The PCMA Research Centre in Cairo invites to an open lecture “House H1 and the History of Marea on Lake Mareotis” by Dr. Dagmara Wielgosz-Rondolino and Dr. Mariusz Gwiazda.
The lecture will be held on Tuesday, 23rd January, 2018 at 6:00 pm in the PCMA Research Centre in Cairo, 11, Mahallah St., Heliopolis.
Abstract
The Institute of Archaeology, University of Warsaw, in collaboration with the Archaeological Museum in Cracow and the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology, University of Warsaw, launched a new archaeological project in 2014 at the site of Marea, 40 km west of Alexandria, on the southern shore of Lake Mareotis (Maryut). Excavations were conducted within a large residential building (Sector H1) situated in the north-eastern part of the site. Until recently, almost nothing has been known about Marea’s residential quarters and dwellings. The building excavated by our mission is the only dwelling investigated so far, with 670 m2 cleared in the course of the recent work. The building was constructed in the 6th century AD. It possibly went out of use gradually, changing its character. Thus, Sector’s H1 original layout has been altered and the function of some rooms may have changed during the last occupation phases. Most of the datable material is related to the last phase of building’s occupation and its abandonment. The latter probably occurred in the later part of the 8th century AD, and is perceptible in almost all of the cleared rooms.
Dagmara Wielgosz-Rondolino is a researcher and lecturer at the Institute of Archaeology, University of Warsaw. She excavated in Syria (Palmyra), Turkey (Sagalassos), Cyprus (Polis Chrysochous), Egypt (Marea). Her main fields of research include Greco-Roman Near East and archaeometry, including scientific study of ancient marbles.
Mariusz Gwiazda is affiliated with the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology, University of Warsaw. He specializes in the archaeology of the Greco-Roman Near East and the Late Antique period. His current work focuses on dwelling architecture, craft production, and sepulchral art. He has been a member of the Polish Archaeological Expedition to Marea since 2014, and worked on other archaeological sites in Egypt, Lebanon, and Turkey.