org/10.4000/bifao.440, 2017 (in French).
Rennell, J.: The Geographical System of Herodotus, available at: https://archive.org/details/geographicalsys00renn/page/n7/mode/2up (last access: 22 January 2021),
W. Bulmer, London, UK, 1800.
Sennoune, O.: Alexandrie dans les récits de voyage, VIe–XVIIIe
siècles, L'Harmattan, Paris, France, 2015 (in French).
Stanley, J.-D.: Nile delta margin: failed and fluidized deposits
concentrated along distributary channels / La marge du delta du Nil:
concentration de dépôts fracturés et fluidisés le long des
paléochenaux fluviatiles, Geomorphology, 9, 211–226,
https://doi.org/10.3406/morfo.2003.1186, 2003.
Stanley, J.-D., Goddio, F., and Schnepp, G.: Nile flooding sank two ancient
cities, Nature, 412, 293–294, https://doi.org/10.1038/35085628, 2001.
St John, B.: Adventures in the Libyan Desert, available at: https://archive.org/details/adventuresinliby00stjo/page/n7/mode/2up (last access: 22 January 2021), Putnam-John Murray, New
York-London, 1849.
St John, B.: Map to Illustrate a Journey from Alexandria (Egypt) to The
Oasis of Siwah, available at: https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b53136219p/ (last access: 22 January 2021) Housselin, Paris, France, 1850.
Strabo: Géographie, Livre XVII, 1re partie: l'Égypte et
l'Éthiopie nilotique, text edited and translated by Laudenbach, B., Les
Belles Lettres, Paris, France, 2015.
Survey of Egypt: Mudiriyet El-Beheira, available at:
https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~317305~90086593:Sheet-47-Bahig (last access: 22 January 2021), Sheet of the 1:50,000 series, Bahîg V-VI N.W., 1910.
Tronchère, H.: Approche paléoenvironnementale de deux sites
archéologiques dans le delta du Nil: Avaris et la branche
Pélusiaque, Taposiris et le lac Mariout, PhD thesis, Lumière Lyon 2,
Lyon, France, 2010 (in French).
Tronchère, H., Millet, B., Goiran, J.-P., Carbonel, P., Djerbi, H.,
Vera, R., Torab, M., Elassal, M., and Callot, Y.: Geoarchaeological results
from the harbor of Taposiris and implications concerning the construction of
the harbor, AEundL, 22–23, 383–394, https://doi.org/10.1553/s383, 2014.
Tsoar, H. and Pye, K.: Dust transport and the question of desert loess
formation, Sedimentology, 34, 139–153,
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3091.1987.tb00566.x, 1987.
US Geological Survey (USGS): EarthExplorer, available at: https://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/, last access: 22 January 2021.
Warne, A. and Stanley, J.-D.: Late Quaternary Evolution of the Northwest
Nile Delta and Adjacent Coast in the Alexandria Region, Egypt, J.
Coastal Res., 9, 26–64, 1993.
Woronko, B.: Late-Holocene dust accumulation within the ancient town of
Marea (coastal zone of the South Mediterranean Sea, N Egypt), Quaternary
Int., 266, 4–13, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2011.09.010, 2012.
Short summary
Based on a new method, this paper proves the presence of several lakes during Greco-Roman antiquity in the Mariut basin and the digging of a canal network (up to 12 km long) in the Roman period to link them to Lake Mareotis. This challenges a 2-century-long scientific tradition according to which Lake Mareotis naturally linked Taposiris Magna to Alexandria during the Hellenistic and Roman periods. It is thus a starting point for new analyses of regional archaeology and geoarchaeology.
Based on a new method, this paper proves the presence of several lakes during Greco-Roman...
Special issue