Taposiris Magna

Abousir / Abūṣīr

Egypt · Alexandria

Ancient cityExcavation ongoing
Approximate period300 BCE — 800 CEApproximately 3rd century BC–8th century AD; Ptolemaic, Roman, Byzantine and early Islamic periods See on the map ↓

In brief

Harbor, bath and cemetery areas have been excavated in the ancient city north of Lake Mareotis. Investigations have shown that the settlement continued to be used for some time after the Arab conquest.

What was found?

  • 1Greek-style baths

    The baths on the Breccia terrace document Greek-style communal bathing practices. Together with the nearby animal mummy cemetery, they show the coexistence of different cultural practices.

  • 2Harbor warehouses

    The later-period warehouses in the harbor area help explain the city's role in the circulation of goods. Excavations associate them with lively trade in Late Antiquity.

  • 3Animal mummy necropolis

    The small cemetery below the Temple of Osiris contains mummified animals. It documents Egyptian religious practices involving sacred animals.

  • 4Roman-Byzantine baths

    Excavations revealed that these baths were repaired and remained in use until at least the 8th century AD. They show that life in the city continued after the Arab conquest.

  • 5Transport amphorae

    The ceramic record includes transport amphorae dated to the middle of the 6th century AD and the late 6th–early 7th century AD. They provide concrete examples of the forms and dates of vessels used in trade.

What does it point to?

With its harbor and warehouses, Taposiris Magna held an important place in trade and transit west of İskenderiye. The proximity of the baths and the animal mummy cemetery shows that practices of Greek and Egyptian origin continued in the same city.

What did it teach us?

  1. The harbor warehouses documented commercial activity in the 5th–7th centuries AD.
  2. The Arab conquest was shown not to have brought the city's inhabited life to an abrupt end.
  3. Greek-style bathing and the Egyptian cult of sacred animals were shown to have existed side by side.

Images

North View of Taposiris Magna Osiris Temple
Koantao · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Record

Culture
Hellenistic Egyptian, Roman and Byzantine
Team / historical
Joint Egyptian-Dominican mission led by Kathleen Martínez; also a French mission affiliated with IFAO
Coordinates
30.9464°, 29.5191°

Sources

  1. ifao.egnet.net
  2. levantineceramics.org
  3. sis.gov.eg

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