Archaeological excavations in the 2017 season continued the investigation of the early Byzantine and early Islamic House H1 in the northeastern part of ‘Marea’. The building had already been excavated, but required further study to identify the type and function of structures in its immediate vicinity. Five stratigraphic trenches were excavated, exploring a well shaft, one of the wall abutments, a small cell added to the building, a sewer and streets with an accumulation of debris and rubbish. This also enhanced a better view of the house surroundings as well as their development in the course of the 6th century and later. A range of Roman ceramics from layers underlying the house was also discovered in the deepest of the trenches.
Seven rooms were unearthed completely and another four in part during the second season of excavations in House H1 in Marea. Thanks to a stratigraphic test pit the approximate date of construction of this part of the ancient town was established tentatively as the 6th century AD; it remained in use until at least the 8th century AD. The building techniques and the plan of House H1 follow the Mediterranean tradition of domestic architecture.
The ancient topography of the settlement on the northeastern promontory at ‘Marea’ (North Hawariya) was the subject of investigations carried out at the site in 2018 within the frame of a broader excavation project. Fieldwork established the date of some structures recognized along an ancient road. The oldest remains turned out to be from the Roman period, when the promontory became a rubbish dump for production waste, mostly sherds of Amphores égyptienne 3 and 4, from the nearby pottery kilns. Two superimposed occupation levels were recognised, the earlier one from the beginning of the 3rd century AD or later, the later one from the 5th–6th century. The buildings followed a regular grid that fits into the overall plan of the town. The research has resulted in a better understanding of the changes occurring in this part of ‘Marea’.
The ‘Marea’ project of the University of Warsaw expanded the program to survey and excavation in the northern and eastern parts of the city in order to establish the character and chronology of the structures there. The eastern waterfront was uncovered, along with the adjacent latrines, streets and buildings which are presumed to be residential. The structures which were examined were very regularly formed and involved large-scale earthworks. They were built no earlier than the mid-6th century AD, and, although their purpose sometimes changed, they remained in use until about the mid-8th century AD. Accumulations of Roman, Byzantine and early Islamic date were discovered, including the oldest remains this season, that is, a row of locally-manufactured amphorae serving an unexplained purpose.
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